In one beautiful poetic work there were such lines: “We believe words slowly, the world repeats them for centuries. In the eyes - the soul shines, not explainable by words ... ". This passage illustrates a fairly widespread view that by looking into the eyes of another one can see his thoughts, character and feelings in them. However, if someone says that a person has “empty eyes”, what does that mean? Let's take a closer look at the meaning of this phrase, and also consider various ways of interpreting it.
Expression value
When talking about empty eyes, in the overwhelming majority of cases, the figurative meaning of this expression is meant. In the literal sense, it is used only when it is said about people with disabilities who, for various reasons, have lost their eyes.
In the figurative meaning, the so-called indifferent look, which does not express anything.
Synonyms
To better understand the meaning of the phrase “empty eyes”, it is best to consider its synonyms.
So, such eyes can also be called "glass", "lifeless", "indifferent" and "dead."
Sometimes it is permissible to use the expression “watery eyes” in this meaning.
What does “empty eyes” mean in terms of physiognomy?
In recent decades, pseudoscience - physiognomy - has been of increasing interest. Her fans believe that by analyzing a person’s appearance and his style of grimacing, one can learn not only about thoughts, but also about the spiritual qualities and even the state of health of such a person.
Physiognomy examines in detail all parts of the face, especially the eyes. Among the descriptions of the types of their expressions, there is an “empty” one. What does it mean?
It is believed that the owners of this view are a little stupid. However, thanks to hard work and assertiveness, they are able to reach real heights in their careers.
At the same time, such people are usually not very concerned about finding a soulmate, and therefore do not particularly monitor their appearance.
Among other things, fans of physiognomy believe that an empty look is most often characteristic of women. And where do feminists look?
Unlike physiognomists, individual psychologists (who also study the empty expression of the eyes) believe that for many women, it serves as a kind of weapon.
In other words, those women who know how to give their eyes glass and indifference, use this property to imitate the stupidity or misunderstanding of something when it is not beneficial for them to show their mind. And according to these scientists, empty eyes are often a way of manipulating others, and not a sign of stupidity.
What kinds of empty eyes are there?
Although the meaning and interpretation of such views are different, as a rule, they can be divided into three groups. Each of them is also the reason why their owner has empty eyes:
- Stupidity.
- Misfortune.
- Selfish indifference.
Stupidity
Most often they tend to interpret an empty glance as a sign of the poverty of the mind.
Moreover, usually it is not only individuals suffering from mental retardation, but just too narrow-minded people who do not seek to develop in any way.
The latter, usually compensate for the lack of intelligence and basic knowledge by excessive arrogance and self-confidence. In this regard, they cause only irritation among others, and the desire to quickly get rid of such interlocutors.
There is a myth that most blond beauties of model appearance are girls with empty eyes. That is, they are stupid from birth and compensate for this shortcoming with their appearance. In fact, this is a delusion based on the envy of less attractive women, as well as men, deprived of the attention of beautiful women.
Moreover, this myth still has a real background. The point is a well-known disease called phenylketonuria. It is hereditary and, in the absence of proper treatment, can lead to damage to the central nervous system and the development of mental retardation.
The main risk group for being exposed to it are people with white hair, fair skin and blue eyes. Therefore, most people suffering from the effects of phenylketonuria are blond people. Hence the generalizing myth - about the stupidity of blondes.
Although the victims of this disease can equally become both ideal blond barbies and admirable blue-eyed blond-haired Vikings.
So not only girls, but also boys can have a detached look, and the beauty and ideality of proportions have nothing to do with it.
Empty eyes as a consequence of psychological trauma
As you know, the eyes are always true, and even an experienced liar and a scammer can be taken to clean water if you look at the expression on his eyes. However, in addition to joy, love, thirst for money and power, they are also able to tell about the misfortunes that their owner had to endure.
