Global Journal on

Humanites & Social Sciences

Issue 2 (2015) 203-208
Sel ected Pa per of 3rd Worl d Congres s of Admi ni s tra ti ve a nd Pol i ti ca l Sci ences , (APDOL-2014)
28-29 November 2014, Uni vers i ty of Ba rcel ona , Ba rcel ona , Spa i n.
Eye Contact in Interpersonal Communication
Brindusa-Mariana Amalancei *, Vasile Ale sa d i U i e sit of Ba au, Calea Ma asesti , Ba au, ,
Romania.

Suggested Citation:
Amalancei, B., M. (2015). Eye Contact in Interpersonal Communication, Global Journal on Humanites & Social
Sciences. [Online]. 02, pp 203-208. Available from:http://www.world-education-
center.org/index.php/pntsbs

Received May 08, 2014; revised August 08, 2014; accepted September 06, 2014.
Selection and peer review under responsibility of Prof. Dr. Andreea Iluzia IACOB, Bucharest Academy of
Economic Studies, Romania.
© Academic World Education & Research Center. All rights reserved.

Abstract

From all devices used to transmit nonverbal messages, specialists have agreed upon the fundamental role played
the e e o ta t, hi h a e eal the pe so s state of i d a d a e e i flue e so eo e s feeli gs a d
will. The look can have multiple functions; e.g. it proves to be essential when someone expects a feed-back by
framing the interaction; its deictic direction allows the look to select more easily the one who is due to take the
floor or to compensate the physical distance. At the same time, the duration and direction of a glance can
transmit both positive and negative feelings, or it can even signal the existence of a certain social relationship.
The efo e, e e tio a o g the featu es hi h e phasize the look s ea i gs o pu pose: di e tio n (direct
e e o ta t, pe iphe al gla e o a oida e of o e s look , du atio a d i te sit of gaze.
Our paper will try through examination and analysis to highlight the way in which these functions and features
contribute to an efficient transmission of messages in dialogic processes.

Keywords: Intensity, direction, duration, social look, relational look.

* ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE: Amalancei Brindusa-Mariana, Va s ile Al e sa d i U i e sit of Ba au, Ca lea Ma a s es ti

157, Ba ca u, 600115, Roma ni a . E-mail address: bra ndus a _a ma l a ncei @ya hoo.com / Tel .: +4-0234-588-884
Amalancei, B., M. (2015). Eye Contact in Interpersonal Communication, Global Journal on Humanites & Social Sciences. [Online]. 02, pp 203-
208. Available from:http://www.world-education-center.org/index.php/pntsbs

1. Introduction
The interactional dimension of the look constitutes an essential component of conversational
analysis. Researchers unanimously attribute the most important role in transmitting nonverbal
messages to the act of looking, since the eyes reveal – both as senders and receivers of interpersonal
signals – i te al states a d the po e to i flue e people s feeli gs a d ill. The e is a set of
u itte ules that est i t the looke s li e t , hi h ea s that the look a ot e used i a
manner and to no end, and complex studies show that the average duration we can look at an
unknown person must be of no more than 1.18 seconds. When the timespan extends to 2.95 seconds,
it is believed that those looks are insistent and can generate reactions which can range fro m irritation
to violent rebuffs. Insistent looking can also denote, depending on the situation, hostility or
affinity/love and the objective differentiation criterion can be represented by the evolution of the
pupil s di e sio s. The efo e, it is o side ed that in the former situation pupils contract, whereas in
the latter case they dilate progressively (Dinu, 2007).
Some researchers have highlighted experimentally that in interpersonal relations there is a
tendency to balance the distance, according to which a model of visual contact is adopted and the
exchange of looks involves reciprocity in inter-human relationships. When the look is analysed, we
must take into consideration its intensity o , i othe o ds, the ua tit of isual o ta t, hi h a
range from zero (no visual contact) to one hundred percent ( mutual gaze), its direction and also its
duration. This way, it was noticed that the intensity of the look is much greater when the subject
listens rather than in situations in which he is the one who speaks (the ratio is 21 /2 or 3:1) and that
individuals look up at the end of certain sentences/phrases of their discourse or at the end of the
discourse, or before, for instance, at the beginning of long sentences (Argyle, Dean, 1965). At the same
time, the intensity of the look is greater in case of less personal discourses, which are based on logical
cognitive and argumentative elements, rather than in case of personal discourses. We can also notice
differences concerning the intensity of the look at an individual level, since women are more engaged
visually as compared to men (Chelcea, Ivan & Chelcea, 2005).

