Gazeholding

Gazeholding, also called gaze holding, denotes the duration for which a person maintains direct visual contact with another during social interaction. It is a nonverbal cue that can convey attention, interest, confidence, or social stance and interacts with other signals such as facial expression and body orientation. Gazeholding is typically measured as gaze duration or mutual gaze time and is studied with methods including eye-tracking, frame-by-frame video coding, or coding of head and eye orientation. The meaning of gazeholding is context-dependent; it varies with who is involved, what phase of the conversation occurs (speaking vs listening), and cultural norms around eye contact.

Functions attributed to gazeholding include coordinating turn-taking in dialogue, signaling that one is listening or understanding, and modulating social distance or affiliation. In some settings longer gaze can indicate interest or authority, while in others it may be perceived as intrusive or confrontational. Cultural norms shape acceptable gaze duration; for example, some societies favor longer sustaining gaze in formal interactions, whereas others discourage prolonged eye contact with authority figures. Developmentally, gazeholding emerges in infancy and becomes more refined with age; atypical patterns are observed in certain clinical groups, such as autism spectrum conditions, where gaze maintaining may differ from typical development.

Limitations include variability across individuals and situations; gaze conveys information only in combination with other cues, and misinterpretation is common. Ethical considerations arise in research and applied settings regarding privacy and consent, particularly in naturalistic observation. Gazeholding remains a key area in the study of nonverbal communication and social interaction.