From the Editor…Karen Giblin

By: Red Hot Mamas

Published: October 9, 2024

From the Editor…Karen Giblin

“Your eyes show the strength of your soul”.

-Paul Coelho

Dear Red Hot Mamas,

Are we now living in a world where face-to-face communications is no longer necessary? It appears that the digital age and the social media have driven a wedge between us. The magic of eye contact and the warmth of human touch seem to be a thing of the past. This has caused many of us to have feelings of isolation and certainly has caused a decrease in building new and solid friendships.

It was obvious to me while standing in line at my local supermarket. The woman ahead of me was not paying attention to anyone. She was glancing at her phone on her Facebook page while talking to someone on the phone. When she finally met the woman at the checkout counter who was bagging her groceries, she continued with her phone conversation, and she never looked this woman in the eyes. This was not only rude, but it depreciated the perceived value of the store employee.

Making good eye contact during our conversations with others is an important social skill. If you can look others in the eye, it may help personally as well as professionally.

There are benefits of maintaining eye contact during a conversation. In fact, people may be more likely to remember your face; remember what you said long after the conversation has ended; and they also may perceive you as more confident and believe what you are saying. It also helps foster trust and closeness with someone.

In closing, making eye contact is an important part of showing respect, interest, and showing someone that you are paying attention to during a conversation. Try to tune out social media as it is making it much harder to make eye contact. Instead, try looking someone in the eye, talk, listen, and laugh with them.

Good Health to You All,

Karen Giblin