Is it normal to have a wandering eye

Studies of hungry participants have shown that people respond to the dot-probe test faster when presented with food-related words.

And research involving pornographic images has shown that people with compulsive sexual behaviors have a delayed response to the dot test, indicating higher levels of distraction. But for our purposes, the dot-probe test can also answer the question of how long a gaze is too long, and when a distraction shifts from normal to near-compulsive behavior. Dot-test studies have shown that we take at least 50 milliseconds to shift our attention from one cue to another, and at least milliseconds to shift our attention when a cue requires us to look away in order to capture it.

If a deer appears in the corner of your eye, noticing that will take a slightly longer but still imperceptible milliseconds. So at what point is the earliest that you could possibly avert your gaze?

The study of response time to pornographic images found an answer. So the earliest we can be expected to look away from a sexual image is about half a second after first seeing the image and milliseconds after being distracted by it. Examine the numbers. If it takes you milliseconds to notice a cute cashier, it takes your wife milliseconds to notice that you noticed. In the real world it might take your eyes significantly longer to wander, and you may choose to indulge in a longer gaze rather than avert your eyes as quickly as your significant other might like.

Besides, the line between healthy and unhealthy gazing is blurry, and depends largely on not just the gazer but on the person falling into your field of vision. If it bothers you and you have calmly expressed as such to your partner, he or she should be receptive to your concerns. Learn the best ways to manage stress and negativity in your life. J Pers Soc Psychol.

Forbidden fruit: Inattention to attractive alternatives provokes implicit relationship reactance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for VerywellMind. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page.

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Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Related Articles. Once you're in a relationship, it's totally understandable to want your partner to think you are the hottest person on the planet.

And surely, they do. But there are literally tons of attractive people your bae is going to come across on a daily basis, and although a glance or two can be harmless, it's still totally normal to be concerned you're missing the signs your partner has a wandering eye. The thing is, being in a relationship doesn't make you oblivious to other attractive people, so, is this actually something you need to be worried about? Well, it depends. It's worth noting that looking at someone who's attractive and perhaps even engaging them in conversation is different than anything that would physically be defined as cheating.

Although, the definition of "cheating" can and often does vary from relationship to relationship. It might sound surprising, but according to a study published in the U.