What does it mean when a guy avoids eye contact? Just as someone might look down out of shyness, they might avoid your eyes if someone is feeling particularly shy. Someone might also avoid eyes when they feel anxious or caught off guard, but they could also hide something - including that they like you.
We communicate our emotional states through our eyes. Its not for nothing that theyre called the windows to the soul. So, avoiding eye contact is a good way to hide our emotions. When a person is interested in someone, they often feel embarrassed to communicate that interest.
If you cant make eye contact with someone, it may mean that you feel intimidated or anxious around them. It can also mean youre feeling insecure, which can explain why you keep looking away.
Guys avoid eye contact with girls they are not attracted to so that the girl wont get the wrong impression. Men do this because they know girls hate being ignored or not looked at so it eventually makes them back off.
People usually make more direct eye contact when talking one-to-one than in groups. Extended periods of eye contact can be perceived as signs of greater confidence and higher self esteem, reports PsyBlog: Westerners usually see those who make more eye contact as confident (as long as its not the creepy variety).
In general, you should aim to make direct eye contact for approximately 4-5 seconds at a time. Any longer than that may make the other person uncomfortable.
Eye contact is one of the critical components of non-verbal communication and it carries several subtle rules of engagement. The presence or lack of eye contact can communicate dominance, submission, honesty, interest, passion, respect, or even hostility. It also shows we are an active listener.