Sometimes, due to a big shock, the human psyche cannot recover without extraneous (sometimes medication) help. And as a manifestation of this, the individual has an apathetic emptiness in his eyes. Most often this happens due to the death of a close, experienced terrible event, failure in love or bitter disappointment in something.
We can say that such a void in the eyes is a kind of unconscious cry for help. Such a person needs support, moreover, more moral than physical, otherwise he is able to permanently lose all ties with reality and go crazy.
For this reason, in developed countries, all people who have suffered psychological trauma are required to communicate with a psychologist. This is especially true of combatants, who after numerous deaths of comrades and enemies, it is very difficult to switch to a peaceful life. Also surviving victims of various crimes can become holders of an empty gaze.
In addition to all of the above, an empty look is sometimes a physical symptom of the onset of depressive disorder, namely its special subspecies - apathetic depression.
It is interesting that such a mental disorder sometimes occurs not because of any upheaval in a person’s life, but also because of a banal chronic overfatigue. By the way, it often develops in women who have recently given birth. This is one of the types of post-natal depression, the existence of which has been denied by domestic medicine for many decades.
Frighteningly blank look
In addition to the above, there is another type of empty eye. Unlike the others, it signals the danger of its owner.
Individuals with such a view are those in whom all good things died or were not even born. They are capable of anything and strive to achieve this at the expense of others. And the eyes are a reflection of their soul.
This empty look can be found in famous criminals, professional killers, lawyers, businessmen, and some politicians. As a rule, it also signals a certain disorder, but of a different kind - about psychopathy (a psychopathological syndrome manifested in the form of heartlessness to others, a decrease in the ability to sympathize, inability to sincerely repent of harming others, lying, unemotional).
Sometimes the emptiness in the eyes of such individuals can be so dangerous that looking closely at them can become bad (depending on the situation and receptivity).
In the old days, the owners of this view were considered witches and sorcerers, and today they are called like "energy vampires."
Interestingly, if you search in folklore, it will be difficult to find at least one popular sign about empty eyes. This is due to the fact that such a dangerous look was often mixed with such a thing as the "evil eye" (projecting evil onto others, through the look). And although the latter is closer to the expression “evil look”, in the old days people who were different from others did not particularly complain, and were inclined to blame them for all the troubles.
Empty scary white eyes in the cinema
As a rule, when somewhere words are heard about people with empty eyes (photo below), many recall various horror stories or horror films. It is through their efforts that the expression in question is often associated with something otherworldly and mystical.
In illustrations for such works, usually characters with empty eyes are portrayed as if their entire sclera is completely flooded with black or white, without an iris or anything else.
For example, in 2017, a fantastic movie for Miss Peregrine's House of Weird Children was released for teenagers and adults. In it, the hallmark of the negative characters were white empty eyes. This feature is also present in the original book trilogy, on which the tape was shot.
Also, such a look often happens in blind characters, mediums (for example, in the horror film “Others”) or in the wargs from the television series “Game of Thrones”.
Black eyes with emptiness in the cinema
If white eyes in cinema and literature are not necessarily a bad sign, then a gaze with black emptiness always symbolizes evil.
In most projects, demons or simply obsessed people are depicted in this way (“Charmed”, “Supernatural”).
Such a look truly inspires horror to all viewers and allows you to create an appropriate atmosphere. Perhaps this is also done in order to emphasize that in these cruel creatures there is no soul or anything human. However, vampires and werewolves in movies and books usually have red or yellow eyes.
The song "I am writing you my letter ..."
Considering the meaning of the expression "empty eyes", one cannot fail to mention the popular song "I am writing you my letter ..." on the net.
She talks about the boyfriend in love, whom the girl abandoned. In frustrated feelings, the young man writes her a letter and asks the question: “Why are your eyes empty? Why do you look indifferent? ”
The author of this work and the circumstances of its writing are not exactly known. This did not stop him from becoming popular among fans of a live song with a guitar. In this environment, this musical composition is often called the "song about empty eyes."