There is a way of knowing if someone is really listening to you and if he is attentive to what you are saying. Just look in his eyes.
According to a study by a team at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, published in the journal Psychological Science, the eyes blink more when someone’s mind is wandering.
The research is based on a study showing the brain’s response when attention wanes. Researchers thought the body would begin to show signs of a lack of attention at this time and, according to them, it’s all in the eyes.
To investigate this theory, 15 volunteers were asked to read a passage of a book on a computer screen. Everyone had a sensor to measure their eye movements. It was noted that the eyes of those who were less attentive blinked more often. This process actually served to block the entry of information.
Dr. Daniel Smilek is a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of Waterloo. He says, "And we thought, OK, if that’s the case, maybe we’d see that the body would start to do things to prevent the brain from receiving external information. The simplest thing that might happen is you might close your eyes more."
The researcher went on to say: "What we suggest is that when you start to mind-wander, you start to gate the information even at the sensory endings — you basically close your eyelid so there’s less information coming into the brain."