2. Functions and significations of the look

There are two types of look which can appear in the same eyes: the social look and the relational
look. The rational look is very important when the distance between the interlocutors impedes the
verbal exchange but, as soon as people get closer, their look becomes a social one, highlighting the
words and destroying any trace of mystery reflected in the mutual looks, without uttering any words
(Turchet, 2005).
In 1965, Michael Argyle and Janet Dean attributed the following functions to the look (Argyle, Dean,
1965):
Searching for information. People look for an answer to their actions in the eyes of the others,
an answer which is absolutely necessary for the further adaptation of discourse.
Signalling the opening of the communication channel. In a conversation between two persons,
if one of them turns his/her look towards a third person, it can be considered that the
communication channel with the first person was closed. Similarly, the visual contact involves
the obligation to interact. The example offered by the two authors in order to illustrate this
situation is that of a waiter. If he accepts to be looked at by a client, this means that he is at
this lie t s disposal.

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208. Available from:http://www.world-education-center.org/index.php/pntsbs

Hiding and exhibitionism. Some people have the tendency to hide from the looks of others,
just as others tend to make themselves known.
Establishing and confirming social relations. The look can indicate the type of social relation
which is established between interlocutors (domi nation, submission, sexual attraction,
friendship, hatred etc.).
For instance, it is considered that when two people that have an unequal social status look at each
othe , the o e ho a oids the othe s look is i a su o di ate positio . At the sa e ti e, the
dominating one looks at the other proportionally more when he speaks rather than while he listens
and the vice versa, the subordinate spends proportionally more time looking at the other when he
listens rather than while he talks. The latter situation can perhaps be explained by the fact that the
subordinate feels uncertain or fears the impression he/she creates when talking to the dominating
person. The feeling of uncertainty experienced by the subordinate can also be noticed in his/her quick
movements of the e es, hile the do i ati g pe so s assu a e is t a s itted ea s of slo a d
uniform eye movements. As far as expressions of submission are concerned, they contain symbolical
elements of escape. Thus, when a dominated individual meets a dominating person, the former
isolates hi self, ea i g that he looks a a i o de to eli i ate the othe f o his e eshot, thus
reducing his feeling of fear. Isolation signals, at the same time, the fact that the subordinate has no
intention of attacking the dominating person and keeps away any possibility of aggression from the
other. Peter Collet mentions that there are more indicators of human look which are associated with
submission: looking down, oscillating, and keeping eyes wide open. The lowering of the look is
generally done consciously and deliberately, with the intention of calming down a more dominating
pe so . The lo e i g of the look a also ep ese t a sig al of fli ti g. The gestu e of o i g o e s
look for many times from one side to the other of the eyeshot, often without moving the head, is
made in order to both assimilate everything that happens around and look for possible means to
escape. When the eyelids are kept back, thus making the eyes appear bigger, an image of innocent
attention is transmitted. This gesture disarms because we feel the need to protect and support any
person who has big eyes or who opens them wide in order to seem more attractive. However, these
ocular expressions differ from one another, with the meaning that the lo wering of the look and
os illatio s a e ased o egati e feeli gs su h as fea o sha e, he eas ope i g o e s e es ide
ep ese ts a gestu e ea t to i affe tio a d att a t the othe s a e. A o se atio hi h a e
drawn from here refers to the symmetry of all ocular expressions, the asymmetrical eye movements
being associated with friendship. Wide-open eyes are included, as we have mentioned before, in the
category of gestures with a sexual mark, together with the dilation of pupils (a signal of s trong
emotions), the lateral look (whose charm results from the tension between the will to get closer by
looking the other in the eye and the tendency to avoid the other by turning the head sideways), the
mysterious look (a gesture made by lowering the upper eyelids and raising the eyebrows; the effect is
that of a o i g the e es, aki g the look like the e es i the ed oo a d of i easi g the
distance between the eyes and the eyebrow, so that the person looks quite submissive). The eyes can
also be an indicator of lying. Peter Collet claims that the patterns of the look are quite unstable,
meaning that some liars avert their eyes, while others intentionally prolong the duration of direct eye
contact in order to give the impression that they are tel ling the truth, especially because the
avoidance of the look is taken as a indicator of lying. Rapid blinking/winking belongs to the same
situation, since it is often associated with lying, although persons who feel tense wink more intensely,
just as we can identify liars with a normal winking rate in certain moments (Collet, 2005).
The affiliative conflict theory. We expect to identify a balance concerning the intensity of a
pe so s look i elatio ith a othe , a t pe of e uili iu o fe ed oth the a tual
situation and the given social distance. Michael Argyle and Janet Dean suggest that the look
has the role of o t olli g the i te a tio s i ti a le el, si e i ti a is see as a fu tio
of isual o ta t, ph si al p o i it a d ua tit of s iles . I othe o ds, the lose the
individuals are, the more reduced visual contact is, and its duration i s shorter. The
e uili iu of i ti a is e su ed if the pe so s e gaged i i te a tio ea h a
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Amalancei, B., M. (2015). Eye Contact in Interpersonal Communication, Global Journal on Humanites & Social Sciences. [Online]. 02, pp 203-
208. Available from:http://www.world-education-center.org/index.php/pntsbs

