Eye Contact and Movement

By: Deborah Wang

It has been said that eyes are the windows to the soul. In nonverbal behavior, the eyes play a significant role in communication. They usually convey internal feelings and accentuate other body movements. Out of all the other facial structures, the eyes have the ability to do the most. For example, one can glance, stare, peek, blink, peer, gaze, roll, wink, raise and lower (eyebrows). Most importantly, eyes have the ability to convey ones true characteristics, attitudes, and feelings about people than verbal behavior (Patterson, 1983). Ironically, while gazing may show strong emotions, it rarely lasts over three seconds before the person feels uncomfortable and breaks away.

Presently, there are many people who use facial expression and especially eye movements to infer information about a persons thinking, honesty, and reaction. The interrogation method of the police, for example, depends heavily on where a persons eyes shift during a question. See The Negotiator clip. Even an FBI agent, Joe Navarro, states, 'What gives police officers away in a roomful of people is their habit of look too intently ad too carefully at others.' Another way of telling someones disposition is by how they blink their eyes. The blink rate of an individual is directly related to their psychological arousal (what the polygraph tests). The normal person blinks 20 times per minute, each lasting a fourth of second. Someone under stress or nervous, on the other hand, will blink significantly higher. Many lawyers use eye movement and eye blinks in order to trap a person on the stand or get a lead for which questions to ask. Other interesting statistics include:
Someone on TV 31-50 blinks (2x faster)
During the 1996 presidential elections:
Bob Dole - 147 blinks (7x faster)
Bill Clinton - 99 blinks (5x faster)

Not only do we convey what our true feelings and modes of thinking are, Leonard Zunin suggests that we communicate mostly with our eyes with strangers. Hence, all the available products for eyes, ranging from contacts, glasses, Visine, mascara, eyeliner, eye shadow, and other makeup products. This emphasis on eye care shows that we place great importance on our eyes and how we look at each other. In Zunins book, The First Four Minutes, he describes the three most common behaviors when two strangers pass by:
The "which side of the path" look
The "I acknowledge you" look
The "Look-away priority" look
When two people walk toward each other on a narrow path, they usually will make brief eye contact and then look at the path where they want to walk. Subconsciously, the other person will move to the opposite side of the path. The second look involves more acquainted people when they make eye contact and acknowledge each others presence. Finally, the last is when one looks at another to look away after eye contact has been made. Generally, anything longer than the look-away can be considered as a gesture of attraction or dominance (Zunin).

In todays society, the eyes are usually the first thing others notice. Therefore, making good eye contact with the person you are speaking to is extremely important. From childhood, Americans are taught to look directly at the person talking in order to show respect, interest, and attention. When the listener looks away, they are most likely to be confused or in disagreement with the speaker. If the listener is in agreement, they will look at the speaker and occasionally nod their head. A study performed in 1965 showed that when an interview asked normal, nonembarassing questions, students looked directly back at them. However, when more personal questions were asked, they usually away when answering.

Culturally, eye contact is view as a indicator of self confidence. In the business world, for example, a firm handshake and solid eye contact will give the other person a good impression you. This is not necessarily so in other countries such as Japan and Korea. To them, direct eye contact means weakness or sexual overtones (Olson). They try to focus on the speakers neck in order to avoid the eyes.

A common gesture of the eyes is the gaze-down. It involves the head bowing forward and the eyes rotating downward. Our society usually considers this reflecting a defeated, guilty, or submissive attitude. According to David Givens research on former President Bill Clinton during the Monica Lewinsky scandal, "Clinton swallowed, protruded his tongue and gazed down during his statement" (Givens). When he left the podium, "he gazed down, clenched his lips and swallowed again". After these events in January 1998, Clinton apologized to the American public in September of that year. During the televised apology, Clinton shrugged his shoulders and gazed down yet again as he said, "I've done my best to be your friend" (Washington Post, September 10, 1998).

"There is no substitute for looking a witness in the eye."
--Kenneth Starr

Another common movement of the eye is the clem. This particular action involves the eyes moving involuntarily left and right. It may be a response to a person thinking, reflecting doubt, or processing information. Clems apply not only to The Negotiator clip, but also to a study of Harnad (1972). He conducted an experiment of mathematicians during mental thought. When their eyes moved right it was associated with "symbolic thinking, while left movement was associated with visual thinking." Harnad discovered that when the eyes moved toward the left, it reflected more creative thinking.

The last series of eye movements involve the eyebrows. One can raise the eyebrows to display uncertainty, disbelief, or surprise. It can also function to accentuate a facial expression. For example, people raise their eyebrows while staring, pouting, smiling, or giving demands. Research has also shown that when one eyebrow is raised it is a sign of skepticism and disbelief. On the other hand, the eyebrow raise can intensify a frown, scowl, displeasure, concentration or anger. An interesting research noted that "slightly lowered eyebrows may telegraph unvoiced disagreement among colleagues, as comments are presented at a conference table" (Givens).