I would like to about eye contact.
I have heard that Japanese people don't do eye contact
for a long period when they talk to other person.
I think that's true.
I thought about it why. I will write about it.
Maybe one of the reason is because they are shy.
When Japanese people talk to person, doing eye contact
for a long period, they feel uneasy and embarrassed.
Japanese people do eye contact just a while when they
talk.
But I think it is very important to give a service in social
situation. Sometimes, I see someone who don't do eye contact
at all at restaurant or shop. I sometimes feel uncomfortable
seeing that.
I have heard that if you don't do eye contact, it means
you tell a lie or you show the insincerity in some cultures.
I guess there are so many such cultures in the world.
People may be educated so when they were kid.
About Japanese culture, maybe people would think it is
important to do eye contact but people may not focus on
eye contact so much compared to the other cultures.
This difference of manner could cause misunderstanding
between different cultures. Because not doing eye contact has
negative meaning in some cultures. So, if I talk to the other
culture's person, I should pay attention to do eye contact.
I have watched Japanese TV program that introduced the social manner
when you talk to other person. A manner coach told us which part on the face
we should look at when we talk. The coach said, you should to look at the "nose"
when you talk to the other person. If you look at mouth, it is indecent.
But if you look at eye, people feel oppressed for Japanese people.
So, you should look at nose.
This advice seems to be peculiar to Japanese culture.
4 comments:
Hm, keeping an eye contact is very individual - also in Europe. It can be interpreted in so many different ways, that there are no "safe" assumptions. The border between polite eye contact and stare, which is considered rude, is fuzzy. Also it depends on gender. A man can easily misunderstand a woman that is keeping long eye contact. This is probably due to the fact, that here (Denmark, Bulgaria) if you like somebody, you tend to watch them more and try to make eye contact with them. I don't know how it is in Japan, but I have a feeling that it would be the oposite - may be not so much eye contact?
But as a rule, I would say that Europeans keep more eye contact then Asians.
To Shantal ForSD
It's difficult to compare.
I found it was not so easy
to say clealy.
I can't say it is oposit.
I think if you are talking
with good friend,Japanese
people would not feel uneasy
even if they do eye contact for
a long period.
I knew I'm a Japanese deep inside my heart... ahaha XD
No really, I can't do long eye contact. I never could. Recently I had some job interviews and it's urgent to have eye contact with your future boss while you talk with them. I really have big problems to do hold eye contact... >_<
To Saku
Oh, I see.
I did not know some people in
Europe have the difficulties
to do eye contact.
Maybe I also do not do eye
contact like normal Japanese.
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