compromise, and this means that if intimacy increases, it can only be reduced to normal limits
by redirecting the look or expanding the distance from the inte rlocutor.
Thus, the look and the motivation of the affiliation need are closely related. Together with corporal
movements, visual contact contributes to a certain type of equilibrium of the proximity between the
two interlocutors, with feedback and the affiliation need as subjacent elements.
The functions of looking modes have represented an interesting subject for Dale C. Leathers too,
who systematized them as follows: the attention function (the interlocutors can look at each other
reciprocally or unilaterally, which means that they are attentive to each other or, on the contrary, they
turn their look away, or take no notice of the interlocutor, ignoring him/her), the regulating function
(the look can signal the beginning, continuation/restart and/or the e nd of the conversation), the
power function (visual contact can express differences of social status), the affective function (the look
can transmit positive or negative emotions), the function of forming an impression (by means of the
look, a person can indicate the way in which he/she wants to be perceived), the persuasive function
(credibility can increase if visual contact is maintained; Leathers, 1986).
Peter Collet believes that the look also fulfils three important social functions (Collet, 2005). The
first one involves monitoring, thus allowing the individuals to observe how the others react and what
they do. The second function, which partly corresponds to the affective function from Dale C.
Leathe s s ste atizatio , is the expressive one, a function which offers people the possibility to
olle t i fo atio ega di g thei hu a fello s attitudes a d i te tio s. The thi d fu tio , that of
control, assists people in supervising the others and intervening in their actions. Although they are
universal, these functions have a different importance from one society to another, with the
i pli atio that i so e ou t ies looki g is a i al e ause people get lose to ea h othe a d
even touch each other very often, but in other countries looking is i i al , ith people sitti g at a
distance from one another and so, they cannot touch each other. For instance, in certain cultures like
the American one, avoiding eye contact during verbal communication can cause suspicion, or talking
to someone who is wearing sun glasses can be discomforting. However, in other cultures, it is
considered that looking somebody in the eyes is a sign of disrespect, especially towards persons
belonging to a superior social status. According to research, in Nigeria, Puerto Rico, Thailand or Japan,
the establishing of direct visual contact between children or young people and their teachers or other
adults is not encouraged, as compared to Arab countries where the duration of visual contact could
embarrass people from other cultures. Additionally, for Asian, Indian (West Indian) or Afro-American
populations, looking somebody straight in the eyes can be seen as an impolite gesture, an attempt to
intimidate the other or a signal with sexual connotation (Schroeder, 2012).
Having in view these functions of the look, we will try to highlight, using as research methods the
non-participant observation and contents analysis, the importance of visual contact in the televised
debate between the two candidates to the presidency of France, F a çois Holla de a d Ni olas
Sarkozy, from May 2, 2012.

3. Case study: the role of the look in the tele ised de ate et een François Hollande and Ni olas
Sarkozy

Before we analyse some instances which underscore the importance of the look in interpersonal
communication, we should first refer to some aspects related to the format of the debate in which the
two candidates participate. Although French debates have evolved since 1974, the fundamental
structure of this debate is identical to the one in which Vale Gis a d d Estai g a d F a çois
Mitterrand participated. Nevertheless, in comparison with the rather superficial formats of American
de ates, this fo at s ajo ad a tage is that it ought F a çois Holla de a d Ni olas “a koz fa e to
face, thus encouraging the amplification of the tension which exists between the two, and this
becomes much more captivating for the viewers. From a visual viewpoint, ever tying seems to
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Amalancei, B., M. (2015). Eye Contact in Interpersonal Communication, Global Journal on Humanites & Social Sciences. [Online]. 02, pp 203-
208. Available from:http://www.world-education-center.org/index.php/pntsbs

st e gthe the i age of the t o a didates ho a e ead to fight ea h othe as if i a o at h ,

