Want to succeed in the art of persuasion?

AVOID eye contact: Locking glances can lower your chance of winning a person over

The finding is only true if someone is sceptical of the speaker to begin with The longer they hold eye contact, the more sceptical they will become Locking eyes can boost receptiveness if person already agrees with speaker

By Ellie Zolfagharifard

If you want to persuade someone to do your bidding don't look them in the eye, according to new research. A new study has shown that - contrary to common belief - locking eyes with someone when the aim is to persuade actually harms the chances of winning them over. So demanding look at me when I talk to you of someone may not have the desired effect after all.

If you want to persuade someone to do your bidding don't look them in the eye, according to new research. Co-lead of the study, Julia Minson said: 'Whether you're a politician or a parent, it might be helpful to keep in mind that trying to maintain eye contact may backfire'

Experts say that eye contact with opponents in adversarial situations makes them more resistant to persuasion, although it still works as a sign of connection in friendly situations. Neurobiologist Dr Frances Chen explained: There is a lot of cultural lore about the power of eye contact as an influence tool. But our findings show that direct eye contact makes sceptical listeners less likely to change their minds, not more, as previously believed. Eye contact is so primal that we think it probably goes along with a whole suite of subconscious physiological changes.

The longer test subjects spent looking into the speaker's eyes, the less persuaded they were by their argument

In a study carried out with colleagues at the University of Freiburg, Germany, Dr Chen first noticed the negative effects eye contact had on persuasion. Her team used cutting-edge eye-tracking technology to monitor how long participants looked straight into the eyes of someone speaking on a video, then measured how far their attitudes on controversial issues had shifted. They found that the longer they spent looking into the speaker's eyes, the less persuaded they were by their argument. The only time extended eye contact boosted receptiveness among the participants was when they already agreed with the speaker's take on the subject.

The only time extended eye contact boosted receptiveness among the participants was when they already agreed with the speaker's take on the subject

When the experiment was repeated the test subjects were asked to either look into the speaker's eyes, or stare at their mouth for the duration of the speech. Like the first test, those who looked into the speaker's eyes the whole time were less receptive and less open to interaction with people who agreed with opposing arguments. Co-lead of the study, Julia Minson of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, explained that their study, which is published in the journal Psychological Science, showed that making eye contact with someone can drastically alter the outcome of an altercation. She added: Whether you're a politician or a parent, it might be helpful to keep in mind that trying to maintain eye contact may backfire if you're trying to convince someone who has a different set of beliefs than you.

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