Eye Contact Pre-Poll

[woodwardiocom]

-I'm thinking about putting up a poll about eye contact. I've discovered that, when I do polls, people always have answers I didn't list, so this time I'm trolling for answers ahead of time. The answers I've already got are:

• I make eye contact all the time
  
• I rarely make eye contact.
  
• I make eye contact when I'm listening, but not when talking.
  
• I make eye contact when I'm talking, but not when listening.
  
• I only make eye contact with friends.
  
• . . . with good friends.
  
• . . . with romantic partners.
  
• I'm more likely to make eye contact with people I'm attracted to.
  
• It depends on the relationship. (E.g., not with people in authority over me.)
  
• I don't usually make eye contact because it's too intense.
  
• I don't usually make eye contact because I don't get much from looking at people's eyes.
  
• I make eye contact to avoid staring at women's cleavage.
  

(This is a poll about your eye contact habits, not your impressions of my eye contact habits. In all cases I mean prolonged eye contact. Not a fleeting look, but a few seconds minimum. This poll will probably use checkboxes, not radio buttons.)

-If you think of answers I didn't list, add a comment. (Read the previous comments first.) If your answer(s) is (are) already listed, wait for the actual poll.

Comments

[supercheesegirl.livejournal.com]

- I tend to make intense eye contact that makes others uncomfortable until they get to know me.
- Eye contact with strangers on the street makes me uncomfortable.
- I tend to have problems keeping steady eye contact when my conversation is taking place in a busy or interesting location. (but there has to be a more concise way to say that.)

[edg.livejournal.com]

- I make eye contact unless or until I think it's making the other person uncomfortable.

[wispfox.livejournal.com]

I make eye contact with people I'm conversing with, unless I have to think very hard about something, in which case I have to look somewhere not requiring so much processing power to cope with (ie, floor, ceiling).

[42itous.livejournal.com]

I think it's important to make eye contact, to maintain the attention and trust of the person you're talking with. I often feel uncomfortable making and keeping eye contact, especially during conversation: having someone look directly at me makes it REALLY hard to concentrate on what I'm trying to say. But I do try and force myself to make eye contact for at least some of a conversation, because it helps me keep in mind whom I'm talking with and what I want out of the conversation.

Don't put all that as one of the answers to your poll. If you don't mind my saying so, I don't think this sort of question lends itself to polls.

[futurenurselady.livejournal.com]

-I make eye contact when I am trying to get someone's attention.

-I make eye contact if I want people to get a specific impression of me.

-I won't make eye contact in places where I feel unsafe.

-I won't make eye contact if I think someone is staring at me.

-I won't make eye contact with a stranger unless I am in a group of friends.

-I make eye contact when I am pretending to respect someone.

-I feel brave when I make eye contact.

-I feel awkward when I make eye contact.

-I dislike eye contact in general.

[queenofhalves]

-I make eye contact often, but less when I'm nervous.

[maedbh7.livejournal.com]

"I maintain eye contact with everyone, until it becomes impolite to maintain it, or until it becomes clear that my eye contact is making the other person uncomfortable." -H...

[dbang.livejournal.com]

- when I make eye contact depends on my mood at the moment, the nature of our conversation and my relationship with them
- more likely to make eye contact during emotionally intense conversations
- lease likely to make eye contact when we're having a disagreement or a difficult topic under discussion

[feoh.livejournal.com]

I was just having a conversation about this with a friend last night.

It seems that, being partially blind, I unconsciously do all sorts of
wacky things with eye contact that inadvertently sends messages to people I had no intention of sending.

So, I've resolved to try and make direct eye contact with people I'm conversing with from now on, especially those who don't already know me.

I'm reminded of your prior post on unintended body language and the perception of arrogance.

Effective communication is hard.