May 6, 2024
Two Eyes
“One of the most important things we have as human beings is two eyes looking into two eyes. That gives us both empathy and understanding”
- Glenn Close
It’s profoundly true.
We deeply need eye-to-eye contact as human beings.
Telephone calls, social media, dating by texting, or any relationship without substantive direct contact is simply not enough.
We miss a huge part of the person we are in communication with if we do not look him/her in the eye!
This fact was proved dramatically in a study of university students. Males were paired with females and assigned three exercises:
1. Do a puzzle together
2. Talk about global warming
3. Look into each other’s eyes intently for 60
seconds
Couples reported feelings of strong connection and attraction after completing the third exercise especially.
Is it any wonder that the first human being to look into our eyes for long lengths of time was our mother!!! That ‘look’ of love, pride, awe, wonder, and welcoming connectedness did much to formulate a secure attachment and lead to our development as mature adults💞
Or not… if the bonding or eye contact was absent or interfered with in those early years💔
So over to you…
What eye contact are you making?
•with your family and friends
•with the people you work with
•the weary grocery store cashier
•the person you are getting to know over
dinner together
•the stranger you wait in line with at the
bank or airport
How does that help you develop both empathy and understanding for the people you encounter?
Two eyes looking into two eyes.
Our world could use a whole lot more of this!
