But lighter eyes are more sensitive to light in general, particularly the blue light which trains the circadian rhythm.

His theory is humans adapted to low-light conditions of northern foggy areas, particularly the Baltic the epicenter of blue-eyed humans. Presumably it would be the same for Neanderthals? But they were exclusively ambush predators weren’t they, so perhaps it had to do with that. Our species seems to be generalists, and never specialized as much as the Neanderthals, that’s probably why he didn’t use the reaction v. timing aspect to explain why blue eyes have been selected for. He does pretty clearly show the reaction v. timing holds true for us.

He guesses that dark eyed peoples would prefer garish colors, reds and blues, while light eyed peoples would prefer more muted greys, blacks, and browns. Again, relating to light sensitivity.

I haven’t read his memoir, just the book Eye Color, but it sounds like it has similar information.

If he’s right, and he is learned, then domestication in general looks like a branch of pouncer hunting, and more wild and feral adaptations look like a branch of chaser hunting.

Blue eyes, or light eyes in general, being a pouncer hunter thing; darker eyes being chaser thing. All cats with yellow eyes, almost all dogs with black eyes, except some dogs running cat software.

And yes, this would mean something about human race and sex.

With regard to the sailing overrepresentation, I wonder how much of it is blue eyedness, vs the fact that it’s simply other Northern European traits, which have significant overlap with blue eyedness, blue eyedness being a common Northern European trait.

Bone density levels, body fat percentages, certain behavioral and cognitive habits, etc.

It strikes me as being more correlative than causal.

Incidentally, I didn’t realize there WAS such an association. Thanks.

Increased sensitivity to light (photophobia): People with light eyes have less pigment to absorb bright light or UV rays, making them more prone to squinting in sunlight, glare discomfort, or needing sunglasses indoors/outdoors. This is due to reduced melanin acting as a natural filter.

Higher risk for certain eye conditions: Lighter eyes are linked to elevated risks of age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), uveal melanoma, and UV-related damage, as less melanin provides weaker protection against sunlight.

Other associations: Some studies suggest light-eyed individuals may tolerate alcohol less (due to melanin links) or perform better in self-paced tasks (e.g., golf or bowling), though evidence is mixed and requires more research.

Jacob G., why did the Neanderthals have blue eyes? And why are blue eyes so ludicrously overrepresented among sailors?

Does this suggest that blue eyes in humans are in substantial part an adaptation for twilight hunting?

There are humans with shiny blue pupils? Details, please, details!

I am a retired psychologist. More than 40 years ago I started studying the relationship between eye color and behavior in humans and animals. In 1973, Newsweek had an article, The Eyes Have It, in their “Science” section, which was devoted to my research. That led to a lot of similar articles in other publications and interviews on radio and television. I was a guest on the show, To Tell the Truth. “Will the real Morgan Worthy please stand up?”

This memoir is an attempt to let the real Morgan Worthy stand up. The beginning theme will deal with my role as a researcher trying to study a topic, eye color and behavior, outside the mainstream of current psychological research. Prior to 1974, I studied humans and animals; after 1974, all my research was of animals. Here, I want to give a final overview of those research findings and tell what happens to a fellow who wanders off the beaten path of current research.

Then I want to tell, for the first time, about a personal research project that I undertook to understand why I kept injuring my right thumb. It took me 15 years to sort it out, but since 1991, I have not injured that thumb again. It all had to do with the curious fact that I am one of the few people who has been involved in three gun accidents. The first, and worst, happened more than 70 years ago; in fact, it happened Tuesday noon, the week before the Sunday morning attack on Pearl Harbor. Many lives were changed that week, and my life was no exception. I was five years old at the time…