Eye contact meaning, in short: a direct gaze signals attention and interest. But to tell whether someone is really looking at us, the brain also relies on a tiny detail, the reflection of light on the surface of the eye. That is what a study published in June 2026 in Psychological Science by Gwenisha J. Liaw and Colin J. Palmer, of the Department of Psychology at the National University of Singapore, indicates.
That small bright dot photographers call a catchlight, and researchers call eye glint, is not just an aesthetic effect. According to the research, it helps the observer read the direction of someone's gaze when conditions are not ideal: a head turned to one side, light coming in from a side window.
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