Poor Eye Contact

I rarely make eye contact with others.
Especially with strangers or with people I hardly know.
I walked into a convenience store the other day and bought something without directly looking at the cashier.
I have no clue what she looks like.
Anyone else with this issue?

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Maybe you just shy <3

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People with negative symptoms often find themselves unable to make eye contact. Luckily I’ve been spared. I can make and maintain eye contact like a pro. But it’s the other negatives that bring me down hard.

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Yeah I have the same exact issue. I don’t mean to be rude with it, but I understand that it’s probably perceived that way by others. I just can’t do it sometimes (often).

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Some days are worse than others for me.
It probably has something to do with my Negative Symptoms.

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this is probably why i used to drink so much

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I also make the minimum eye contact. I would visit my father and talk to him then suddenly realise I have looked elsewhere the entire time I was talking to him. It happens to all people I talk to. When I realise that I am not making eye contact I feel shy.

I think the reason I am not making eye contact is because of peoples facial expressions.

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Lots of people can be very expressive when they talk. To listen to people, watch their body language and facial expressions is just too much stimuli for my brain to process. I think it is a cognitive thing. That is why I believe I am avoiding eye contact.

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Eyes are soulfull. they tell a story. maybe we dont want them to look into our eyes :slight_smile:

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Before meds I never made eye contact. My pdoc said when I said "I don’t have mental illness " he said “if you didn’t have mental illness you Would look me in the eyes.” I don’t think that’s foolproof but a good indication.

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Yes it could be a contributing factor. I walk around with so much hurt from the past. Maybe I do not want people to see that hurt in my eyes cause then they could judge me.

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I think that is exactly it.

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Its weird i couldnt ever look peeople in the eyes cause i think i didnt feel worthy cause of who i was hiding when i was younger

When i first went to a psychiatrist i looked her so intensly in the eyes. I was so paranoid i froze on her face. haha.

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Yeah, I have this exact issue. I’ve been having problems looking at people’s faces nevermind their eyes.

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Yes, I have a hard time looking at people’s faces also.

I used to get like that sometimes during early stages of psychosis.

Now it is no longer a problem… at all.

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You profile pic scared me !! :neutral_face:

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yeah I do this, been doing it since young. I thought it was an autistic trait. It takes energy to look at a person in the eyes and interact, would rather just use words some times.

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Yeah, it’s a shared Autistic and SZ trait.

I use to have that problem until I got job where I work with people a lot now I’m very good with eye contact.

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