We had a local orthodontist do an assessment of my daughter’s teeth a couple of years ago, and he did the same thing. It was a bit unnerving and we ended up going with an open-eyed orthodontist.

I would imagine it has something to do with the complicated psychology behind eye contact overall. Some people find direct eye contact to be quite intimidating. If you are attempting to speak accurately, it may be a distraction to have to do so while wrestling with the vulnerability and emotions produced by direct eye contact. Just a guess.

Huh! That was a real good guess @hominid.

There used to be a supervisor at one of my jobs that did that. She would also flutter her eyelashes. I too found it weird.

I brought a cat to a vet that did that but he almost appeared sedated. I commented to the lady at the agency (feral cat advocate agency) that sent me there and she said other people made the same observation about this vet. It was almost like he was abusing sedatives or something because he appeared to be nodding out while he talked.

An extended or double blink is a sign of deceit, the fuckers are lying to ya.

I’ve noticed that same quirk in a member of a committee I am on. I get the feeling he is lecturing. To humor myself I think, “he’s blowing smoke and doesn’t want to get it in his eyes.”

My impression of my vet is like it’s neurological. But that’s just an impression.

My acquaintance, though, I get the impression that @hominid mentioned. She’s like, overwhelmed with just trying to talk and keep her thoughts straight.

Is it common in autistic people?

So weird and annoying.

I do it briefly if I’m trying to think of the right word or phrase. It’s easier for me to be thoughtful if I’m not looking at you. Only for a few seconds though.

In some cultures making direct eye culture is considered bad manners and disrespectful. I’d guess in this case it’s more about extreme introversion. The person feels uncomfortable and so finds it hard to make eye contact. They’ve developed the habit of closing their eyes to overcome this fear.

I do it when I’m anxious. It’s more of a squint, though.

Guilty as charged, I’m afraid. I’m having trouble with my right eye lately, which makes it hard for me to focus on things at certain distances. Not very hard, but I do notice myself not looking at specific things, and when I force myself to do so, I notice it takes me slightly longer to focus, and it’s disconcerting. Some days I have good eye contact days, and other days, not so much. I find it happens less when one of us is standing and the other sitting – so the angle probably matters as well.

Because I’m hideous :(

In all seriousness, I’ve never really been aware of people doing this, but I’d guess it has to do with someone being uncomfortable with eye contact.

He’s an introvert and has difficulty with eye contact. I’m the same, though I don’t close my eyes. I find myself staring off to one side when talking. Sometimes people turn round to see what I’m looking at which I find disconcerting myself.