Eyes Wide Shut

September 20, 2007 3:07 AM

I learned yesterday that I do what someone described as "slow blinking" or "long blinking"--essentially, when giving a lecture or talking in a formal environment, I keep my eyes closed for 2-3 seconds at a time when I blink. I have apparently been doing this subconsciously and habitually for awhile. I want it to stop. I can't seem to find any good information on this problem (I keep getting links to computer blinking lights). In addition to general information, I am also looking for clever ideas as to how to help me realize when I am doing it. I don't think it is a medical condition- I was just at the eye doctor recently. I think it is more likely a communication issue, but just knowing I do it and being aware of it has not corrected it.
posted by Harvey Birdman to health & fitness (6 comments total)

Well, Id look at why you do it. You lecture- is it a memory device (Do you do it while thinking?) Is it shyness? Do you look around the room at everybodys eyes when you talk, or do you stare at a fixed point? Are there (or were there at one time) bright lights that shine in your face when you talk?

I'd get a friend to watch you talk in private where he/she can tell you to open your eyes every time you close them. Or, keep focusing your eyes on something during a lecture- notes, individuals in the crowd, something like that. Maybe even talking in front of a mirror/record yourself.

good luck
posted by Jacen at 5:17 AM on September 20, 2007

I sometimes catch myself doing this while driving and quickly pull myself out of it. I tend to link it not directly to tiredness, but just kinda "situational fatigue" (boredom?), if that's even a real term. Beyond that, you can also build up a muscle memory / habit for this sort of thing, like people who blink too much or certain types of tic.
posted by wackybrit at 7:56 AM on September 20, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

I tend to wink at people, or blink one eye, if you will. Drives me nuts. When I've noticed myself doing this I look away (so people don't think I'm being a weirdo) and focus on blinking/winking the other eye for a second. Then I blink them both together. I guess in my mind I feel like this will retrain my wacky eyes somehow. Maybe that could work for you. When you catch yourself in a long blink, make sure you do one or two short blinks afters. Not saying this is scientific by any means, but what the hell!
posted by iamkimiam at 9:43 AM on September 20, 2007

i did this mouth-clicking thing for a while when I was thinking of what to say.
Recording myself (and then listening to the whole hour-ish long tape) made me a lot more aware of it, and able to control it.
posted by The Esteemed Doctor Bunsen Honeydew at 1:19 PM on September 20, 2007

I tried to find some account online of people beside you who do this, emphasizing medical conditions in my searches, but came up with nothing (fortunately).

If it's not part of some larger pathology, but you're having trouble stopping doing it, is it possible it could be serving some worthwhile end for you?

It occurs to me, since you say you do it when giving a lecture or a formal talk, that you might not be blinking so much as closing your eyes briefly in order to help yourself call up a visual memory of a page of the text or an outline of your presentation, as I do when I'm trying to recall something I read on a particular page in a specific book, or someones face.

If so, you could try switching to aural memory by making a recording of yourself giving the lecture and listening to it in advance, or you could try looking at blank or neutral surface and unfocusing your eyes to make a background for your visual memory.
posted by jamjam at 5:57 PM on September 20, 2007

I had a coworker who had a habit of pounding the table as he talked...even when the point he was trying to make didn't require such heavy-handed (pun intended) emphasis. It was a bit of a nervous tic for him, but was really distracting to the listener. I pointed it out, but like you said, knowing you have a nervous tic doesn't necessarily make it stop.

We worked out a system that I would tap my pencil on the table every time I noticed him pounding the table. Having a cue that he was doing the action was enough to help him bring his tic to his conscious mind and be able to stop doing it as often.

Maybe it's pavlovian, but it's worth a shot. Have a friend snap their fingers or clear their throat every time you 'long blink' when talking and see if that helps reduce your blinking output.
posted by batcrazy at 4:56 AM on September 21, 2007