Why Sticking a Pair of Eyeballs on a Sign Actually Changes Behavior
This post has been viewed 3,137 times.
Why Sticking a Pair of Eyeballs on a Sign Actually Changes Behavior. ATLAS OBSCURA. Police in the United Kingdom have been using eye-inhabiting signs as part of crime deterrence programs for the past decade. In 2013, posters in Nottinghamshire featuring the eyes of one of their police inspectors reportedly cut theft rates by 40 percent. In 2011, a group of scientists at Newcastle University’s Center for Behavior and Evolution placed a variety of posters around campus where students were prone to litter. Researchers found that when the posters featured images of eyes, students were twice as likely to clean up their mess. The results may be explained by a phenomenon called “gaze detection.” Studies show that certain brain cells fire when someone is staring at you, but do not get triggered when they’re looking only a few degrees to your left or right. It is plausible that if we think we are being watched we might behave. It is clear that eyes capture visual attention. Eyes stand out (often the first thing people notice), so it may just be that the eyes make people notice the signs, which then have more effect. (August 20, 2015) tinyurl.com/ptm2ss3
Read original articleTags:
