Science News

Eye Contact

Researchers have shown why maintaining eye contact with other people is important, whether you are trying to chat someone up, or appear honest ! They scanned the brain activity of 16 men and women when they were shown a series of photographs of 40 different faces, all of which were looking in different directions. When eye contact was made, the activity shot up in the part of the brain called the ventral striatum, which is known to be involved in expecting or anticipating a reward. When no eye-contact was made the activity in the ventral striatum went down.

25th Nov 2001