"The Hidden Power of Making Eye Contact: Unveiling Surprising Effects"
Originally Published 2 years ago — by ScienceAlert
A study conducted in Canada found that direct eye-to-eye contact during face-to-face conversations is rare, but when it does occur, it predicts the likelihood of following the other person's gaze. The researchers used mobile eye-tracking glasses to measure eye-gazing patterns between pairs of strangers. They discovered that participants spent only 12% of the conversation time engaging in interactive looking, with mutual eye-to-eye contact occurring only 3.5% of the time. However, when pairs did make direct eye contact, one person was more likely to follow the other person's gaze. The study suggests that the amount of time spent looking into each other's eyes may play a significant role in social dynamics and communication.