I've always been ok
this post was submitted on 26 Sep 2026
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Autism
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Eye contact has always felt weirdly intimate, like I'm spiritually making out with my conversation partner; so I try to keep it to occasional light kisses
The actual proper eye contact.
That bothers me so much not even because something touching my eye. As a kid I used to touch my eye for fun, and I wore contacts. But it's gross; I do not want your eye-germs directly in my eye. Like touching armpits directly together; all I can imagine is infection
Look at the point between their eyes. Took a friend of me 2 years to even notice though we saw each other every 2-3 days. And when he noticed it, he wasn't even sure.
I use the triangle rule. I let my eyes track between both eyes and the mouth, in roughly equal amounts. It shows continuous interest, without being overly intense.
Staring at 1 spot can (apparently) get unnerving if the other person notices it. Staring at their eyes only can come across as far too intense.
stares directly into your eyes "I AM PISSING"
What is this characteristic of? Asking for a friend
Checks community
🤦♂️
fuck
I find eye contact distracting. If I need to actually think about what I'm saying or what the other person is saying, I have to look away to concentrate. And this is 10x worse if I think the person is attractive.
I used to look at people's mouths a lot without noticing and a friend of mine was surprised i could read lips so well and he couldn't. that's when i noticed and i guess, stopped doing it XD
I remember a long time ago at one of my early jobs worrying about this exact thing during the interview. I felt like i was staring at their mouth the whole time, or looking down. Weeks later my boss told me they liked my firm handshake and how i kept eye contact.
So either dont worry so much or hope you get mistaken for someone else.
I was 'taught' to make eye contact. I was taught by being slapped in the face by my dad when I avoided it. These days I try not to. There is something in my eye contact that unnerves people. Whatever bozo rays I'm sending out must reflect the way I was forced to do it.
I'm avoidant too! I hate looking into people's eyes, it feels really intimate. It's easier with people in my inner circle though.