How does eye contact make you feel?

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I like that description, eye contact just seems too intimate to me, particularly with strangers.

Jason

I feel very very uncomfortable and it feels shocking and actually painful to me-I feel that this will keep me from meeting people and making friends and possible relationships-its rough but I cant make or hold eye contact. I am pathetic.

It makes me feel uncomfortable and sometimes painful. I only wouldd use it in showing intimacy. Other than that I feel that it is inappropriate behaviour and since it is only for the benefit of neurotypicals. I cannot see why they insist in doing something which is uncomfortable or painful to us just so neurotypicals can feel valued. It is rather selfish since in my case they do not want to be unconditional friends or lovers (in my experience) so it is therefore pointless. Another thing we are not here to massage neurotypicals egos.

Sometimes I break eye contact because of something behind them ( I get easily distracted) .

Sometimes, it's because the person I'm making eye contact is intimidating (ie thug, police officer in a situation other than DARE presentations)

Yeah, I don't typically decide to not make eye contact, it's just a natural response. Eye contact does not feel 'natural' to me, and I very rarely make eye contact with strangers or someone I've just met. However, if I've known someone for a while and I'm really focusing on what they say, I find eye contact fairly easy. Though, I've been known to lose eye contact with my boyfriend from time-to-time, too.

Bottom line, if I'm avoiding eye contact, it's an automatic response and not usually the result of a particular feeling. If I'm making contact, then I'm consciously doing so, because I have to remind myself to do so. I have found out, though, that being forced to look at the eyes of someone I don't know (like the Mind in the Eyes test) makes me feel physically ill: headache and nausea. I've never experienced this in real life, because I would never hold eye contact that intensely.

I think people like eye contact because they want to make sure someone is listening to and processing what they say. I get it, I mean, if someone isn't looking at you, how can you be sure they are listening, either? I imagine our lack of eye contact is just as frustrating to NTs as being expected to make eye contact is for us. It doesn't feel 'right' for me to make eye contact, and I don't think it feels right for an NT not to make eye contact.

Kind of like a really irritating itch I can't scratch, that is the only way I can really describe it other than saying uncomfortable.

I do not feel anything when I make eye contact, but it matters to other people so I make it for their sake.

I don't like it, but the demand for eye contact is even ruder. Maybe it's a case of doing the opposite of taking things literally, but when someone asks me to look them in the eye, I ask myself 'Why do they say it? Do they think I'm unreliable?'

I'm not very fond of it.
I always feel awkward, and I have difficulty paying attention to whoever I'm keeping eye contact with when they're talking.

I mainly keep eye contact with friends and family, not so much with strangers.

I'm still uncomfortable with eye contact with my step-dad and we've lived with him for nearly 4 years.

I don't really make eye contact at the house but when I'm in public I do. I don't like it but I can deal with it.

It used to make me extremely uncomfortable when i was young. Over time (due to necessity), I have learned to adapt and it is tolerable for me now.

Hmm, I really only desire it if I'm in a relationship ( and not always then). Otherwise, I feel nothing about doing/not doing it.
I will force myself to look at people and in their eyes during job interviews. But I have to remember to think about it. I lost a ton of good jobs because I was crappy at job interviews. Not making eye contact makes NTs think you are lying to them or being evasive...
Sometimes I do get distracted by someone's freckles or mole, or some facial feature. LOL

Sincerely,
Matthew

Making eye contact with someone is innately tied to trust, and is saying that I trust them to not hurt me. It's giving someone power over me. Eye contact is incredibly intimate and once I want to give someone that much power over me, then they will get eye contact, but few people get there.

Very uncomfortable. Threatened.

When someone is talking to me I tend to "fake" eye contact by looking at their mouth (has the bonus that it reinforces what they're saying) and will occasionally flick up to their eyes if I remember.

When I am talking, I avoid eye contact and may even close my eyes because it takes a lot of effort to try to get what I want to say out of my mouth and I can do it better without dealing with the discomfort of eye contact and other visual distraction.

I don't consciously do this, it just happens. But since I became aware of eye contact being a problem I have paid attention to what it is that I do ...

It makes me feel uncomfortable and threatened. I can usually force it for a couple of seconds but then I have to look away.