Let’s start with some facts: The average person blinks some 15-20 times per minute – which means our eyes are closed for roughly 10% of our waking hours overall. Each blinks lasts about a tenth of a second. Interesting, isn’t it?
Now, to your question. Why do we blink? Blinking has a straight forward purpose – to lubricate the eyeballs, and protect them from dust or other foreign objects. Every time we blink, our eyelids spread a cocktail of oils and mucous secretions across the eyes to keep them from drying out. Blinking also keeps eyes safe from potentially damaging stimuli, such as bright lights.
But a study by a group of scientists from Japan suggested that we also blink to gather our thoughts and focus attention on the world around us. For instance, while reading, we close our eyes after each sentence to briefly shut off visual stimuli and focus on our thoughts.
Picture Credit : Google