Causative verbs in descriptions of people


> 目を **輝かせ** てアメを作っていたおじさん。  
>  The man with sparkling eyes who made the sweets.  
>  期待で目を **くりくりさせ** ながら...  
>  While wide eyed in anticipation...

Both these clauses use a causative form of a verb to describe a person's eyes.

In English when we use caustive to describe a person's expression it means
that they deliberately made that expression. Whereas these sentences sound
like the expressions are natural/spontaneous.

1) Would these sentences be wrong if I just used the plain form of the verb?
If not how would the nuance change?  
2) Is there a way to know when I should use causative for something like this?
It's not at all intuitive to me.  
3) What other things can be described by this structure? Is it limited to
eyes, facial expressions, any body gesture, an even wider scope?




1) 輝いた目でアメを作っていたおじさん and 期待でくりくりした目で would be understood, but they are a bit
less natural.

2) I feel many of them are idioms or established set phrases, so perhaps you
just have to get used to common ones.

3) It's not limited to facial expressions.

  * 口をとがらせて反論する
  * 鼻を膨らませながら怒る
  * 期待に胸を膨らませながら考える
  * 緊張で足を震わせながら報告する
  * [肩を怒らせて](https://kotobank.jp/word/%E8%82%A9%E3%82%92%E6%80%92%E3%82%89%E3%81%9B%E3%82%8B-463206)歩く
  * [首を長くして待つ](https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/jn/62670/meaning/m0u/) (eagerly look forward)
  * 息を弾ませながら話す
  * 汗を滲ませながら走る

There may be similar actions which are not related to body parts, but such
actions would probably be expressed with causative forms in English, too.




1) 輝いた目でアメを作っていたおじさん and 期待でくりくりした目で would be understood, but they are a bit
less natural.

2) I feel many of them are idioms or established set phrases, so perhaps you
just have to get used to common ones.

3) It's not limited to facial expressions.

  * 口をとがらせて反論する
  * 鼻を膨らませながら怒る
  * 期待に胸を膨らませながら考える
  * 緊張で足を震わせながら報告する
  * [肩を怒らせて](https://kotobank.jp/word/%E8%82%A9%E3%82%92%E6%80%92%E3%82%89%E3%81%9B%E3%82%8B-463206)歩く
  * [首を長くして待つ](https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/jn/62670/meaning/m0u/) (eagerly look forward)
  * 息を弾ませながら話す
  * 汗を滲ませながら走る

There may be similar actions which are not related to body parts, but such
actions would probably be expressed with causative forms in English, too.

