<P> Eye contact and facial expressions provide important social and emotional information . People, perhaps without consciously doing so, search other's eyes and faces for positive or negative mood signs . In some contexts, the meeting of eyes arouses strong emotions . </P> <P> Eye contact is also an important element in flirting, where it may serve to establish and gauge the other's interest in some situations . </P> <P> Mutual eye contact that signals attraction initially begins as a brief glance and progresses into a repeated volleying of eye contact . </P> <P> In the process of civil inattention, strangers in close proximity, such as a crowd, avoid eye contact in order to help maintain their privacy . </P>

Making eye contact is a sign of respect for