A study published in the journal Legal and Criminology Psychology has unveiled that closing your eyes can help you better remember accurate details about a crime.

The researchers have also unveiled that if eyewitness to crime builds a rapport with an interviewer, then it adds to their comfort level and makes them remember important details.

Two studies were carried out involving 178 participants. In the first experiment, volunteers watched a film in which an electrician did his job and stole items. Volunteers were given one of the four conditions: keep eyes close or open, having built up a rapport with the interviewer or not.

It was found that volunteers were able to remember more accurate details if their eyes were closed and also, things were better if they had built a rapport with their interviewers.

In the next experiment, participants watched a clip from Crimewatch. The clip showed a reconstruction of a burglary in which an old man was attacked in his home. In this study, volunteers had to recall what they had heard and seen.

Results showed that closing their eyes made the participants recall both audio and visual details. In both the experiments, participants who did not build rapport with their interviewers felt less comfortable when they closed their eyes.