Oculesics

Oculesics is the study of eye behavior as a form of nonverbal communication. It examines how gaze, eye contact, pupil dilation, blinking, and other eye movements convey information and regulate social interaction. As a subfield of nonverbal communication, oculesics investigates signals of attention, interest, agreement, authority, deception, and emotional state, often in combination with facial expression and body language.

Key concepts in oculesics include gaze patterns such as mutual gaze and gaze aversion. Eye contact tends to indicate engagement or power dynamics, but cultural norms strongly shape its meaning. Pupil dilation can reflect arousal, cognitive processing, or interest, while blinking rate and eyelid movements can signal cognitive load, hesitation, or fatigue. Eye movements, including rapid shifts (saccades) and fixation durations, provide information about where attention is directed and how information is sought.

Cultural and situational variation is a central concern in oculesics. Norms for eye contact differ across cultures and contexts; what counts as polite or respectful in one setting may be rude or confrontational in another. Individual factors such as personality, gender, and age also influence eye behavior, and interpretations often depend on accompanying cues from facial expressions and voice.

Methods in this field include observational coding, controlled experiments, and eye-tracking technology to measure metrics such as dwell time, fixation duration, gaze direction, and mutual gaze proportion. Applications span psychology, communication studies, intercultural research, market research, user experience design, and human–computer or human–robot interaction, where accurate interpretation of eye cues informs interaction design and social perception.