How to Read Eye Movements
Face-to-face communication involves much more than the spoken word. In fact, we often communicate our feelings to others through our body language without realizing we are doing so. We communicate through posture, gesture and facial expression. But the eyes also play an important part in this unspoken language. William Shakespeare called the eyes "a window to the soul," and you can learn to look through that window and better understand a person's body language by reading eye movement.
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Instructions
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Begin a conversation and ask a simple question. Watch carefully for eye movement during the response.
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If the person looks up, he or she is thinking or forming pictures. This is also a sign of a visual thinker. Looking up and to the left indicates recalling a memory, while looking up and to the right could indicate imaginative construction or lying.
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If the person looks down, this could be a sign of submission or even guilt. Looking down and to the left can indicate a person talking to themselves. Looking down and to the right can show that they are feeling intense emotion.
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Looking sideways can indicate distraction or checking out a potential threat, but a sideways glance can also betray irritation. In addition, eyes that look side to side often indicate shiftiness and lying.
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A glance usually indicates a desire for something. Glancing at a door could show a desire to leave the room, while a glance at a person could indicate a desire to talk to them. A glance is also used when it is forbidden or taboo to look at something.
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In addition to eye movement, eye contact is equally important. Strong eye contact can mean a person is paying close attention. It also can mean that the person likes and respects you. When prolonged eye contact (staring) occurs, it sometimes indicates aggression or power, but it can also show surprise or shock. A person who is lying to you may overcompensate and hold eye contact longer than normal. In addition, this person might smile with his mouth but not with his eyes. Smiling with the eyes is difficult to do if the emotion is not genuine.
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Rapid blinking of the eyes can occur when a person is thinking, and this can also be another sign of lying. Again, a person who is aware of this sign might overcompensate and stare. However, someone who subconsciously blinks when you blink could be expressing an understanding or rapport with you.
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Tips & Warnings
Body language interpretation can differ from culture to culture. In Japan, direct eye contact is often considered inappropriate, especially when talking to someone who is in a position superior to you. The Japanese might also drop their gaze entirely when talking to someone they feel is attractive. While good eye contact is appreciated in the West, this can be considered a challenge in Asia and Africa. In the East, less eye contact usually equals more respect.
Be aware of body language when interacting with people from different cultures, so as not to inadvertently offend them by "saying" something with your eyes.
