passerby eyecontact on the street

[cimorene]

I've decided that sunglassed encounters are null and void, so while I should still look at the sunglasses of those people, I don't have to count them one way or the other since it's too hard to tell if they're making eye contact or not. I apply that rule when I'm wearing sunglasses as well. So today has only been the second walk when I didn't, and my running total has gone down. Overall it was a less successful walk; I put that down to the unaccustomed direction and unexpected hotness. The dog wanted to go down the bike path where Aningaisgatan passes over the interstate, which was mostly full of fast bikers.

Comments

[kessie.livejournal.com]

Eye contact terrifies me, but I've come to the conclusion that it's a necessary evil that I have to contend with and attempt to conquer. I didn't even realise I wasn't making eye contact with anyone until I went on the stammer course and they pointed it out to me.

[anglepoiselamp.livejournal.com]

It took me years to notice that avoiding eye contact extended to more than just lowering my gaze. The more nervous I get, the more I turn my whole body away from the person that I'm speaking to - sometimes so much so that I'm speaking in another direction entirely and all they can hear is a vague mumbling. D:

[brownbetty]

I'm bad at eye-contact, but one thing that helps me is thinking of it as a culture thing, and not a personal thing. My culture wants me to do this, and I'm bad at it, but I could be in a culture where it wasn't important.

Maybe that sounds depressing, but I like the idea that the skillset and the demand are random, and I'm just poorly matched.

[cimness.livejournal.com]

Finland's culture is less demanding of eye contact in casual non-speaking encounters, but the situations where it is most important are the same - eye contact is desirable in face-to-face conversations, interviews, etc. Unfortunately, those are probably the hardest. But I do find that making eyecontact with passers-by lowers the threshold a bit.

passerby eyecontact

[indolentncrazy.livejournal.com]

When I first read your title my first response was "*I* want to be 5-11!" I COUNT passersby who make eyecontact, and ones who speak. And the sidewalk segments. (Actually quite like the Count on Sesame Street). Never thought to worry about eyecontact. Now I have to worry aobut if the passersby are discomfited by eyecontact, but this way I know where their eyes are looking.