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Love & Relationships

It’s not that you look, it’s when: The hidden power of eye contact

For the first time, a new study has revealed how and when we make eye contact -- not just the act itself -- plays a crucial role in how we u

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Relationships · September 26, 2026
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It’s not that you look, it’s when: The hidden power of eye contact
It’s not that you look, it’s when: The hidden power of eye contact

For the first time, a new study has revealed how and when we make eye contact -- not just the act itself -- plays a crucial role in how we understand and respond to others, including robots. Led by cognitive neuroscientist Dr Nathan Caruana, researchers from the HAVIC Lab at Flinders University asked 137 participants to complete a block-building task with a virtual partner.

They discovered that the most effective way to signal a request was through a specific gaze sequence: looking at an object, making eye contact, then looking back at the same object. This timing made people most likely to interpret the gaze as a call for help.

First reported by ScienceDaily: Relationships.

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