Chapter 5

The Eyes Have It

In This Chapter

arrow Understanding the power of the held gaze

arrow Avoiding looking at another person

arrow Reading the messages – how eyes tell a tale

Because much of our face-to-face time with people is spent looking at their faces, the signals they send out with their eyes play a vital part in revealing their thoughts and attitudes. In fact, of all our body language signals, the eyes reveal our thoughts and emotions most accurately: they’re placed in the strongest focal position on the body, and because the pupils respond unconsciously to stimuli they can’t be artificially manipulated or controlled (well, you can artificially increase pupil size with belladonna but that’s another story).

Your eyes are the gateway to the soul and reflect what’s going on inside of you. They’re also the means of seeing what’s going on inside of someone else. Some people instinctively know how to use their eyes to their own advantage, to garner sympathy, convey sexual interest, or to deliver the message, ‘Stay away!’ With practice, your eyes can speak the messages you mustn’t say aloud. This chapter looks at the role that eyes play in communicating your feelings and ...

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