Psychodynamic Psychiatry, December, 2017 Vol. C Sue Carter, “The Role of Oxytocin and Vasopressin in Attachment,” Increases stress because of the sense of danger, but attuned eye contact,Ĭompassionate eye contact, helps mitigate the effects of stress on the brainĪnd the body and brings us closer to one another, a healing force in and of In other words, looking at someone in a threatening way The Power of Eye Contact: Conclusionįor the better good. One scientist says, “Without oxytocin and without the ability to form attachments, the human brain as we know it could not exist.” That’s because the infant-caregiver “gaze” in which the caregiver is visually attuned to the infant’s experience and conveys that attunement through the face, particularly the eyes, helps grow the infant’s brain. Neuroscientists now know how important eye contact is between infants and their caregivers in forming secure attachment, a healthy style of relating to oneself, others and the world. With on a daily basis, I don’t feel lonely. Despite the fact that I don’t have a team of colleagues to interact That bring about feelings of social connection instead of feelings of social I benefit from increases in the hormone oxytocin Opportunity to look my patients in the eye, every hour I’m at work. Job, working with people’s emotional pain, listening to their traumatic storiesĪnd often sitting with their sadness, fear or anger. In addition, oxytocin leaves people with a sense of well-being and connection, the antithesis of stress. But, with eye contact, oxytocin increases, causing cortisol levels to decrease. ![]() In other words, when stress (and therefore, cortisol) go up, oxytocin (the feel-good, social bonding hormone) goes down. Eye contact increases the hormone oxytocin which has an inverse relationship with the stress hormone, cortisol. ![]() If the latter is the case, you may be missing out on an easy, free and readily available way to reduce stress. After all, screens get a lot of our visual attention these days. Or, maybe too busy answering emails or sending messages on your phone, you haven’t had the chance to look anyone in the eye today. Are you aware of the power of eye contact? When was the last time you looked someone in the eye for more than a few seconds? Maybe you looked your co-worker in the eye this morning or maybe you looked your partner in the eye when you said good-bye to him before work.
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