Eye Contact in Russia

In different countries people have different behavioral habits when they meet new people or communicate with them. One of them is the eye contact.

While in Western countries, it is quite common for people to make a direct eye contact with each other when they meet and get acquainted, in Russia it is less standard. People prefer to have less eye contact with those they do not know very well because a direct eye contact may be regarded as an offense or a defiance, especially between a man and a woman. However, after the two people get to know each other better and start chatting on a regular basis, they look straight in the eyes more often. Not having constant contact during a conversation in Russia is considered to be normal, and it does not mean that the person who is not looking straight in your eyes all the time when he or she speaks has something to hide. When people look away, they simply collect their thoughts, consider a question, or try to relieve the tension of direct communication. Even employers and those who occupy a senior position do not often look straight in the eyes of their employees, while people who stand on the same step of a job ladder look directly into each other's eyes more often.