Why Are Eyes Deemed "Windows to the Soul"?

Big Orange · Post by **Big Orange** » 2007-08-10 01:29pm

I am slightly puzzled why there is this saying: 'the eyes are windows to soul'. How so, exactly? I always knew that much of human communication involves subtle body language, facial expressions and expressions in eye contact, so that proverbial saying makes sense on a certain level. You could perhaps gauge what somebody is like by looking at his facial expressions and body posture, although it is hard to tell if this perception is ingrained or learned (most likely the latter than the former) and if it is reliable.

I also noticed that the very vindictive, aggressive, deceitful and selfish people that I unfortunately came across on occasion (and were likely sociopaths on retrospect) had something very wrong in the way they expressed themselves through their eyes - they were either bulging, glassy and reptilian if they were light blue/blue coloured eyes or overtly dark, shifty and beady if hazel/brown in colour. The way their eyes moved about was somewhat uncomfortable as well.

And yes, I heard about the un-PC 19th century notion of spotting criminality in a person if his/her eyes are too close together (although perhaps not unfounded if you get malicious morons like the infamously hamster eyed GWB).

Eulogy · Post by **Eulogy** » 2007-08-10 01:43pm

You answered your own question. The eyes pretty much tell you all about the person they belong to, if you're patient and observant enough.

chitoryu12 · Post by **chitoryu12** » 2007-08-10 03:10pm

Eulogy wrote:You answered your own question. The eyes pretty much tell you all about the person they belong to, if you're patient and observant enough.

Indeedy. By looking at someone's eyes, I can tell whether or not they are lying or feeling the emotion they want to show. It takes an extraordinarily good liar to look totally convincing. Really, the only way to lie or show a conflicting emotion without giving yourself away is to trick yourself into believing it, which would mean that you would not really be trying to trick someone in the first place.

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2007-08-10 06:10pm

No, it really doesn't. Lying is easy, because people are so dependent on non-verbal cues anyone who knows about them can totally short-circuit the lie-detection of others.

Eye are 'the windows to the soul' because people are needlessly poetic and eyes are expressive. I mean, a dog's eyes are expressive too, and we all know they don't have souls.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2007-08-10 06:27pm

The sad thing about the "eyes are the window to the soul" idea is that you can't do much about the shape or appearance of your eyes. If a guy has piercing blue eyes, he was simply born that way. It doesn't reflect on his character or lifestyle at all. It can't be changed by exercise, it doesn't reflect discipline or work ethic or character or honesty, and the only way to change the appearance of your eyes is to put coloured contacts on top of them: an irritating exercise at best.

Justforfun000 · Post by **Justforfun000** » 2007-08-10 07:05pm

And yes, I heard about the un-PC 19th century notion of spotting criminality in a person if his/her eyes are too close together (although perhaps not unfounded if you get malicious morons like the infamously hamster eyed GWB).

Oh great! I didn't know that. I wonder how many people will think I"m a career criminal.

Old Peculier · Post by **Old Peculier** » 2007-08-10 07:18pm

Darth Wong wrote:The sad thing about the "eyes are the window to the soul" idea is that you can't do much about the shape or appearance of your eyes. If a guy has piercing blue eyes, he was simply born that way. It doesn't reflect on his character or lifestyle at all. It can't be changed by exercise, it doesn't reflect discipline or work ethic or character or honesty, and the only way to change the appearance of your eyes is to put coloured contacts on top of them: an irritating exercise at best.

I'm not sure that it's the colour of the eyes which is supposed to be a 'window on the soul' so much as subtle changes in the movement of the eyes, the skin around the eyes and eyelid, and dilation of the pupils. I'm not sure how good a reading one could get from someone with these signs, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were at least fairly good indicators of subconscious thought.

Simmon · Post by **Simmon** » 2007-08-10 07:19pm

The sad thing about the "eyes are the window to the soul" idea is that you can't do much about the shape or appearance of your eyes. If a guy has piercing blue eyes, he was simply born that way. It doesn't reflect on his character or lifestyle at all. It can't be changed by exercise, it doesn't reflect discipline or work ethic or character or honesty, and the only way to change the appearance of your eyes is to put coloured contacts on top of them: an irritating exercise at best.

I find that physical attributes of the eyes have little to do with what you feel/sense from seeing them. Eyes physically pleasing can still display negative things and vice versa.

Lisa · Post by **Lisa** » 2007-08-10 08:40pm

Stark wrote:I mean, a dog's eyes are expressive too, and we all know they don't have souls.

they don't? then how do the go to heaven?

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2007-08-10 08:44pm

Lisa wrote:they don't? then how do the go to heaven?

Lies told to the weak-willed by recusant heretics! Only humans have souls, through the grace of god!

I mean, obviously.

Ironically I think I find animals often more expressive in general than people. I guess they're just honest.

Winston Blake · Post by **Winston Blake** » 2007-08-10 09:08pm

It's probably because everybody feels as if they're a homunculus inside their own skull, looking out through their, like portholes with covers. Hence, you feel as if you can see the homunculus in others by looking in through theirs.

Winston Blake · Post by **Winston Blake** » 2007-08-10 09:09pm

EDIT: looking out through their eyes, like portholes

Singular Intellect · Post by **Singular Intellect** » 2007-08-10 09:44pm

It always struck me as quite obvious you can read a person's intentions and current mood by making eye contact.

