Escaped Thoughts

Tue, Apr 08, 2003

Awkward Moments

Whenever I'm walking alone and I see someone approaching on a relatively clear sidewalk, and I know them well enough to say hi but not more than that, there are always a few awkward seconds. I don't want to make eye contact right away, because I'm still too far away to say hello, but that leaves me trying to avoid eye contact until I'm closer, without looking like I'm avoiding eye contact. Even worse is when they happen to see me at the same time I see them, and make eye contact, because then I have to pretend we didn't make eye contact while avoiding eye contact.

I hate that.

Other's Thoughts

From the mind of Pat - Tue, Apr 12, 2005

"Gazing is, in all primate species, a language unto itself, and one that is full of threat and embarrassment....
We are, in all our dealings, extremely careful of what we do with our gazes. When passing strangers on the street, we typically avoid eye contact, glance briefly at them from a distance of sixteen to thirty feet - the range at which we must greet friends or risk offending them - and then glance away quickly. If you establish eye contact with a stranger, it means you want to talk. Street-corner soliciters and proselytizers learn that they can hook and reel in perfect strangers by gazing fixedly at them and smiling as if they're old friends.
Eye behavior is immensely complicated and busy. Researchers estimate that about two-thirds of communication between humans is non-verbal, and the eyes convey the most intense and subtle messages."

I've just finished reading "The Undressed Art - Why We Draw" by Peter Steinhart, and had left the bookmark at this page in the chapter 'Faces'.

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