Extended eye contact gives me a (splitting) headache.
Yes, soul removal is generally an unpleasant experience. *nod*
It's unfortunately that eye contact is de facto signaling of attention in this culture, really. It's not like I can not pay attention (I broke that part when I was about twelve -- if I say I didn't hear you, I'm probably disassembling to some degree or had ear phones in, because I can't not listen anymore Which... yeah. TV. Hate.), but most people seem to be woefully inattentive of their surroundings so... people expect some kind of physical cue instead of just assuming the person with functioning ears can hear them.
Note the phrase is "make eye contact", not, eye duel them until they flinch. I've noticed in my new job lately that people talk to me, sometimes against my wishes, because I make a lot of eye contact. People like knowing that you find their conversation compelling enough to pay attention to them while they're doing it, I'd say mostly subconsciously. That's still different than never breaking eye contact. I find that shit uncomfortable too because I just stare into someone's pupil and start to lose the thread of what they're saying. A guy I work with makes almost no eye contact when customers try to make conversation with him, and they generally leave him alone. Which he likes. But he generally leaves people with the impression he's an asshole or is kind of pathologically aloof.
I dunno. I was really shy growing up and still kind of am, so I made it a point early on to make eye contact with people, especially adults. It always seemed to play well with them. I also like eye contact because it's harder for people to lie to you.