EYES AND COMMUNICATION High vs. low power

Here's what he discovered:
In normal social situations, in which there is no agenda or no perceived power imbalance, a person spends far more time looking at their conversation partner while listening than while speaking.
In comparison, a person who feels he/she is in a position of high power spends less time looking at their conversation partner while listening. And this person spends more time looking at the conversation partner while speaking. As such, the high-power person shows little interest in what the low-power person says, but makes sure that the low-power person is listening.
Also in comparison, a person who feels as if he/she is in a position of low power spends a much higher amount of time looking at the conversation partner while listening. And this person spends very little time looking at the conversation partner while speaking. As such, the low-power person spends a great deal of time paying attention to the high-power person but does expect the high-power person to reciprocate.
In mixed-gender situations, a man will show high power habits when talking to a woman about a topic considered neutral; a woman will show the normal characteristics mentioned above.
If the topic is not gender-neutral, the person with the edge will show high power. For example, when a man adept at oil changes talks with a woman who knows little about cars, he will show high power characteristics and she will show low power characteristics. If the topic is sewing and the woman is a great seamstress, she will show high power and the man will show low power.
Source: Dr. Steve L. Ellyson, YSU