I always wondered why luxury magazines are filled with so many models looking bored out of their skulls. You know the look--the vacant stare on the Polo equestrienne, the skyward gaze of the Calvin underwear model, the group of partying Prada models looking at everything but each other.

Associated Press

Now we may have an explanation. The rich, it turns out, don't like eye contact.

According to a study on eye contact and the wealthy done by researchers at the University of California-Berkeley and published in the Journal of Psychological Science, "individuals of higher socioeconomic status were prone to fidgeting, not making eye contact...doodling and examining their nails, while individuals of lower socio-economic status were highly attentive, nodded or laughed when appropriate, and maintained eye contact."

The study concludes that nonverbal cues can signal wealth--or lack thereof--to others, just as effectively as the clothing they wear or the cars they drive.