Across the room flirting QUIZ - How much eye contact...

Our eyes are our most powerful flirtation device - mega-transmitters of information and, if read correctly, loaded with signals that are meaningful in any social situation. The way you look at someone, where you look, the length of time, number of times you look can make or break an encounter and potential flirtation.

Looking at someone is so powerful that we usually restrict it to brief glances.

When we look directly into the eyes of another person, we are sending a strong emotional message.

Prolonged eye contact is so disturbing that in normal social encounters, we try not to look directly into the eyes of another person for more than one second.

Eye contact between two people that lasts for more than a few seconds indicates intense emotion and is generally interpreted as a message of love or an act of hostility.

In a public place where you are among strangers, you'll notice that any eye contact lasts very briefly. Eye contact with strangers, if it occurs at all, generally lasts much less than one second.

Our social structure that prevents strangers from looking directly at each other actually makes flirtation easier!
When strangers do make eye contact, there is a loaded message being sent. You can signal interest in another person with a simple change in the timing with which you normally make eye contact.

Across a crowded room, you can find your person of interest and try to make eye contact.

If you manage to look into each other's eyes for more than one second - you've sent the message.

If they've returned your gaze for the period of time - they might return your interest.

If they look away briefly and then look back at you across the room - you can be fairly certain that they are returning your flirtation signal.

Even better, if the person of interest smiles during one of these eye contacts, you can be even more certain that they are interested.

Eye contact remains a powerful flirtability factor once you have managed to move across the room and end up near your person of interest.

When you are near the person of interest, once your eyes meet, that is a signal for you to start speaking.

With conversation underway, the speaker generally looks away.

In normal conversations, you'll notice that the person speaking generally glances away more often than the person who is listening.

A natural pattern of glancing at the face and glancing away is set up as conversation progresses.

If you are speaking and finish, you generally look back at the other person to signal your completion and that you are waiting for a response.

Looking at the other person's face about 75% of the time as they speak, indicates interest.

Don't just stare at their face, but look at them in a series of in glances that last between one and seven seconds.

The other person will usually look at you for less than 50% of the time as they speak.

The speaker's eye contact is also in glances, with direct eye contact with you normally lasting around one second or less.

Rules:
Glance, glance, glance, brief, brief, brief.

Do not stare at the person of interest or stare away from them for prolonged periods of time.

Overdone and extended eye contact during first meeting and flirtation is the most common flirting mistake that people make.

Free resource: Chat room tips for teens