Making eye contact when speaking to someone
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Making eye contact when speaking to someone
Hey guys! When speaking to someone I always make eye contact with them and the majority of people also make eye contact with me but I bumped into an old friend and he didn't make eye contact for longer than than 2secs! He kept looking around and was very jumpy. This made me wonder if people are just a bit nervous of looking straight into someone eyes.
On the other I know a woman who is VERY intense when speaking to you. She moves her head closer to you and stares properly into your eyes which makes me move away from her as it feels like she is invading my personal space. Btw she does this to everyone and most people feel the same as me but she is a nice person! Lol!
So guys let me know what you think and whether you make eye contact. What personality and behaviour do people associate with this. For example if you fancy someone do you look at them more in the eyes? It will be good hear your opinions!
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Re: Making eye contact when speaking to someoneIt depends on who I'm talking to. If it's with a good friend, I'll usually just make eye contact and also look away and just be completely relaxed. If it's a teacher then I always feel really awkward and end up looking down at my desk or something and just nod. If it's someone who is OTT with the eye contact, I'll tend to not look at them as much. If it's a boy I like then I'll make the effort to hold eye contact at certain moments.
So yeah, basically, it varies. Also, I used to be a lot more shy a couple of years ago, and I would hate making eye contact with people, and would always avoid it walking around school, etc. I just felt so nervous! I've found now though that it's much easier to talk to new people by appearing open, and not being afraid to make eye contact makes you more approachable (as long as it's not forced and you're not just staring at them... that's just creepy and unnerving).
Last edited by ummm; 17-07-2012 at 21:34. -
Re: Making eye contact when speaking to someone
I make a lot of eye contact with people and I always get disappointed when they don't reciprocate with me. I think its easier to connect if you have an animated and expressive face that shows emotions. If someone is deadpan and just stares straight into your eyes it seems creepy.
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Re: Making eye contact when speaking to someone
I generally make eye contact automatically but as soon as I become consciously aware of it I start doing the flinching thing and not looking for more than 2 seconds lol. The awareness makes it awkward because you start overthinking about what's appropriate and if you look strange etc, probably making you look even more strange tbh.

Yeah, I can be quite socially insecure at times.
Last edited by Daniellejo.; 17-07-2012 at 21:37. -
Re: Making eye contact when speaking to someone
I hate when people flicker their eyes all round your face or at both your eyes. Or when people stare at one aspect of your face like your hair or something, I start to feel self conscious about what they're looking at haha.
Saying that, I used to have trouble looking people in the eyes especially when I was close to them, but I just forced myself to do it, at least while they're speaking. When you're talking, looking away at times and flicking back to them is pretty common I think. -
Re: Making eye contact when speaking to someone
As annoying and frustrating as some people would find it, I really, really struggle to maintain eye contact with anyone - including some of my closest friends.
I just feel really insecure when they're looking back, as if they're staring at a spot or something hideous on my face.
I know it sounds ridiculous, but it's what I think. And I'm a pretty introverted person, in that I prefer spending time alone . -
Re: Making eye contact when speaking to someoneI used to know someone who would stare fixedly at the 3rd eye! Really unnerved me. I'd much rather someone looked me in the eye. No need for constant eye contact but it adds much more depth to human communication.(Original post by Tochai)
I find it really difficult to make eye contact sometimes, so I tend to look directly between the person's eyes. That way at least it looks like I'm looking them in the eye.
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