Variety within pass times is becoming increasingly more exaggerated - proven by the latest drug: eyes. This is not to say they are consumed for a brief period of ecstacy, merely stared into for the effect of a ‘high’.
Giovanni Caputo from the University of Urbino in Italy began to research this idea a few years ago. He ran a couple of experiments. The first included 50 volunteers staring at their own reflections for 10 minutes in a dimly lit room: however, it only took 1 minute for the majority of them to feel a change. Animals; monsters; even deceased family members seemed to become the faces of the volunteers, as they began to ‘warp and change’. After this Caputo decided to run a similar yet slightly altered version of the experiment by swapping the mirror for another person. This time 40 young adults were recruited and positioned in pairs one meter apart in a room with very low light. The groups were then split in two: half were to sit facing each other, and half were to face other way at the wall instead.
Questionnaires taken 10 minutes later revealed some unexpected experiences. 90% of the participants facing one another claimed their partner’s face to appear deformed into ‘monstrous beings’ or even with features of a relative. Other descriptions were that of feeling ‘spaced out’; noises being louder than they should and time slowing down.
So far there has been no definite explanation as to why these outcomes occur. One theory of Caputo is that the hallucinations, called “strange face illusions” happen as a result of snapping back into reality. He says this as the feelings the adults described could be related to those of dissociation and therefore a separation from reality.
Troxler fading helps explain some of the symptoms from a scientific perspective. When we stare at a centre point for a long time, the background beings to fade and details gradually disappear. Leading from this, the brain deals with missing visual information by ‘filling in the blanks’, which could therefore cause the strange phenomenons and sights.
Despite all this, it is important to note the theory has long to go before it develops and must be regarded as just that, rather than solid fact to trust and put into practise. That said, if this turns out to be true, what could be better than a healthy and natural high? So far this method has shown no negative outcomes, while still producing a similar effect to alternatives that could be harmful or even fatal. Drugs are worryingly common, especially amongst young adults, and are also incredibly dangerous. Maybe eyes will turn out to be the new popular drug - it would help the safety of our generation.
