(Bk Business) Carol Kinsey Goman Ph.D.-The Nonverbal Advantage_ Secrets and Science of Body Language at Work -Berrett-Koehler Publishers (2008)

Chapter 3: The Eyes Have It
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But people also decrease or avoid eye contact when they
are discussing something intimate or difficult, when they are
not interested in the other person’s reactions, when they
don’t like the other person, when they are insecure or shy
(as Daniel was in the interview situation), and when they are
ashamed, embarrassed, depressed, or sad.
Waiters in restaurants tend to avoid eye contact with customers
when they need to send the message “I’m too busy
to deal with you right now.” Employees avoid eye contact
when the boss poses a difficult question. (The general rule
is to look down and shuffle through notes as if searching for
the answer.) And when pedestrians or drivers want to ensure
their own right of way, one strategy is to avoid meeting the
other’s eyes to avoid cooperation.
Negative Eye Contact: Staring
Staring is a bold and direct gaze that is continuous, and it’s the
one example of increased eye contact that does not increase
liking. In fact, most of us consider staring to be rude or even
threatening. This kind of overdone eye contact generally
communicates a desire to dominate, a feeling of superiority,
a lack of respect, or a wish to insult. During a conversation,
when someone challenges what we are saying, she may hold
our gaze for longer periods of time, but her eye contact will
feel “hard” and her pupils will be constricted.
Darting Eyes
Darting eyes have been linked with deceit so often that it’s
almost become a cliché. But if you see this eye gesture from
someone, keep an open mind about the motive behind it.
While darting eyes reliably signal the presence of heightened
emotion, that emotion may or may not mean that someone