When two people in conversation attend to each other, their pupils begin to dilate in synchrony. When that synchrony peaks, we make eye contact and then rapidly desynchronize. This suggests that eye contact may help us toggle between being “in sync” and thinking independently.
Authors
Sophie Wohltjen, Thalia Wheatley
Publication
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)
September 9, 2021
September 9, 2021
Funding for this research was generously provided by: