The Big Picture: Dr. Adriana Davis, Family Medicine. says, “Strangers in the night exchanging glances, wondering in the night…”
Doctor’s Expert Insights About Poor Eye Contact and Social Miscues in South Dakota
Know this: “From a healthcare professional’s perspective, this study underscores the subtleties of nonverbal communication in social interactions. This study is fascinating because it highlights something that is counter to what we believe. We rely heavily on nonverbal cues like eye gaze to communicate and read social signals, yet we spend so little time doing it. Eye-to-eye contact might be brief in our conversations, but it packs a powerful punch in social bonding. A fleeting glance into someone’s eyes can be the key to understanding and following their lead in any social activity. So next time you your talking to someone–remember–it’s not just about seeing, it’s about connecting. Don’t be shy to try it out!” Dr. Puja Uppal, Family Medicine.
Beyond the news: Encouraging more direct eye contact in therapeutic settings could enhance mutual understanding and build stronger rapport between patients and therapists.
Sioux Falls Focus: Watch a Short Video about the Benefits of a Social Brain on Your Brain Health
Health Alert for Sioux Falls
Key Drivers in Minnehaha County:
In face-to-face interactions, the study found that participants spent only about 12% of the time in mutual gaze. And, a mere 3.5% of the time was spent in direct eye-to-eye contact.
This limited time, but impactful eye contact suggests the importance of eye contact in social dynamics. Direct eye contact, even for brief periods, is a key predictive factor for subsequent social behavior.
The study indicates that while eye-to-eye contact is less frequent than previously assumed–its still a crucial component of successful social interaction.
What they’re saying: “Our data showed that participants engaged in non-mutual looking behaviors relative to mutual ones more frequently. Further, mutual looks in the form of direct eye-to-eye contact occurred infrequently but was especially important in relating the gaze dynamics at the dyad level with individual functionality in gaze following, whereby the magnitudes of gaze cuing were larger for individuals who engaged in direct eye-to-eye contact more during mutual interactive exchanges only. As such, these data provide one of the first direct links between social communication via the eyes at the group level and individual social behavior and show experimentally that eye to eye contact is an important social vehicle in nonverbal communication.” (Study Source)
Health Standard Newswire: Eye contact is an important social driver.
Living in South Dakota, the following health facts impact your physical health directly!
Did you know there were 203.0 deaths from suicide in South Dakota in 2021?
27.6% of you in Minnehaha County are sleeping less than 7 hours per night.
16.0% of you in Minnehaha County are depressed.
10.4% of you in Minnehaha County state that your mental health is not good.
All of these variables above play an important role in the outcomes of your overall health.
The Health Standard Newswire.
