The locus coeruleus releases norepinephrine, which functions as both a neurotransmitter and hormone in the brain and body, and it regulates processes such as perception, attention, learning and memory. It also helps maintain a healthy organization of brain activity so that distant brain regions can work together to accomplish challenging tasks and goals. In fact, this organization of activity is so important that the brain devotes most of its energy to maintain it, even when we are not doing anything at all—such as when we stare at a blank computer screen for minutes on end.
One hypothesis is that people who have larger pupils at rest have greater regulation of activity by the locus coeruleus, which benefits cognitive performance and resting-state brain function. Additional research is needed to explore this possibility and determine why larger pupils are associated with higher fluid intelligence and attention control.
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Gareth, a Pulitzer prize-winning journalist, is the series editor of Best American Infographics and can be reached at garethideas AT gmail. Jason S. Tsukahara is a Ph. Alexander P. Burgoyne earned his Ph. The pupil size is closely regulated by muscles in the iris. They expand and contract constantly to allow a certain amount of light into the eye. Certain conditions and medications can alter the function of these muscles and lead to abnormally dilated or constricted pupils.
In absence of these causative factors, a patient's normal pupillary size can range between 2mm and 8mm in size. A patient may be more light-sensitive if their natural pupillary size is very large and allows more light into the eye. Some people have taken this too far, for example staring at the sun during solar eclipses, and developed a blinding condition called solar retinopathy where the retina may be damaged.
Ask a New Question. Not every question will receive a direct response from an ophthalmologist. However, we will follow up with suggested ways to find appropriate information related to your question. Our stories are reviewed by medical professionals to ensure you get the most accurate and useful information about your health and wellness. For more information, visit our medical review board. Dilated pupils mean that your pupils appear larger in size.
The most common reason for dilated pupils is low light in a dark room since lower light causes your pupils to grow. Dilated pupils are also caused by drug use, sexual attraction, brain injury, eye injury, certain medications, or benign episodic unilateral mydriasis BEUM. Visit Insider's Health Reference library for more advice. Madeline Kennedy is a health writer for Insider covering a wide range of topics including reproductive and sexual health, mental health, nutrition, and infectious disease.
Before joining Insider, Madeline worked as a health news writer for Reuters, and a domestic violence therapist. She has a master's degree in social work from UPenn and is interested in the intersection of health and social justice. Additional comments. Email optional. Receive a selection of our best stories daily based on your reading preferences. The researchers played erotic videos to the participants while monitoring their pupil size.
The study found that erotic videos led to pupil dilation in the participants. The team showed that bisexual men and heterosexual women had dilated pupils in response to erotic videos that included people of either sex. Another study, this time in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior , focused on associations between pupil dilation and sexual attraction. The researchers found that it was possible to determine sexual interest from the size and darkness of the pupils.
Pupil size also appears to respond to hormonal changes. One study recruited 14 women to view arousing pictures on a computer screen on different occasions. Half of the women were taking hormonal birth control pills. Women not taking birth control pills had dilated pupils while viewing arousing pictures during ovulation. This did not occur in women taking birth control pills. There is also some evidence to suggest that pupil dilation may indicate trust.
A study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that pupil size changes play a role in trust formation. It remains unclear why pupil dilation might be involved in attraction. It could be a result of hormonal changes. However, many other factors can also affect pupil dilation. For example, research also suggests that paying attention to something can influence pupil size.
It could be easy to mistake paying attention for attraction. More research in this area will be necessary to establish whether pupil dilation is a sign of attraction or a result of other factors, such as hormones or involuntary bodily responses. Pupil dilation occurs for a variety of reasons. Mostly, pupils change size depending on how much light is necessary for proper vision.
Other factors can also influence pupil dilation, such as medication or drug use.
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