Jan 6, 2019
If you want to be more approachable, you might try tilting your head slightly. Psychologists at UC-Santa Cruz studied this phenomenon using eye tracking equipment. They found that a head tilt of as little as 11 degrees makes your eyes less threatening. Their studies show that the tilt makes your conversational companion focus only on the upper eye, and a single eye tends to be more inviting than both eyes.
The researchers plan to extend their studies, and they have a particular interest in whether head-tilting will enhance communications with autistic persons. If a family member or someone you know is autistic or on the spectrum or if you just want to try having smoother communications, try tilting your head just a tiny bit when speaking with them. It might just aid in breaking a barrier.
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/cGa4ob4THog
Nicolas Davidenko, Hema Kopalle, Bruce Bridgeman. The Upper Eye Bias: Rotated Faces Draw Fixations to the Upper Eye. Perception, 2018; 030100661881962 DOI: 10.1177/0301006618819628
#Headtilt #communication #perception #psychologist #autism #autismspectrumdisorder #healthnews #radionews