It is common among asian cultures to exhibit reserve and emotional restraint. By becoming skilled at using eye contact as you speak to a crowd, you are taking control of the presentation to make it do what you want it to do. Aug 21, 2014 eye contact is like goldilocks and the three bears. Maintaining eye contact during social interaction is a more important principle for western europeans than for east asians. It was evident that my zulu friend and i saw the world through different eyes.
Language is an example of a very culture specific behavior. Apr 09, 20 within western cultures, eye contact is a must. Various rules about eye contact eye contact varies from culture to culture. The way you look at someone conveys important cultural messages.
If talking to a group, be sure to make equal eye contact with all who are present. This kind of cultural misunderstanding can be common without intercultural training. Tends to be quite direct and prolonged when speaking, less so when listening. Parentchild play across cultures advancing play research. It describes the wide range of communication processes and problems that naturally appear within an organization or social context made up of individuals from different religious, social, ethnic, and educational backgrounds. There are also differences in eye contact between different cultures.
Eye contact is when we look directly at a persons eyes as we talk to him her. The arab world is full of rich and diverse communities, groups and cultures. Different cultures have different rules of conduct and therein lies the issue. In fact, your strong gaze may be interpreted as a sign of disrespect among asian, american indian, indochinese, arab, and appalachian patients who. Eye contact is much less common and considered less appropriate in many of these cultures than it is considered in the united states. Appropriate eye contact levels differ from culture to culture. Ethical issues across cultures university of baltimore. Visual contact is encouraged in the united states of america. In united states and canadian dominant culture settings as well as many arab cultures, eye contact is taken as a sign of reliability and trustworthiness. Understanding the non verbal components of cross cultural. Americans place a high value on eye to eye communication and tend to distrust those who fail to look at them directly. Address health care for various subcultures and populations in the united. Empirical studies have demonstrated that faces making eye contact are detected quickly and processed preferentially i.
Eye contact preferences also differ across cultures. Each culture has its own language, with its own vocabulary, syntax, grammar, phonology, and pragmat. Similarly, in asian settings, looking down is usually interpreted as a sign of respect. Since the visual sense is dominant for most people, eye contact is an especially important type of nonverbal communication. A direct gaze shows confidence and is considered a good thing. Cultural competency training beacon health options. In fact, your strong gaze may be interpreted as a sign of disrespect among asian, american indian, indochinese, arab, and appalachian patients who feel that direct eye contact is impolite or aggressive. The researchers chose to investigate how eye contact between strangers differs in todays society. Vistas 20 5 a key element in the area of kinesics is eye contact, which is subject to a number of cultural rules that can impact rapport.
The chinese and other east asian cultures are known to place the most emotional importance on the eyes when expressing and recognizing emotions. Eye contact across cultures corporate speech solutions. Pdf this study investigated whether eye contact perception differs in people with different cultural backgrounds. Dec 11, 2009 you dont want to make someone feel uneasy. It is meant to challenge the other person and is a sign of disrespect.
Jul 03, 2015 making eye contact in facetoface encounters videocon or skype is crucial to building trust with americans. Heres a quick trip around the world and what eye contact means in the various places and cultures. The japanese, in contrast, believe eye contact over a sustained period of time shows disrespect. The use of eye contact in different countries and cultures varie. Finnish european and japanese east asian participants were asked to determine. Cultural background modulates how we look at other persons gaze. Levin and adelman state, in a conversation too little eye contact may be seen negatively because it conveys lack of interest, inattention, or even mistrust 346. For instance, in the united states, eye contact is a basic and expected form of nonverbal communication as is a firm handshake. The same is true for colombians, spanish, french, and germans for example.
Commuting in to work each day amongst visitors from across the world is an exercise in. The 46page document has been authored by one of our nigeria country specialists and provides readers with much more detail that our free guide above. It must be emphasized that there is no one arab culture or society. This is the opposite of the dominant culture pattern in which the speaker tends to look away from the listener and the listener looks directly at the speaker. Locking eyes with strangers concordia university, st.
Eye contact is seen as a social standard of communication. This difference in the way persons from eastern and western cultures exhibit eye contact. How to make eye contact in a business setting the balance careers. An introduction to the country, its history, politics, people and culture. Different cultures develop different ways of dealing with the biological imperatives and universal social problems based on their contexts.
