- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- preschoolers today articles
- preschoolers today q&a
- children today articles
- children today q&a
- community & groups
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
From Our Sponsors
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Children's Unspoken Language
By Gwyneth Doherty-Sneddon
One other type of eye signal is seen when two people look simultaneously at one another's eyes or face. This is called mutual gaze. Extended mutual gaze between adults is actually quite rare and, as we will see, has considerable emotional and physiological correlates. While we make eye contact with people we don't know well, the duration of these glances is usually quite short (about 1.5 seconds). Extended mutual gaze is generally reserved for very close social relationships. It is most frequent in adult couples who report being in love (Rubin 1970), and mutual gaze is an important signal of emotional attachment.
Looking into someone's eyes has significant physiological effects. For babies and for adults, making mutual eye contact with another person increases heart and breathing rates and galvanic skin response – sweating to you and me (Gale Lucas Nissim & Harpham 1972; Field 1981). This can be experienced as pleasant in some circumstances, for example in a close friendship. However the experience is distinctly negative if it is interpreted as threatening or intimidating.
Mutual gaze has social and even cognitive