What Happens When They Look You In The Eye?

It’s an excessively frenetic world. We often do not stop to enjoy the little things that life has to offer. Seeing someone in the eyes is a fantastic experience. It must be one of the best experiences that life has to offer, but it is not often that we take the time to do this.

In this article, we will tell you about two experiments that will surprise you. The goal in both cases is the same: to look another person in the eye for a while. The effect of looking into another person’s eyes is enormous.

To see a stranger in the eyes

Let’s take an example. You’re on the subway on your way to work. You look bored around you, maybe on a familiar face or you think about what life is like for every person around you. All of a sudden you look into another passenger’s eyes. What is your first reaction? It is, of course, to look in another direction or to bow your head. What would have happened if you both held that look for a few seconds? It would certainly have caught your attention!

This typical situation was the first step in an experiment called Glances where 20 people who did not know each other before had to gather. They were placed randomly in groups and given a simple task: to look each other in the eye for a few minutes while the cameras filmed them.

One look was enough to evoke a variety of emotions in the participants: shared laughter, red cheeks, nervous smiles and even sweaty palms. When they kept their eyes fixed on the other person, feelings arose that no one could explain in words.

Happiness, hope and even love were expressed with these looks. Many of them even kissed! When the experiment was over, each person had to tell how they felt during those moments.

Many of them defined it as something they had not expected. Some talked about love at first sight, others about the level of intimacy they established with a person who was a stranger to them. The conclusion is that it is often enough to pay attention to the other person to find what we are looking for. We just have to look around better.

To look your partner in the eye

In movies, we see scenes where the protagonists look at each other for a long time and everything seems so magical. Why does this not happen in real life? Because we do not let it happen!

It does not matter how long you have been with someone. Start by thinking about the last time you really looked at each other without noticing anything else. It will probably take some time to arrive at the answer.

Another experiment, similar to the previous one, wanted to show that looking into the other person’s eyes increases the level of intimacy in the relationship. In the test, two people were allowed to look each other in the eyes for 4 minutes without talking. This experiment also included strangers. There were also couples, people who had their first date and even a married couple who had been together for 55 years.

At the end of that session, it was interesting to analyze the reactions and statements of these people. They all indicated that they felt closer to their partner, the love had been “reborn” and they did not understand why they did not look each other in the eye more often. Some of the strangers even started dating after the experiment and got married months later. Here is a video from this:

How would you feel if you looked into your partner’s eyes for a few minutes? Without arguing, without thinking about your problems or money, without anyone or anything bothering you. You may have realized that true love shows up during these moments. A simple glance is all it takes to find the pure emotions we can experience.