Eye contact is when we look directly at a persons eyes as we talk to himher. Eye contact in different cultures linkedin learning. In fact, in different nations and cultures, the use of eye contact is quite different. Aug 05, 2017 it is important to note differing cultural beliefs concerning eye contact.
Another example of how cultural languages differ beyond vocabulary is the fact that eye contact represents different meanings in different cultures. Deferred eye contact does not mean that the patient is not listening to you. Feb 25, 2015 second, eye contact behavior differs among cultures. The study, further suggests that the amount of eye contact in a conversation is at least in part culturally determined. In china, people make eye contact when they are angry. In some latino cultures sustained eye contact may be viewed as disrespectful. A provider needs to be careful not to misinterpret lack of. Different cultures have different meanings attached to these bodily movements and expressions.
The impact of making eye contact around the world world. Depending on which cultural situation an individual is in, eye contact gives out different signals. In america, eye contact suggests that you are paying attention and are interested in what a person has to say. In many eastern cultures, downcast eyes are regarded as a sign of respect, which can lead to misinterpretation in the west. Kinesics are bodily movements such as facial expressions, gestures, posture, and eye contact. The results also revealed cultural differences in the perception of emotion from neutral faces. In the usa, direct eye contact is a sign that you are truly interested in what the other person is saying. May 26, 2010 meanwhile, the chinese executive may expect more indirect eye contact as this shows respect to more senior individuals.
Examples of countries that have a low contact culture include the united states, canada, and japan. How different cultures look at faces depends on the interpersonal context the london piccadilly line goes from heathrow airport to the centre of the city. According to one study, western europeans fixate more on the mouth region, and east asians fixate more on the eye region when recognising facial expressions. Insights into the countrys values, customs and etiquette.
In the west, someone who seeks out and maintains eye contact is more likely to be viewed as a leader. Different cultures have varying approaches to personal space and touching. Instead, cultural differences in the eye contact effect were observed in various evaluative responses regarding the stimulus faces e. How different cultures look at faces depends on the. Oct 14, 2016 intercultural communication is a form of communication that aims to share information across different cultures and social groups. Differences exist not only among countries, but within countries as well. Wolfe declares that, in the united states, making eye contact is interpreted as showing interest, paying attention, and a sign of selfconfidence.
Free, educational handouts for teachers and parents. How eye contact differs around the world business musing. In other cultures, eye contact may be considered rude and to be a challenge of authority. While in some cultures, a downward gaze may signify deference and respect, to americans, this same downward gaze could signify any one of these traits. This study investigated whether eye contact perception differs in people with different cultural backgrounds. Pdf communicating in a multicultural society and world.
Making eye contact in different cultures what are you saying. While maintaining eye contact is positively evaluated by western europeans, it is not the case with people of east asian cultural backgrounds. It is used to describe the wide range of communication processes and problems that naturally appear within an organization or social context made up of individuals from different religious, social, ethnic, and educational backgrounds. The overall amount of eye contact is not different from dominant culture patterns. Paralanguage refers to vocal cues that are used to communicate, such as volume and intensity of speech and turn taking. Be aware that in some cultures, direct eye contact is not acceptable. In the chinese culture, information and nonverbal cues are communicated through the eyes rather than through expressive smiles or frowns which western cultures. Cultural sensitivity to help while serving native american. Eye contact varies in many cultures for many native cultures, direct eye contact may be considered rude and disrespectful be familiar with community norms around eye contact be careful not to misinterpret lack of eye contact as a clinical sign e. Sep 12, 2018 making eye contact in china is a sure fire way to make enemies, not friends. The downward glance that avoids eye contact shows disinterest.
In others, lowering the eyes actually signifies respect. Intercultural communication is a discipline that studies communication across different cultures and social groups, or how culture affects communication. Conversational gaze directions in various cultural groups. For instance, in the united states, eye contact is a basic and expected form of. Body language, eye contact, culture clashes, intercultural communication. In contrast to american culture, in some cultures direct eye contact is a sign of disrespect. Mar, 20 eye contact has a fundamental role in human social interaction. The different interpretations of eye contact can end up damaging the relationship and create misunderstanding. You can download this cultural profile in an easytoread pdf form.
