How Much Eye Contact Is Appropriate?

A new study (so it's gotta be true) says you probably don't make enough eye contact when you're talking to others.

For an "emotional" connection, you should maintain eye contact 70 percent of the time, for 7-10 seconds at a time.

But most of us only do so for between 30 percent and 60 percent of the time, which makes us seem uninterested in the other person.

BUT, an issue I had this weekend...I was out at a bar/restaurant and met some new people...one of which was a man who had what looked like an ingrown hair of some sort at the corner of his mouth. While I instantly KNEW I was staring at it, my brain had this weird fight against itself -- every time I realized I was looking at it, I forced myself to look him right in the eye. But every time I looked him right in the eye, I felt like I was holding a staring contest with him. And back and forth and back and forth it went.

Ever have this happen to you? The more your brain says "DON'T LOOK AT THAT!" the more you're staring directly in the eye...the more you're looking directly in the eye, the more your brain is going, "OMG, I'M MAKING HIM UNCOMFORTABLE BY THIS MUCH EYE CONTACT!"

Vicious cycle. Please tell me I'm not the only one.