Why Do People Avoid Eye Contact?

We are told that maintaining good eye contact when speaking is one of the fundamental ways we connect. However, eye contact can vary depending on different factors. For example, some cultures consider good eye contact while someone is talking disrespectful, rude, or aggressive. Some neurodivergent people with conditions such as Autism or ADHD, or someone with social anxiety, can find eye contact uncomfortable or distracting.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Good Eye Contact Is Not the Only Way

There are many ways we can connect during a conversation, such as listening and asking questions. Nodding, facial expressions such as smiling, hand gestures and summarising are also effective ways to let the other person know we are interested in what they have to say. So, maintaining good eye contact is not the only way we can express ourselves when communicating.

Further Reading:

The measurement of eye contact in human interactions: A scoping review.

Eye contact marks the rise and fall of shared attention in conversation | PNAS

In the Eye of the Beholder: Eye Contact Increases Resistance to Persuasion on JSTOR

The effects of listening on speaker and listener while talking about character strengths: an open science school-wide collaboration | Royal Society Open Science

https://trepo.tuni.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/96896/eye_contact_perception_2015.pdf?sequence=1