Study shows eye rolling in adolescents critical for health and success

BOSTON, Mass, Jan. 21, 2016 /T.P.R.I/ — In a study recently published by the New England Journal of Science, researchers report that eye-rolling in adolescents is associated with significant gains in physical and intellectual development.

The longitudinal study, conducted at unaccredited Manayunk University, shows that participants’ physical and intellectual growth spiked dramatically during the ages of 11 to 19, the same period when eye rolling was most frequent.

The researchers hypothesize that eye-rolling may stimulate parts of the brain and endocrine system involved in growth, attention, and higher-order processing, including the pituitary gland, the VTA (ventral tegmental area), and the prefrontal cortex. The signaling pathway is not yet well understood, but researchers believe that the motion may stimulate the pituitary via the optic chasm and infundibulum. “The VTA and prefrontal cortex are, significantly, also located in the brain,” lead researcher Pat Weatherbell stated.

“This study provides important insight into adolescent development,” said Weatherbell. “Parents and others who work with teens unfortunately tend to regard eye-rolling as an obnoxious way of expressing disdain, but we view the motion as neurologically beneficial.”

Parents, educators, and others who work with adolescents say the hypothesis aligns with their direct experience. “It just makes sense, and a lot of our clients are very relieved to hear this news,” said Chris Levine, director of the Child and Adolescent Development Intervention Center in Boston, Massachusetts. “We no longer view this behavior as pathological, and actively encourage teens to do it.”

Levine said that advances in clinical understanding of eye rolling could help parents and professionals support teens to “maximize healthy development and, more important, improve standardized test scores.”

A spokesperson for the Paleolithic Parenting think tank in Boulder, Colorado, Ugg Johnson, expressed a different take on the study’s implications. “Our paleolithic ancestors rolled their eyes in adolescence, too, but most likely in the process of stalking animals for food,” said Johnson. “Eye rolling is an evolutionary-based behavior, but we’re not convinced that its full benefit can be realized in the postmodern context. If our kids spent more time in a kill-or-be-killed battle to survive instead of surfing the ’Net and taking tests, perhaps they’d reach their true potential.”

Scientists not involved in the study expressed skepticism, rolling their eyes and stating that the study’s findings constitute an “obvious correlation,” and that the matter requires “more research.”

Meanwhile, the study has caused significant concern over adolescents who do not roll their eyes. Eye-rolling deficit is not currently listed in the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), but several practitioners are using the name TERDS (Teen Eye Roll Deficit Syndrome) to describe this condition. Some school districts are providing support for students with TERDS, though educators disagree about what constitutes appropriate and reasonable interventions.

One New Jersey father, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that he and his wife were “very concerned” about their honor-roll student, who doesn’t flinch when his mother sings show tunes and rarely rolls his eyes unless he’s watching the Republican debates. The father said, “Our son is getting by right now, but maybe that’s because his school isn’t challenging him enough.” Choking back tears, the man said, “Yesterday my son reacted politely when we suggested he babysit his little sister. We immediately placed him on a wait list for TERDS evaluation.”

Levine counseled parents concerned about infrequent eye-rolling to try at-home interventions. “Some effective techniques include asking to borrow your adolescents’ clothes, frequently reminding teens to use the bathroom before leaving the house, or threatening to restrict screen time.”

If such measures fail, Levine recommended professional help, including a comprehensive hearing and auditory-processing evaluation. “If your teen isn’t annoyed, they may not be able to hear you properly,” she said.