By Mallory Guymon
Toddlers do it when they’re avoiding punishment, students do it when they ‘re avoiding giving the answer, and adults do it when they’re avoiding confrontation. What are their doing? Avoiding eye contact.
Many assumptions gather around those who avoid eye contact. It’s assumed that if one avoids eye contact they are nervous, insecure or lying. Keeping a visual connection can make someone feel uncomfortable in general but it may not indicate any of the previous.
You walk down the street, across campus or even around the house. Do you look up at a passerby? If you do, people may call you aggressive, romantic or just plain creepy. Having unbalanced eye contact can cause tense situations. For instance, maintaining eye contact with a gorilla can raise their temper and cause serious rage and danger.
Maintaining eye contact can be a taboo subject for the common person but for a celebrity, it’s a routine. Both Barbra Streisand and Michael Jordan have a habit of forcing hotel workers to turn and face the wall when they enter a room, goes the tale. Some even say Nicole Kidman insists her makeup artist refrains from making eye contact. Recently, musical artist Katy Perry’s tour rider indicated in the section covering her driver’s behavior that the chauffeur is to “not to start a conversation with the client or stare.”
To determine an amount of adequate eye contact depends on the situation. For example, if you were being interviewed for a new job, eye contact would be important throughout your interview. Continuous eye contact is not necessary but sincere eye contact with the hiring manager can establish an unconscious trust.
If you were resolving a complication with a friend or spouse, eye contact could determine the whole mood. Avoiding eye contact with your spouse as you discuss a close friend of the opposite sex that you have, could lead them to believe that your behavior is untrue. Listening to a friend vent about their bad day or bad boyfriend may not require the same sincere eye contact.
There are situations where it is not necessary or critical to a relationship. Walking down the street and looking at your feet or talking on the phone is not seen as offensive to most individuals. It is especially not required to look someone in the eye when you are driving and having a conversation with him or her—that’s just dangerous and illogical.
There is no doubt that eye contact is important to have but it can be determined per situation. Now, you look me in the eye and tell me you don’t believe that.
