Heatmaps Show Where We're Looking

Eyetracking heatmaps appear as red and yellow blobs where viewers spend the most time looking.

Norman Rockwell's Freedom from Want, courtesy Dan Hill

According to Dan Hill, "If there's a face involved, as much as seventy percent or more of all the gaze activity goes to the face(s) present."

Hill notes that in the painting American Gothic by Grant Wood, even the pitchfork and the man's hand don't compete with the faces. 

We use faces to form our impression of people, Hill says. "We're always looking for clues about their social status, their mood and overall personality."

Images from the book "First Blush: People's Intuitive Reactions to Famous Art" by Dan Hill