Social anxiety and eye avoidance during virtual communication: Evidence from an eye-tracking study

Despite evidence linking social anxiety to atypical gaze behaviours, its manifestation during virtual communication remains unclear. Using a quasi-experimental between-group design, this study examined the effect of social anxiety levels on gaze behaviour among 55 participants with high or low social anxiety symptoms. The participants' eye movements were recorded during the virtual communication task using the Tobii Pro Fusion eye-tracking system. The analysis focused on six eye-movement measures across four predefined areas of interest. The findings revealed significant variations in gaze behaviour between the groups. Participants with high social anxiety exhibited shorter fixation and visit durations on the eyes, while participants with low social anxiety showed shorter first fixation durations on both the eyes and the nose. Additional analysis revealed a negative relationship, suggesting that increased social anxiety was associated with a decrease in fixation and visit duration for the eyes. The eye region was found to be sensitive in socially anxious individuals, revealing tendencies for eye avoidance and a direct correlation between the severity of social anxiety symptoms. This study offers valuable insight into gaze dynamics during online communication among individuals with social anxiety.