Final answer:
Observing someone's eyes for 30 seconds may reveal a range of emotional or physiological reactions, such as tiredness or connection. Sustained focus, especially in dim light, can lead to a dull or glazed appearance due to eye strain. Eye contact is also a potent non-verbal communication tool, revealing emotions and fostering connection.
Step-by-step explanation:
Looking into someone's eyes for a significant amount of time can be quite an intimate and intense experience. During such an encounter, you might notice a range of emotions or physiological responses. The eyes may appear dull or glazed if the person is tired or experiencing vision fatigue. This could be a result of strenuous activities like extensive reading or focusing on a task for an extended period, as suggested by the phrase 'his unexampled diligence in copying by his dim window' which can strain the eyes. Conversely, in interpersonal interactions such as the experience where 'she leaned closer to Lassiter and looked square into his eyes,' the gaze can communicate emotions and facilitate connection. It is often surprising to realize how much can be communicated non-verbally through eye contact, as our focus can significantly affect what we notice around us. Furthermore, the visual system and phenomena such as negative afterimages and the opponent-process theory of color vision can play a role in what we perceive during and after sustained eye contact. For instance, the exercise involving a white dot and a negative afterimage can illustrate how the brain processes and interprets visual information.