The ambiguous intensity of looking someone directly in the eye, containing both intimacy and vulnerability. It describes the complex emotional experience of sustained eye contact with another person.
From Greek 'ops' (eye, face) with suffix '-ia' indicating a condition or state. The term was created to capture the unique emotional territory of direct eye contact and its psychological complexity.
Eye contact activates the same neural networks involved in both threat detection and bonding - which explains why opia feels so intense! Direct gaze can simultaneously signal aggression or affection, making it one of our most emotionally charged nonverbal behaviors.
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