Reply #3: A lot of it is cultural [View All]

[Warpy]

Eye contact with some tribes around here is minimal, it's considered impolite to stare into somebody's eyes. If you don't make eye contact with another tribe, they think you're falling asleep on them, that your attention is wandering. Knowing which is which comes in very handy.

There was little eye contact in Boston, especially with strangers. There was a lot of it down south, especially with strangers.

Israelis are very big on eye contact, Palestinian Arabs less so.

For people interested in nonverbal communication, I suggest the books of Edward T. Hall, listed here: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b/104-6977830-7215140?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Edward+T.+Hall&x=0&y=0

They're all good reads. I've read them all and they've saved my butt more than once doing cross cultural health care.