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Nairaland Forum / Nairaland / General / Education / This Is Why It's So Hard To Maintain Eye Contact While Having A Conversation (4445 Views)
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This Is Why It's So Hard To Maintain Eye Contact While Having A Conversation by 13ShadesOfMay(m): 9:12am On Jul 20, 2017 |
New research suggests there's a good scientific reason why some of us struggle to look someone in the eye and hold a conversation with them. It turns out we're not just awkward, our brains actually can't handle the tasks of thinking of the right words and focussing on a face at the same time. The effect becomes more noticeable when someone is trying to come up with less familiar words, which is thought to use the same mental resources as sustaining eye contact. Scientists from Kyoto University in Japan put this to the test by having 26 volunteers play word association games while staring at computer-generated faces. When making eye contact, the participants found it harder to come up with links between words. "Although eye contact and verbal processing appear independent, people frequently avert their eyes from interlocutors during conversation," write the researchers . "This suggests that there is interference between these processes." The volunteers were tested while looking at both animations of faces making eye contact and animations of faces looking away. They were also asked to think of links between easily associated words and words where there are a lot of competing associations. For example, thinking of a verb for 'knife' is relatively easy, because you can't do much more than cut or stab with one. Coming up with an associated verb for 'folder' is harder, considering you could open, close, or fill them. The volunteers took longer to think of words when they were making eye contact, but only when difficult word associations were involved. The researchers suspect the hesitation indicates the brain is handling too much information at once. So while making eye contact and holding a conversation is certainly possible, this is evidence that they can both draw on the same pool of cognitive resources, and sometimes that pool starts to run a little dry. The sample size used is a pretty small one, but it's an interesting hypothesis. And it's also not the only study to suggest the brain gets slightly freaked out by eye contact. Last year, Italian psychologist Giovanni Caputo demonstrated that staring into someone else's eyes for just 10 minutes induced an altered state of consciousness. Participants saw hallucinations of monsters, their relatives, and even their own faces. It seems that a process called neural adaptation is the cause, where our brains gradually alter their response to a stimulus that doesn't change – so when you put your hand on a table, you immediately feel it, but that feeling lessens as you keep your hand there. The volunteers making eye contact and associating words may also be experiencing some kind of neural adaptation, but for now the Kyoto University researchers are calling for further study into the links between verbal and non-verbal communication. And in the meantime, if someone looks away while they're talking to you, they might not be being rude – they could just have an overloaded cognitive system. The findings have been published in the journal Cognition. Source: Science Alert 2 Likes
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Re: This Is Why It's So Hard To Maintain Eye Contact While Having A Conversation by Nobody: 9:17am On Jul 20, 2017 |
I do find it difficult to look people in the eyes but I learnt it and it feels good. Face no dey fear face ![]() 3 Likes |
Re: This Is Why It's So Hard To Maintain Eye Contact While Having A Conversation by 13ShadesOfMay(m): 9:26am On Jul 20, 2017 |
Rorachy:I have always believe that dominant personalities hold eye contact for longer time when having a discussion. 4 Likes 2 Shares |
Re: This Is Why It's So Hard To Maintain Eye Contact While Having A Conversation by Nobody: 9:32am On Jul 20, 2017 |
13ShadesOfMay:But that's not true. |
Re: This Is Why It's So Hard To Maintain Eye Contact While Having A Conversation by DarkRebel69: 9:51am On Jul 20, 2017 |
Interesting. |
Re: This Is Why It's So Hard To Maintain Eye Contact While Having A Conversation by 13ShadesOfMay(m): 10:09am On Jul 20, 2017 |
Rorachy:For me, when someone isn't looking back in my eyes when conversing, I felt they don't find the topic interesting or they can't handle what been said to them. 1 Like |
Re: This Is Why It's So Hard To Maintain Eye Contact While Having A Conversation by wins18(m): 10:26am On Jul 20, 2017 |
In most African setting, It is an offence for a kid to maintain a constant gaze right into an adult's eye, sometimes that attracts a heavy konk from the elder,lol. 11 Likes 2 Shares |
