Similar to speed dating but without any words, Eye Gazing is the new craze for people looking for love. Singles attending the event are given a quick guide on how to make good eye contact. The strangers are then told to pair up and stare into each others eyes, 2 minutes a go, for a total of 20 gazes during the evening. It’s intense, uncomfortable and difficult to do, but that’s the whole point. So much singles chatter involves pointless small talk that we often avoid making real contact with one another.

Eye Gazing was created by salsa dancer Michael Ellsberg who says that strong eye contact was often the most important yet often lacking ingredient when creating a good dance. Realising the parallels between dancing and dating he set out to see if the magic from the dancing world could be transferred to the dating world.

It’s been a brilliant success as “afterwards conversations and phone number exchange with ease because people feel an inexplicable closeness to one another”. When asked why eye contact? His response:

“Eye contact is, hands down and lashes up, the single best way to establish a meaningful connection with a new person in a short amount of time.  It gets quickly past the social roles that we often put up in interacting with one another which allows a quick penetration into a deeper layer of who we are as people which then allows us to feel more seen, understood, and open to each other. “

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A little bit weird but still interesting stuff. If you’re a blusher and you really want to stop blushing then this should be one of your goals. I know that if an event ends up in my town then I’ll be going!

Eye Gazing Parties

A Video Guide on How to Stop Blushing

The best way to control blushing is to work on the problems that are causing it in your mind. However it is also useful to know what happens to the physical side of your body when you blush.

Blushing is an involuntary reaction to an emotional event which causes the fight or flight response in our bodies. The fight or flight response releases adrenaline into our blood stream. The adrenaline dilates the blood vessels around our body which allows the blood to flow more easily. It also increases the heart rate which makes the blood flow around the body at a faster pace. The blood vessels in your face reply to this emotional response with the chemical transmission of adenylyl cyclase which opens up the veins in your face even further creating a reddening appearance. A feeling of warmth and sweating may also occur as the blood vessels dilate.

Although fight and flight responses happen to all people, blushing varies from person to person. Some people do not blush at all, others only turn slightly pink and unfortunately some people they end up turning a bright red. Blushing occurs in all races although it is often more pronounced in pale and lighted skinned persons.

What happens to your body when you blush?