Handy handouts taking a look at eye contact super duper. Culturebased negotiation styles beyond intractability. Low contact cultures involve people who practice less direct eye contact, little touching, have indirect body orientation, and more physical distance between people. In fact, in japanese culture, people are taught not to maintain eye contact with others because too much eye contact is often considered disrespectful. While many western cultures regard people as being suspicious or shifty if they avoid eye contact with a partner in face to face conversation. A quick glance sends a different message than a cold stare, but both are forms of making eye contact. Finnish european and japanese east asian participants were asked to determine whether finnish and japanese neutral faces with various. Aug 12, 2017 eye contact is a way of communicating with others. Care workers use different forms of communication during their. In the chinese culture, information and nonverbal cues are communicated through the eyes rather than through expressive smiles or frowns which western cultures and americans use to.
Nov 12, 2004 eye contact is also a culturally determined behavior. For instance, in the us, prolonged eye contact indicates readiness to yield a turn. This week, well discuss eye contact across cultures. Depending on the culture, setting, and person, the message you think you are sending with nonverbal communication may not be the one that is received. Feb 28, 20 in the following weeks, well discuss the ways that different facets of communication can vary across cultures and how to use this knowledge to avoid misunderstandings in the workplace. Middle eastern cultures, largely muslim, have strict rules regarding eye contact between the sexes.
Results are consistent with the western cultural norms that value the maintenance of eye contact, and the eastern cultural norms that require. Many cultures use deferred eye contact to show respect. The use of eye contact in different countries and cultures varies greatly. Why eye contact is so distressing for people with autism. No cultural differences were observed, however, when the faces appeared to avert their gaze, thereby pointing to possible cultural differences in eye contact avoidance 19, which has been proposed. In a country like france, however, a stranger may feel quite free to look at someone he is interested in and try to acknowledge his interest by. These results suggest that cultural differences in eye contact behaviour emerge from differential display rules and cultural norms. Feel free to join in with the jokes by criticising yourself in a similar matter. Depending on the culture, setting, and person, the. Aug 05, 2019 eye contact is a method of communication. Pdf eye contact has a fundamental role in human social interaction. Although most nurses are taught to maintain eye contact when speaking with patients, people from some cultural backgrounds may prefer you dont.
Indeed, these geographical regions include many different cultures and the variety in communication styles that goes with that, yet it is fair to say that most europeans and us americans consider making eye contact with the person you are speaking with to be a good thing. Pdf how different cultures look at faces depends on the. It is impossible to talk about groups of people without generalizing. For instance, playlike activities may include humor, shaming, status level. And the rules about eye contact are numerous and complex. Eye contact is also a culturally determined behavior. The chinese people view eye contact as a necessary tool, but not in the same way that other cultures do. Finnish european and japanese east asian participants were asked to determine whether finnish and japanese neutral faces with various gaze directions were looking at them. Making eye contact in different cultures what are you. In north american indigenous settings, eye contact may be seen as disrespectful and inappropriate.
In the communication among western countries, taking america and england for example, straight eye contact is the sign showing upright and honest. In american culture, strong eye contact is typically considered a sign of strength and confidence. However, culture and norms surrounding eye contact influence how eyes are opened or raised and how they communicate to others. In the japanese and navajo cultures, for example, it is considered rude to make direct eye contact with strangers, elders, and people of the opposite sex. Specifically, the researchers explored the effect of eye contact in different settings and compared that with race and gender. For example, americans usually expect direct eye contact, especially in business situations, as a sign of trust and honesty. Making eye contact with americans bridging culture on. Some cultures expect more warmth and hugging in greeting people. The way you look at someone can communicate many things, including interest, affection, hostility, or attraction. In some asian and american indian groups, direct eye contact is considered rude and disrespectful elliott, 1999. Further, participants rated the face stimuli for emotion and other affectrelated dimensions. Dos and donts of cultural body language around the world. Nonverbal communication in different cultures businesstopia. Given cultural differences in the interpretation of nonverbal behaviors, rapport within a therapeutic.
558 576 83 19 406 512 1758 855 773 1705 1742 344 348 591 1267 857 652 699 1572 1564 1036 1389 1299 1768 1445 1079 1562 1205 933 7 1382 1468 1618 549 708