Re: This Is Why It's So Hard To Maintain Eye Contact While Having A Conversation by mukhcech(m): 10:26am On Jul 20, 2017 |
13ShadesOfMay: For whatever reason. If I make full eye contact with you. Just know u are dead. It can either be physical or spiritually death or both as the case maybe. ![]() 2 Likes |
Re: This Is Why It's So Hard To Maintain Eye Contact While Having A Conversation by 13ShadesOfMay(m): 10:50am On Jul 20, 2017 |
mukhcech:LMAO.... Bro, why evil? 1 Like |
Re: This Is Why It's So Hard To Maintain Eye Contact While Having A Conversation by 13ShadesOfMay(m): 10:59am On Jul 20, 2017 |
wins18:In Nigeria, it is considered rude for kids to prolong staring at their parents including elders... Meanwhile, i think most Nigerian parents hold eye contacts when chastising children. |
Re: This Is Why It's So Hard To Maintain Eye Contact While Having A Conversation by Raintaker(m): 11:11am On Jul 20, 2017 |
lol I kinda find it difficult to break eye contacts. I noticed that, the speaker always seems yo be speaking to me alone or somehow involuntarily seeking approval whenever I'm in a group or an official situation or gathering. Holding eye contacts has become a habit with me. I don't know if it's good or bad. |
Re: This Is Why It's So Hard To Maintain Eye Contact While Having A Conversation by YoungBlackRico(m): 11:35am On Jul 20, 2017 |
I kinda find it hard maintaining eye contacts most times if I'm meeting someone for the first time, and that's partly due to the fact that I'm a bit shy ![]() When I'm around some people, I don't look them in the eye at all unless I have to. |
Re: This Is Why It's So Hard To Maintain Eye Contact While Having A Conversation by femi4: 11:40am On Jul 20, 2017 |
It depends. If m meeting a busty lady, I prefer to stare at the boobs 5 Likes |
Re: This Is Why It's So Hard To Maintain Eye Contact While Having A Conversation by sod09(m): 1:22pm On Jul 20, 2017 |
my boss mock me for always avoid eye contact that shit make me uncomfortable ![]() ![]() |
Re: This Is Why It's So Hard To Maintain Eye Contact While Having A Conversation by succyblinks(f): 2:10pm On Jul 20, 2017 |
When I meet someone new I hardly make eye contact cos I'm a bit shy but wen I get comfortable the stares start coming but I have noticed that my eye contact could be intimidating at times even to older persons so I try to limit it except I'm angry or trying to pass a strong message ![]() ![]() 1 Like |
Re: This Is Why It's So Hard To Maintain Eye Contact While Having A Conversation by slyd90(m): 2:20pm On Jul 20, 2017 |
lol. i do this often buh ladies keep complaining that i always make them shy whenever i stare directly to their eyes .... 1 Like |
Re: This Is Why It's So Hard To Maintain Eye Contact While Having A Conversation by Daboywizzy: 2:28pm On Jul 20, 2017 |
makes little sense to me |
Re: This Is Why It's So Hard To Maintain Eye Contact While Having A Conversation by Nounitesportal(m): 3:53pm On Jul 20, 2017 |
Re: This Is Why It's So Hard To Maintain Eye Contact While Having A Conversation by dhantey324(m): 4:13pm On Jul 20, 2017 |
I do find this eye contact stuff difficult. I am not weird after all ![]() |
Re: This Is Why It's So Hard To Maintain Eye Contact While Having A Conversation by iPopAlomo(m): 4:25pm On Jul 20, 2017 |
When I look at girls straight in the eyes... I automatically enter flirt mode... but I avoid it sha... don't want people catching feelings... I only look at specific people in the eyes... My woman... my family... |
Re: This Is Why It's So Hard To Maintain Eye Contact While Having A Conversation by Jude76(m): 6:18pm On Jul 20, 2017 |
Come let deal ...bring ur iTunes gift card and convert it to instance cash instantly don fall into the hands of rippers Bring ur us , Canada ,steam and amazon gift card of dominations of 10 to 100$ Contact (08146153336) |
Re: This Is Why It's So Hard To Maintain Eye Contact While Having A Conversation by Wizklynd23(m): 7:26pm On Jul 20, 2017 |
chai, this one na im hard for me to do... So shy and scared...... |
Re: This Is Why It's So Hard To Maintain Eye Contact While Having A Conversation by Ajanacool(m): 9:37pm On Jul 20, 2017 |
Raintaker:Same with me. It makes me feel like I'm d only one d speaker is addressing during a lecture or seminar due to d constant eye contact 1 Like 1 Share |
Re: This Is Why It's So Hard To Maintain Eye Contact While Having A Conversation by milky3(f): 12:38am On Jul 21, 2017 |
Op, look into my eyes as in eyeball to eyeball, do u think I will read all that? |
Re: This Is Why It's So Hard To Maintain Eye Contact While Having A Conversation by chudyprince: 7:35am On Jul 21, 2017 |
African people will say "am talking and you're looking at me like mumu" Lol 1 Like |
Re: This Is Why It's So Hard To Maintain Eye Contact While Having A Conversation by 13ShadesOfMay(m): 10:09am On Jul 21, 2017 |
milky3:u want me to look at you abii? 1 Like
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