Faster eye movements indicate a more impulsive personality

It's said that the eyes are the window to the soul. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have found that, in the case of impulsivity, this old adage just might be true. In a new study published in the Journal of Neuroscience, they found that individuals who had higher levels of impulsivity had quicker eye movements. The scientists had researchers look at dots on the computer screen while they measured the individual's subtle eye movements, known as saccades. The rate of these saccades appeared to be relatively constant in each individual at different times, which led the scientists to conclude that they were a stable trait. The researchers tracked saccades as they instructed an individual to follow directions to find a dot on the computer screen. The instructions also came with directions not to look for the dot until they got a second set of instructions. More impulsive people would immediately start looking for the dot. The scientists found that more impulsive people also had faster saccades, and they concluded that impulsivity may be related to the way our brains perceive time and reward.

Read the complete article from John Hopkins University (and find a link to the full text journal article) here: For signs of impulsiveness, look into the eyes