Why can't I walk 10 steps with my eyes closed? ?

Question

I've been practicing walking with my eyes closed, and once I hit my eighth step my eyes want to open automatically, even when I know I won't bump into anything. I have to make a really big effort not to open them. I wonder why?

Answer 1

It's because you're not getting a visual cue about whether or not you're "level."

If you can find a rail or banister, hold it with both hands.  I bet you can move more than ten paces that way...

and, you can train yourself to walk with your eyes closed.

Answer 2

Maybe your afraid of stumbling or falling.

Answer 3

Because your brain is telling you to hurry up and open your eyes before you bump into something that might eat you!   But, I bet you can do a hundred tiny steps.  It's not the number of steps, but the distance and the time that your brain is measuring anxiously.  You can see things are safe for a few feet or so and for a few seconds.  That's how our brains can allow us to blink even while driving.  But you know darn well that someone, or a tiger, could jump out at you, a dozen yards or ten seconds further on!  This is a hard-wired reaction. You can feel your body tensing up towards the eighth step or so, right? You might even feel the hairs on your face trying to "see" for your eyes.

Still, I bet you CAN train yourself to increase the amount of time/steps/distance you can walk with your eyes closed by continued practice.  It's a matter of training your will to overcome your survival instinct. Try smaller steps at first, in a very safe location.  Walking in a circle with a rope around your waist, you can go forever, but that's kind of cheating.

Also, have you tried this while driving.  I find the brain isn't quite adapted to being careful driving.  On second thought:  Don't try this driving!

Answer 4

I would have to agree with the previous answer. But I would say that subconsciously you are afraid of walking a certain distance with your eyes closed. You know that you will be fine consciously, when you said that you know that nothing is in front of you and won't bump into anything. But your brain is saying what if there is something there in front of me?

The brain structures mostly involved, I would say, is the amygdala (fear/arousal aspect of the situation. You may not feel fear on the conscious level, but sybconsciously this brain structure may be turned on) and the frontal lobe (for judgement. "Am I really sure that nothing is in frontof me?, etc).

good luck