I have heard from multiple people that eye contact is essential in letting a girl (or guy, I guess) know you’re interested.

But what is the 411 when it comes to said eye contact? Do you keep looking until she does? Do you then keep staring? Or is like looking at the sun? What’s the deal?

  • Lyre
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    38
    arrow-down
    3
    ·
    2 days ago

    In her book “How to talk to anyone” Leil Lowndes suggests that when speaking with women it’s best to maintain constant, unbroken eye contact to signal attention and interest. She goes on to note that even when engaged in conversation with multiple people one should act as if their eyes are constantly glued to the woman, only briefly looking away when another person is speaking and behaving as if your eyes are irresistibly drawn back to the woman of interest. She believes this formula is best in male to female conversations and female to female conversation.

    By contrast, she notes that when engaged in a male to male conversation, one should regularly break eyecontact as not to be perceived as a threat. However, one should still act as if your eyes are being irresistibly drawn back to theirs.

    … I have no idea what Lowndes’s qualifications are and frankly this sounds like a formula written by an alien trying to understand humans but hey maybe theres some merrit to it idk

    • Tiefling IRL@lemmy.blahaj.zone
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      38
      ·
      2 days ago

      She goes on to note that even when engaged in conversation with multiple people one should act as if their eyes are constantly glued to the woman, only briefly looking away when another person is speaking and behaving as if your eyes are irresistibly drawn back to the woman of interest.

      Honestly, as a woman, if a man started doing this to me in a group I’d be freaked the fuck out

      • Vanth@reddthat.com
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        24
        ·
        2 days ago

        Yep. As if women would never perceive men as a threat based on the same signals men would use to perceive threat.

        Men, logical and hunter warrior manly men. Women, attention seekers. Therefore, stare down pretty women to show manly manness.

        Alpha bro evo psych is so wild.

        • finitebanjo@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          2
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          edit-2
          1 day ago

          Yeah but due to conditioning from many generations of patriarchy, the man being perceived as a threat might actually help his chances. A disproportionately high ratio of women seem to enjoy threatening sexual partners.

          If getting laid is the only goal, the male has more to fear from not trying than fear of rejection. That and pepper spray.

        • intensely_human@lemm.ee
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          5
          ·
          2 days ago

          Jesus christ dude

          She goes on to note that even when engaged in conversation with multiple people one should act as if their eyes are constantly glued to the woman

    • AstralPath
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      14
      ·
      2 days ago

      Kinda sounds like it would be the same kind of thing that brought forth the whole “alpha male” thing.

      • Lyre
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        6
        ·
        2 days ago

        I got that vibe throughout the entire book. It really smelled to me of someone trying to justify their own success when in reality she was probably just born with the right connections.

    • OutlierBlue
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      9
      ·
      2 days ago

      Okay but where’s the line between “unbroken eye contact to signal attention and interest” and just being a creepy stalker?

      • Jay
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        17
        ·
        2 days ago

        Varies with attractiveness.

      • NeoNachtwaechter@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        1 day ago

        the line between […] just being a creepy stalker?

        Depends mainly on your own looks, and a little bit on the question if she’s already into you:

        Are you closer to George Clooney or The Real Life Hunchback?

      • Lyre
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        5
        ·
        2 days ago

        Well, I got the impression that the author was mostly hanging out in upper class society. So while she’s asserting that these rules are universally applicable, her frame of reference seemed to be mostly talking to people in situations like fundraisers and galas. I imagine she’s operating on a framework of always having some prior knowledge of the people she’s engaging with.

    • Maggoty@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      2 days ago

      The only community I’ve been in where men constantly break eye contact is the military. And that’s because we were in Iraq and constantly checking out surroundings as we talked. Men are not gorillas. Eye contact is perceived as paying attention to the conversation.