Blinks are strategically coupled with head movements in unconstrained natural gaze behavior.

Blinks are strategically coupled with head movements in unconstrained natural gaze during two natural tasks, with blink probability peaking during head movement and rising with head velocity.

• Why it matters: Blinks interrupt visual input for up to 10% of waking time, yet their coordination with natural eye–head behavior is largely overlooked.
• What they did: Using a large dataset of unconstrained gaze behavior from two natural tasks, the study quantified how blink probability changes with head velocity and its temporal modulation around head movement onset.
• The result: Blink probability was reduced before head movement initiation and peaked during head movement, with coupling strength tailored to individuals and stronger synchronization in participants with higher baseline blink rates.