Experiment: A Breaching Experiment

For my breaching experiment, I decided to break the social norm of looking at someone while engaged in conversation with them. Today, it is socially unacceptable and impolite to avoid looking at someone when talking to them. The background assumption for a typical conversation is that direct eye contact will be made more often than not; otherwise social norms are being violated. Avoiding eye contact during an exchange tends to dehumanize the person that is not receiving the eye contact. It is impolite and offensive, not looking at someone who is talking makes it seem as though the topic being discussed is unimportant. For my research experiment I would constantly talk to someone without initiating eye contact, or with my back facing toward the subject, not turning around or making eye contact until I had to ring up their order or make the drink for them. This research is important because it uncovers what happens when the social norm of

People want full attention and full eye contact, to ensure interest in the topic being discussed. I discovered that when I would talk to someone with my back completely turned to someone was when they were offended the most, rather than when I just didn’t make eye contact but was faced in their general vicinity. I think that most people reacted negatively towards this experiment because of the social norm that involves being polite and attentive towards a stranger. Being rude to someone whom I’ve never met before for no reason broke the common social norms of politeness. From this experiment I learned that it is greatly important to make eye contact with someone during any type of conversation. If not, it is seen as very rude and will result in negative reactions or attitudes, and give the impression to whomever I am engaging in conversation that I am not interested in what they are saying to