as shown by Alan Schroeder, journalism professor at Northeastern University. However, because
F a çois Holla de a d Ni olas “a koz e e seated at a dista e of . ete s, u e ous i o
expressions of the two could not be captured by the panoramic angle chosen by the producer
(Schroeder, 2012). This distance did not allow the candidates to get closer, thus excluding the
possi ilit to eso t to a i al looki g, a o di g to the te i olog e plo ed Pete Collet. The
debate lasted for almost three hours without any interruption (twice as much as the time allocated for
such debates in The United States), so it must have been quite tiring for the two candidates.
As far as the manner in which Nicolas Sarkozy used his look during the debate from 2007 with
“ gol e ‘o al, a spe ialist i o al ommunication, Laurent Tylski, considers that this could be one of
his weak points. More exactly, he showed that Sarkozy has an interiorized look and that, on the whole,
his visual contact with the opponent was quite reduced, around 30- % as o pa ed to “ gol e
Royal who, in 2007, looked him in the eye for about 90%. The explanation offered by Laurent Tylski is
that Nicolas Sarkozy, who goes through a process of self-persuasion, often talks for himself and looks
for the support of the moderator, a fact which minimizes the impact of his message (“ e, 2012).
During the debate from May 2 2012, especially in the first part of the show, the two candidates look
at ea h othe , a d e a o se e that F a çois Holla de s look see s to e do i ati g, hile
Nicolas Sarkozy blinks a lot more and seems to be more involved in the debate, even if certain
specialists could say that this gesture can be explained by his confidence in his victory in the debate or
even in the electoral tour (Bunard, 2012, a). We can also notice that Sarkozy resorts to his usual codes
of seduction such as the gesture of looking at the adversary with his left eye from time to time,
choosing to expose the affective side of his face more (the left side), expressive moves of the
eyebrows, or dynamic shoulde s. As fa as F a çois Holla de is o e ed, e a o se e that i this
debate he looks more spontaneous than usual, until the moment when he starts repeating
a apho i all , fo si tee ti es, I, the p eside t of the ‘epu li ... , a d he e o e s vigilant again,
looks sideways, as if trying to remember his speech, blinking rarely, theatrically, almost unusually for a
conversation – a fact which betrays both his self-control and stress. At the same time, we can see that
Hollande is much more expressive at the level of the eyes and mouth as compared to other parts of
the body, and an example is related to the slight desynchronization between blinking with his right
eye, which is faster, and blinking with his left eye, which is slower, a gesture obse rved when he talks
about financial speculation, a sign that the topic affects him greatly (Bunard, 2012, b).
In the second hour of the debate, when they discuss the problem of workplaces in France, Sarkozy
lowers his look repeatedly, keeping it this way for a few seconds, and even gives up looking at
Hollande, addressing the journalists exclusively. These gesture s, repeated when the subject of the
debate is represented by education and retirement (instances in which Sarkozy made no effort to
conceal his inconsideration for his political opponent, talking to the journalists about Hollande using
the third person singular, as if Hollande himself had not been present), or the nuclear issue, could be
interpreted as a mark of underestimating his adversary, as lack of trust in the arguments brought by
hi o e e as a sig of o eited ess. O the o t a , F a çois Hollande is quite constant in looking
fixedly at Sarkozy, and his wide-eyed look translates his involvement as it happens, for instance, when
they discuss the problem of jobs in France. This repetitive gesture can also have the purpose of
captivating the viewers.

4. Conclusions
Having in view the functions we have referred to, we can conclude that the look has an important
ole i the adaptatio of dis ou se “a koz looks fo suppo t fo his lai s i the jou alists e es , i
signalling the opening/closing of the communication channel (both candidates look at each other/
“a koz s gestu e of looki g o l at the jou alists a d tu i g his look a a f o Holla de , i
o fi i g so ial positio / elatio s Holla de s do i ati g look , i t a s itti g e otio s Holla de s

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Amalancei, B., M. (2015). Eye Contact in Interpersonal Communication, Global Journal on Humanites & Social Sciences. [Online]. 02, pp 203-
208. Available from:http://www.world-education-center.org/index.php/pntsbs

wide-open eyes – an expression of involvement – o “a koz s efusal to look at his ad e sa p e isel

when he talks about him – a suggestion of inconsideration), in gaining credibility (maintaining visual
contact while the candidates to the presidency of France assert their viewpoints). Similarly, together
with the gestures made by means of other body parts, the look contributes considerably to the
regulation of dialogic relations.

Acknowledgements
This paper is a result of a research made possible by the financial support of the Sectorial
Operational Program for Human Resources Development 2007-2013, co-financed by the European
Social Fund, under the project number POSDRU/159/1.5/S/132400 with the title „Young successful
researchers – professional development in an international and interdisciplinary environment”.

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