What are the cultural norms for eye contact in Spain?

Question

What are the cultural norms for eye contact in Spain? There are some spanish international students here.

Answer 1

I lived in Spain, and I am familiar with Latin American and Spanish culture.

Body language in general in Spanish-speaking communities is more expressive than the words themselves. Eye contact is one of the most prized forms of body expression. You are working with students who come from a culture that is more physically affectionate (casual hand resting on someone's shoulder or face, greeting someone with a kiss on the cheek, standing very close to someone new, etc). Staring is very common if you are in a Spanish speaking country, especially if you stand out or look like you aren't a local— there's no shame in the staring.

When addressing your students, use your normal levels of American eye-contact, and perhaps try to be expressive in your face and hands when explaining something or praising them.