The fact that professional drivers appear to blink synchronized during their race may indicate a certain cognitive state.
Different race car drivers blink at roughly the same points in a circuit, which could be a sign of a synchronized mental state that occurs when driving a car with concentration.
Blinking lubricates the eyeball, but how it relates to other aspects of our health is unclear. By studying this, we may be able to better understand conditions where blinking changes, such as Parkinson’s disease.
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12 times per minute
We blink about twelve times a minute, with the blink lasting about a third of a second. Our blink rate has been linked to the attention we pay to a given task. For example, some people blink less when they focus on a screen.
“Many people think that blinking is only done to moisten the eyes, but only blinking a few times per minute is enough,” says communications researcher and former cyclist. Ryota Nishizono from NTT Communication Science Laboratories in Atsugi, Japan.
To study how driving can affect eye blinking, Nishizono and his colleagues examined three professional male drivers from a Formula racing team. The drivers completed 304 practice laps at three circuits in Japan: Fuji, Suzuka and Sugo. A so-called binocular eye tracker on their helmet registered the blinking. The blink rate was determined using machine learning.
An analysis of the data showed that, while the drivers’ flash rates differed, they generally flashed at approximately the same points on each track, with their flash rates decreasing as they drove faster.
Consistent blinking
Nishizono says the team was initially surprised by the consistent blinking patterns. But because the steering patterns are similar at each track, it’s likely to be expected that the drivers’ cognitive state, and thus perhaps blinking, are somewhat synchronized.
“Factors that affect blink timing are numerous and not fully understood,” says neuroscientist Omar Mahroo from University College London. A better understanding of blinking could teach us more about conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, which is associated with a reduced blink rate, and blepharospasm: uncontrolled blinking or twitching of the eyelids.