Prolonged eye contact can be seen as domineering and usually makes people uncomfortable. For example, in the Western world eye contact is polite but in African, Asian and Latin American countries, making too much eye contact or eye contact for too long is seen as disrespectful and challenging.
In general, Western cultures tend to value the presence of eye contact while Eastern ones tend to see eye contact as a form of disrespect. However, this is not always the case .16 Cambodia (Not recommended)17 Vietnam (Not recommended) 18 Iran (Sometimes Recommended) 19 Japan (Not Recommended) 20 China (Not Recommended) More items •12 Sep 2018
In general, Middle Eastern cultures, particularly among Muslims, do not see as direct eye contact between the sexes as being appropriate. Businesswomen traveling to the Middle East may draw attention simply for being different, and some men may try to make eye contact.
Such sensitivity to eye contact seems to be innate and universal among humans; however, several studies suggest that cultural norms affect eye contact behaviours. For example, Japanese individuals exhibit less eye contact than do individuals from Western European or North American cultures.
In many cultures, however, including Hispanic, Asian, Middle Eastern, and Native American, eye contact is thought to be disrespectful or rude, and lack of eye contact does not mean that a person is not paying attention.
Maintaining eye contact during a conversation gives the impression that you are friendly and that you are paying attention to the other person. In some cultures, however, direct eye contact is considered rude or hostile. When maintaining normal eye contact, each person looks into the others eyes and then away again.
For those without a diagnosed mental health condition, avoidance of eye contact could be related to shyness or a lack of confidence. Looking someone in the eye while speaking can feel uncomfortable for those without a lot of practice making conversation or who tend to prefer not being in the spotlight.
Which country smiles most?
Positive Paraguay Paraguay, the little South American country with the chilled-out reputation, ranked highest worldwide for Positive Experiences, and has held this position since 2015. Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, is also the country that smiles the most globally.