What is more authentic?

[commonsense]

Non-eye contact is more authentic, as any ape with sense knows, and natural selection takes care of the foolish apes.

Both humans in France and humans in USA authentically and heavily rely on peripheral vision.

So do apes.

What does "authenticity" mean for you?

I look at authenticity this way. Let’s say you meet 2 people, both of whom are smiling broadly and making direct eye contact with you. One could be authentically communicating inner feelings consistent with a friendly attitude or a welcoming gesture. The other could be a sociopath.

[Greta]

The eyes are windows to the soul.

You offer your eyes, you offer your soul.

Oh, I think posture and mouth expressions provide almost as much information. Eyes provide the fine details.

There was a documentary about the large mega-culture of Congo chimps held together by an unusual leader, who was not a dominant. Unlike most chimps, the whites of his eyes were visible. The result was that the other chimps knew where he was looking and thus he was at a disadvantage.

So he ended up grooming other apes. Eventually he was highly popular and fell under the protection of all the dominant chimps. This resulted in him being the (peaceful and gentle) leader of the largest known chimp troupe. It reached about double the numbers of most chimp groups before the population pressure resulted in splintering, the first sign being the treatment of other in-group members as outsiders.

Love that ape story.

I did too. Rags to riches - rising from fleapicker to leader through transparency and friendliness. Especially odd since chimps are the most routinely socially aggressive and violent of the great apes.