Why do some people close their eyes while talking?

[WhitePhantom]

I know a few people who do this, and I find it really weird and disconcerting!

They close their eyes for most of the time while they're talking, and open them as they're coming to the end of what they're saying. All the time, not just the odd time while they're concentrating hard / trying to remember something!

Just wondering, if you're a eye-closer, why do you do it?

Thinking/concentrating

I have met people who do this! I thought maybe it was too intense for them to look at you and talk at the same time.

Ooo I know 2 people who do this, I agree it's disconcerting. I wonder if they know they do it?

I used to think it was an affectation. Now I think its may be a neurodiversity thing - language pros easing and stuff.

When people do this I think it’s anxiety related.

Ooh you’ve reminded me of my childhood GP who did this! I wonder if it could be neurodiversity? Overwhelm of the senses?

My boss does it when he lies. Not that all eye closers are liars but this one is. He told us he was headhunted by the writers of Holby City to play a wheelchair user gent nephew of Connie.

I've never seen anyone doing that! I guess it must be their thinking hard to remember something. Or if they were upset maybe?
I have a terrible habit of pulling faces when I talk. Like if I say something that's meant to be funny/,silly or hear something daft, I start crossing/rolling my eyes, sticking my tongue out. All sorts. As a result I have a very wrinkly face!
And people think I'm a maniac. Lol

Some of the men in our family have tended to do this as they got older - my grandad, my uncle, now my brother and cousin all post- 40. A weird genetic trait!

Trying to shut out outside stuff so I can gather my thoughts into sentences.
Im autistic, have always assumed it’s to do with that.

I do this, or sometimes I look into the distance over people's shoulders. No idea why. I only notice when they look round to see what I'm looking at! I'm neurodivergent, and so are the other people I know who do it.

I do this when I'm talking if I'm concentrating on mental imagery like trying to describe a complicated memory, or something like giving directions where I need to picture the route in detail or something difficult to think through like mental arithmetic. I am neurodiverse so maybe that's part of it.

Yes i think it's this.

Paolo Nuttini is famous for closing his eyes when he sings. Think it's to focus and not be distacted by outside influences.

People generally do look up and off to one side when recalling things from memory though, so closing your eyes is just a step on from that to help better recall/if you have memory difficulties I always thought

This has made me laugh, I'm just imagining it as one of my sisters does this. There's an Irish comedian that used to do this too, but then an American woman told her that she was very beautiful until she talked, and I've noticed she does it less now. It's a shame, I thought it added character to her jokes/anecdotes.

I used to work with a guy that closed his eyes when he talked, and raised his eyebrows as high as they'd go, and he was quite a nervous chap generally.

There is an episode of Friday night dinner where the guy who visits them does this. It’s hilarious! Sorry, not point of thread. But I am chuckling thinking about it

There’s someone I know who does it when they are monoluging, I think it’s trying to keep what they want to say without being distracted, but as the person being talked at, it means you can show via your facial expression that you need to cut in or interrupt. They miss any social cue to stop and make it more of a two way conversation, so it does mean they will say what they want to say before stopping for your comment, which means it does feel “speech” like, not a conversation. It shuts off all non-verbal feedback of what they are saying/how it’s being received, like your opinion on what is being said to you doesn’t matter.

It sadly means that “shut eyes” in conversation by someone always gets my back up as I think I’m about to be talked at, not with.

It's not 'weird'. People are far too intolerant.

Some people do this due to nervousness, some are concentrating.

It's not an issue. It's weirder to find it disconcerting than it is to do it IMO.

@SidekickSylvia haha! I'm glad I'm not the only one. That's what my mum says, you've a very characterful face. Haha. I am Irish background too so maybe it is a cultural thing? That or I am just a weirdo!

No I think it's normal to find it disconcerting. Like a previous poster said communication is a 2 (or more) way process, and body language and facial expression forms a large part of it. If you shut your eyes it's cutting that bit of the communication off. How do you know how the other person is receiving what you're saying if your eyes are shut?

I do this.
I need to concentrate on what I’m saying otherwise I get distracted by the face of the person I am talking to.
following previous posters maybe I have some neurodivergence?

I do this, I have autism, and it makes me much more comfortable and able to finish my sentences or thoughts.

That's what i assumed. A cousin does it and I know he also suffers from anxiety.

I was speaking to a mechanic the other day who did this but he didn’t close his eyes all the way and kind of rolled them up into his head when he was talking. He brought his eyes back to normal at the end of his sentence. I was just looking at the whites of his eyes while he was chatting- it was quite odd. I presumed he didnt realise or if he did he wasn’t bothered by it because he was chatting away

It can be a way of shutting people out too.