Members in the Media
From: NPR

Why Eye Contact Can Fail To Win People Over

NPR:

Pop psychology holds that to connect with someone, you should look deep into their eyes. The more you look, the more persuasive you’ll be. But that may work only when your audience already agrees with you.

“Eye contact is clearly used in many situations to signal attraction, love and even agreement,” Frances Chen, an assistant professor at the University of British Columbia and lead author of the study, told Shots.

But forcing someone to look into your eyes could backfire if you’re trying to change their opinion, Chen says. “Think about parents saying, ‘Look at me when I’m talking to you!’ ”

The study was published online in Psychological Science.

Read the whole story: NPR

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