The students were then asked to rate their agreement with the following statements: “I trust this brand,” “I feel connected to this brand,” and “this box is attention-getting.” The students chose the Trix cereal box in which the bunny made eye contact, by a 16 percent margin.
Researchers concluded that eye contact evokes positive feelings of trust and a deeper connection.
Marcus Lemonis, who coaches entrepreneurs on CNBC’s “The Profit,” encourages those in the workplace to pay attention to body language cues like eye contact and facial expression when analyzing someone’s leadership abilities. In fact, research shows that those who are able to hold a gaze appear more competent.
In another study, participants with higher self-esteem were found to break eye contact less frequently whereas those with lower self-esteem broke eye contact more often. The study found that there is an association between confidence in one’s own worth and the ability to hold eye contact.
Body language expert Lillian Glass notes the importance of eye contact in her book “The Body Language Advantage.” Glass says that breaking eye contact not only suggests submissiveness but that “when eye contact is maintained, it signifies control or power over a situation and establishes dominance.”
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