Do we look at mouth instead of eyes due to being...

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distracted by movement?

Being highly distracted by visual movement is a trait for those with an ASD, and yesterday when I was watching TV I realised that I tend to look at a person's mouth more than their eyes because there are more obvious and bigger movements going on there. There isn't really a lot of "movement" happening with someone's eyes compared with their mouth, or hands, or of course other stuff going on around us at the time.

I have seen a few programs where they show what someone with an ASD looks at during a conversation and it tends to be more so their mouth than their eyes...

Just a thought!

Hmm. Seems like you might have a point there.

I've done so yes. Even with still images, I can't look at anyone's eyes. I often look at the mouth at best, nut often must turn away entirely to consentrate on listening, especially if there is distractions as well. I also try and focus away from the eyes and the background. That's only if I want to engage in conversation though

It's just social anxiety for me I think
Nowadays I look into people's eyes more because I've taught myself to be more spontaneous in conversation.

In general population, verbal intelligence has been linked to mouth looking, so people with higher VIQ tend to look at mouth, with emphasis on verbal communication.

Dude, you could possibly be right on that one! Okay, I'll admit that sometimes I do look at people's eyes, but I also look at their mouths. I tend to even look at something that is behind them yet somehow seem as though I am looking at them. But avoiding the eyes when socializing is indeed something a lot of autistic people do.

Also, mouth-looking has been associated with greater language/communication ability in ASD.

More than eyes certainly, often when I'm trying to look in the eyes but get too anxious.

In some cases, I look at breasts.

I don't know, I look at peoples' mouths when listening to them because watching their eyes is too intense and distracting, but I've noticed that when I try looking at the eyes of movie characters, I can't see their whole face, it's like everything below the bridge of their nose has been cut off and I feel like I'm losing important visual information by paying attention to nothing but their eyes.

I feel like I can understand ppl better when looking at their mouth. I feel like it also give the illusion that I am looking them in the eyes, though I tend to have that blank look when listening.

I have trouble looking at people's faces during conversation. I might watch them while they talk, but I'll generally look away, toward a wall or something, to think of a reply. I just get anxious when I look someone full in the face, I s'pose. Also, if I'm at work, I'll try to find something to do before I start talking to someone, so I have an excuse to talk without looking up at them. I worry that this makes me seem stand-offish, but it's the only way I can seem to keep a train of thought going consistently.

Surely it's the mouth rather than the eyes that's supposed to move?

Any time I make Eye to Eye contact. I go into absolute sensory overload. It's like my mind is being flooded with a bunch of noise much like a jet engine at full throttle.

I can bairly remember, but I think I used to look at eyes and face a lot more when I was young.

I think I started looking at mouths simply because I couldn't understand what they were saying. I think audio processing was the initial reason for me. Then for whatever reason, they eyes became a no-go zone.

The intensity when looking at someones eyes is so great that I can't hear what they say at all. I hear sounds, but I can't string the words together into anything meaningful while I'm looking at the eyes.

For the last year I've been trying to look at the eyes. I'm getting better at it now, but find it a lot harder to hear what they are saying.