Eye color could reveal an aspect of your personality, according to a study.
Clearer eyes have been associated with more self-absorbed, competitive and skeptical individuals, the research found.
Darker eyes, however, are linked to sympathy, altruism and higher altruistic behavior.
The study, which was conducted in Australia, only involved people of northern European descent, however, the study authors explain:
A competitive person is characterized by a tendency to be bagonagonist, self-centered and skeptical about the intentions of others rather than cooperative…
… People with light eyes, whatever their gender, would be more psychologically competitive than people with dark eyes if they are of North European origin.
The authors provide an evolutionary explanation of the difference:
… The rare color advantage of fair-eyed females is likely to increase the chances of being noticed by a male.
In addition, competitive personality traits (such as wanting to beat others and being skeptical of others' intentions) guarantee the long-term commitment necessary for self-survival and offspring.
While some may argue that it is unlikely that a man will choose a suitable female, we argue that mating is not the only choice of males and that the unpleasant traits of competitive women are directed primarily to others female competitions rather than towards the males.
The study was published in the journal Current Biology.
(Gardiner & Jackson, 2010)