Eye Contact

Building Understanding By Seeing Each Other

Eye contact, or the absence of it, can communicate a ton. It’s a key part of our human interactions, and we start making eye contact pretty early on. Research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that babies can recognize eye contact from their parents just two days after they’re born. The study revealed that newborns really prefer faces that are looking right at them over those that are looking away.

Too Much or Too Little Eye Contact

Excessive eye contact can come off as aggressive and patronizing, which they were clearly aware of and tried to use to their advantage. In the corporate scene, a stare-down can be seen as a calculated move to assert dominance, intimidate, or put others at a disadvantage.

Not making enough eye contact can give off vibes that you’re unprepared, anxious, or even fake. A big county hospital looked into patient complaints and discovered that 90% of them mentioned bad eye contact from doctors, which people often saw as a sign that the doctor didn’t really care.

Right Amount of  Eye Contact

A lot of us don’t really pay attention to eye contact, but getting it just right is super important, according to Carol Kinsey Goman, who wrote The Silent Language of Leaders: How Body Language Can Help – or Hurt How You Lead. Here are three reasons she gives for nailing it:

	Eye contact makes your words more memorable. To make sure your coworkers remember what you say even after the meeting wraps up, try locking eyes with them. Eye contact really helps with memory!
	Eye contact can reveal another’s lie. A common belief is that liars look away when they’re being dishonest, but in reality, they often make more eye contact than those who are telling the truth.
	Eye contact enhances your likeability. Studies indicate that maintaining eye contact can really boost the impression you make on others. While a charming smile is a classic way to convey confidence, combining it with direct eye contact takes it to the next level, according to research from Aberdeen University in Scotland.

Take Away: The ideal level of eye contact really depends on the situation, the environment, the personalities involved, gender, and cultural backgrounds. A good rule of thumb is to maintain direct eye contact about 30 to 60 percent of the time while chatting.