A recent study found that direct eye contact, even made with someone in a photograph, makes people feel self-conscious.
When we make direct eye contact with another person, we begin to feel self-conscious about ourselves.
In a recent study, 32 volunteers were shown various photos of both men and women. In some photographs, the subject was looking directly at the camera, in others, they weren't.
The participants were then asked how strongly they reacted to looking at each photo.
Researchers also studied their skin conductivity to read how emotionally charged they were by looking at the sweatiness of their fingers.
It was noted that the volunteers had a more emotional response to the photographed people making eye contact.
One researcher said, "Our results support the view that human adults' bodily awareness becomes more acute when they are subjected to another's gaze."
This awareness is what causes people to feel self-conscious.
The researchers think using eye contact to increase body awareness could be used to help people suffering from depression or anorexia.
It's hypothesized that the same effect would be stronger when experienced in person.
