Eye contact-Why did/do you dislike it?

Post Reply New Topic

It is too overwhelming. I see thousands of pictures when I look at a persons face. I cannot process that data and the voice. I most often look beyond them at something.

Interesting question. I can give eye contact or can give the illusion of eye contact depending on the situation. However, my dad never gives eye contact to anyone. Next time I talk to him, I'm going to see what he has to say on the subject. I am curious because growing up, his lack of eye contact always made me feel weird. So maybe that's why I at least give the illusion of eye contact when speaking to others in person (sometimes I am not looking at someone's eyes but somewhere close-nose, mouth, etc).

Eye contact is too intimate.

For me, it is painful.

On women, I feel if I look too long that I am flirting with them or hitting on them. And I feel awkward thinking that someone else thinks I am hitting on them. I guess the same can be true for guys. I don't want to feel like I hitting on some guy.

So that is the sexual component.

I don't mind looking at someone's eyes but I always find it odd that we have to look into someone's eyes for the length of a conversation. It is weird, most people make eye contact whenever they interact with a person.

How is that wired into the brain? I can look in their general direction. I can hear what a person is saying.

Sometimes I get this strange urge to laugh when I make eye contact with people. It's hard to take seriously especially when I know other will try to use their own eyes to do stupid faces or something to make me laugh.

Eye contact for me usually just feels too intense, like an overload. In certain situations I can do it though. I make eye contact with my therapist sometimes. If I'm comfortable with the person I'm talking to it's a bit easier, or I'll just look at their mouth and not worry what they're thinking of me. With people I don't know I feel a lot of pressure to make eye contact so they don't think I'm weird.

That makes it hard to spend time with people when I don't know them very well, but easier as I get more comfortable, because I don't force eye contact as much and usually end up faking it/looking at their mouth, which I hope gives the impression that I'm making eye contact.

But in general, making eye contact with people takes up so much room in my brain that if I do it, I can do little else at the same time.

Right. I know a bit of ocular speak. Well...maybe. I know that when someone raises their eyebrows...it is like asking a question. I picked up on that very quickly because i noticed that if, when someone raised their eyebrows at me...if I mimicked the expression it prompted them to either say "what?", "nothing.", "nevermind.", or ask me a question. One eyebrow raised equates to "what the hell?" in most situations...which used to get me told off by certain adults because they would think I had an issue with something that they did or said because I can raise both eyebrows individually and would do so at random.

It is extremely creepy to stare into someones eyes.

I concur with the above posters who claim that making eye contact hurts and is unnatural. Making eye contact just feels weird and awkward. Either I stare too intensely or I don't look at them at all, Or, I look at them inapropriatley.

I REALLY don't know! Maybe it is because many primates, and some other creatures, look at it like a challenge. MAYBE it is because some think they can read my mind. Maybe it is because some try to discern lies that way.

But just never thought about it. I used to figure THEY can hear and speak, and so can I, so WHY must I look?