How Does Eye Contact Work?

A famous proverb says: “the eyes are the mirror of the soul”. That’s right, because through the eyes, through the gaze, we can make others understand how we feel, both physically and emotionally. But there’s more: thanks to eye contact, we can create a closer bond with the person we are talking with, making them feel more comfortable or, on the contrary, threatened.

Ultimately, our eyes play an important role in non-verbal communication which is also accomplished through the smile, the hands or the shoulders. After this little introduction, would you like to know how eye contact works in relationships between people? Then keep reading the article to find out more.

Eye contact depends on the situation

The gaze works differently based on the situation in which people are involved. For example, the gaze becomes more intense and prolonged in a conversation between only two people, but in a group, the interlocutors who exchange glances do so after a maximum of 3 or 5 seconds.

Similarly, during a conversation, you can determine how much time you spend looking at a person and how much, on the other hand, you don’t look at them at all. Usually there is 30% eye contact and 60% no eye contact while listening to what the other says.  If you look at your interlocutor for less time, it may seem that you are not very interested in the conversation, but if, on the other hand, you look at him for longer, then you are interested ! And you know what that means, right? The answer is to the next point.

Lovers maintain prolonged eye contact

It is difficult to tell if a person hates or loves us when he focuses on us for very prolonged eye contact. Like everything in life, it depends on the situation and the relationship that exists between people.

However, it is clear that lovers who spend a romantic evening together will tend to look into each other’s eyes in an intense and prolonged way. In fact, it has been proven that if we like someone, we usually look them more in the eye than other people who don’t interest us.

Intense gazes can also be annoying in certain cultures

Eye contact does not have the same function or the same meaning in all places in the world. For example, the Japanese believe that not looking in the eye is a sign of respect for others.

However, for most Westerners, it is just the opposite – that is, it can mean distrust or contempt. But it’s not just Westerners who consider eye contact a normal thing, even in many Arab countries people exchange very intense looks.

Liars look more in the eye

It has always been assumed that those who lie usually avoid eye contact. Nothing further from the truth. In fact, every time a liar lies, he fixes his gaze a lot on the face of his interlocutor to see if he believes what he says. Plus, it’s a way to earn their trust and gain credibility.

As you have read, through our eyes we can show the whole world what we are feeling in every moment. And you? Do you look other people in the eye or do you look away? So, dear readers, we advise you to practice eye contact and for sure those around you will look at us in a new, better way.

Image courtesy of: Oscar