Eye contact makes people run away

Ellsworth, Phoebe C., Carlsmith, J. Merrill & Henson, Alexander (1972). The stare is a stimulus to flight in human subjects: A series of field experiments. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 21 (3), 302-11.

Being an object for another subject triggers sub-cortical flight behavior

Senju, A. & Johnson, M.H. (2009). The eye contact effect: mechanisms and development. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 13 (3), 127-34.

Greater direct gaze makes less persuasive

Senju, A. & Johnson, M.H. (2009). In the Eye of the Beholder: Eye Contact Increases Resistance to Persuasion. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 13 (3), 127-34.

Kindness reduces social anxiety

Trew, Jennifer L. & Alden, Lynn E. (2015). Kindness reduces avoidance goals in socially anxious individuals. Motivation and Emotion, Vol. 39, No. 6.