How Does Eye Contact Work?
There is a saying that ‘the eyes are the mirrors of our soul’, because through our eyes we can show others how we feel, both physically and emotionally. In addition, through our eyes, we can create a closer bond with the person we are talking to, making him feel comfortable or, on the contrary, making him feel very uncomfortable.
In short, our eyes are part of our non-verbal communication, which also consists of our smiles or the gestures of our hands or shoulders. Now that you know this, would you like to learn a bit about how eye contact works in our interpersonal relationships? Read on and find out.
It depends on the situation
What a look does depends on the situation a person is in. For example, your gaze is often more intense and you often look at the other person longer in a conversation between just two people. In a group conversation, however, the members tend to exchange shorter glances; these glances often last only three to five seconds.
Moreover, within a conversation a sum can be made of the time in which you look at someone and the time in which you look elsewhere. Typically, we’re making eye contact 30% of the time and looking elsewhere while listening 60% of the time. If you look the other person in the eye less than 30% of the time, this may indicate that you are not interested in the conversation. And if you make much more eye contact than this percentage, it’s obvious that you’re actually very interested in it! And you know what this means, right? You will find the answer in the next section.
Loved ones have longer eye contact
It’s hard to tell if someone hates you or loves you if they make eye contact with you for a very long time. Like everything else in life, this depends on the situation and the relationship that two people share.
However, it is clear that lovers who spend a romantic evening together tend to exchange longer and more intense glances. In fact, it’s been proven that the people who like you tend to look you in the eye much more often than people who don’t really care about you.
Intense eye contact can be negative in some cultures
Visual contact does not work or does not mean the same everywhere in the world. In Japan, for example, it is seen as a sign of respect towards others if you do not look the other person directly in the eye. In the West, however, it is generally true that not looking the other person in the eye is a sign of mistrust or contempt. But we’re not the only ones who see visual contact as normal. In many Arab countries, too, people like to make longer and intense eye contact.
Liars make more visual contact
People have always believed that someone who is lying will try to avoid eye contact. Nothing could be further from the truth. Someone who is lying is actually very focused on the face of his listener to see if he believes his lie. And also because the liar thinks he comes across as trustworthy and credible.
As you know, we can show to the world what we feel at any time through our eyes. And you? Do you tend to look other people in the eye? In any case, we recommend that you do this from now on. The people around you will surely ‘see’ you in a better light.