I'm almost absolutely certain anyone here would admit that they've been confronted by people who didn't make eye contact, and this was a sign of hiding something or shyness. Regardless of which, the end conclusion is that eye contact is very communicative and revealing.

Justforfun000 · Post by **Justforfun000** » 2007-08-11 12:04am

However sociopaths can make eye contact. Wide-open. Crying. Shivering with justification and you'd be damn near ready to shoot your mother rather than believe they could POSSIBLY be lying.

It's amazing how many truly gifted actors there are. I wonder if it stems from a lack of conscience that enables them to focus their mind on a supreme sense of self-interest.

And I'm speaking from experience. A very woeful, long and drawn out experience. I didn't really believe people could be "evil" until then. Not that he didn't have soft spots, and he was human in other ways which is probably true for every sociopath, mass-murderer, etc. But it still didn't change his nature. *shudder*. He was scary.

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2007-08-11 12:17am

People who think these cues can't be manipulated are simply idiots. It's not fucking magic, it's not soul communion: it's seeing things and drawing conclusions. Anyone can give off any vibe they want, and people who go by'gut feeling' will fall for it over and over.

Singular Intellect · Post by **Singular Intellect** » 2007-08-11 12:27am

Stark wrote:People who think these cues can't be manipulated are simply idiots. It's not fucking magic, it's not soul communion: it's seeing things and drawing conclusions. Anyone can give off any vibe they want, and people who go by'gut feeling' will fall for it over and over.

Who's arguing these cues cannot be faked or manipulated?

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2007-08-11 02:31am

Even you yourself said it was 'quite obvious you can read a person's intentions and current mood by making eye contact'. This is wrong: if someone is dishonest, you'll only see what they're putting on. Perhaps you've met a salesmen, or seen a movie?

People who LOOK shifty are people who FEEL shifty. Bad people DON'T always feel bad, so they're not going to have any of the obvious cues of guilt or dishonesty, and people who are deliberately out to decieve will project the exact opposite. Thus, it isn't so cut and dried as people believe: there's judgement involved. Justforfun even just posted a story of woe, the core lesson of which is 'don't rely on emotional cues'.

The Jester · Post by **The Jester** » 2007-08-11 03:30pm

Eyes are the focal point of human beings when they look living beings with facial characteristics they share (nose, ears, mouth, etc.) Our eyes are naturally drawn to someone else's when we want to look at them. I guess that this is partly because we're social animals and we're naturally both looking for attention and giving someone attention simultaneously by looking at someone's eyes. It's naturally very easy to tell that someone is looking at you when they're focusing on your eyes. If they were to focus on your toes instead, it would be more difficult to ascertain the object of their attention.

Adrian Laguna · Post by **Adrian Laguna** » 2007-08-11 05:44pm

Stark wrote:People who LOOK shifty are people who FEEL shifty. Bad people DON'T always feel bad, so they're not going to have any of the obvious cues of guilt or dishonesty, and people who are deliberately out to decieve will project the exact opposite.

There are also people who are the exact opposite. Those with autism often seem dishonest because they don't look at people in the eye. Even if they are telling the whole truth with absolutely no intent to deceive, the listener might feel there's something fishy.

Singular Intellect · Post by **Singular Intellect** » 2007-08-11 05:57pm

Stark wrote:Even you yourself said it was 'quite obvious you can read a person's intentions and current mood by making eye contact'.

Yes, and this asserts people cannot circumvent those cues how?

This is wrong: if someone is dishonest, you'll only see what they're putting on. Perhaps you've met a salesmen, or seen a movie?

Yes, and this refutes my point how? Not everyone is an actor, saleman or practiced liar.

Pick · Post by **Pick** » 2007-08-11 05:59pm

Because people are very dependent on visual input, and eyes are pretty-pretty and shiiiny. I'd bet that's most of it right there.

Napoleon the Clown · Post by **Napoleon the Clown** » 2007-08-12 05:21am

Because the eyes are one of the most emotive parts of the entire human anatomy. From the area surrounding the eyes and even down to the pupils, a lot of expression is done through the eyes. And, of course, what Pick said. Shiny things are pretty.

Bounty · Post by **Bounty** » 2007-08-12 06:10am

I also noticed that the very vindictive, aggressive, deceitful and selfish people that I unfortunately came across on occasion (and were likely sociopaths on retrospect) had something very wrong in the way they expressed themselves through their eyes - they were either bulging, glassy and reptilian if they were light blue/blue coloured eyes or overtly dark, shifty and beady if hazel/brown in colour.

What is it with you and these supposed "sociopaths", anyway? I'm sorry, bulging reptilian eyes? That sounds less like an objective observation and more like the ramblings of a paranoid whacko, trying to get some vindication for his own deep-seated issues.

This is just like your last "do you know any sociopaths?" thread except this one is uses an inane question as a decoy.

Justforfun000 · Post by **Justforfun000** » 2007-08-12 06:08pm

What is it with you and these supposed "sociopaths", anyway? I'm sorry, bulging reptilian eyes? That sounds less like an objective observation and more like the ramblings of a paranoid whacko, trying to get some vindication for his own deep-seated issues.

This is just like your last "do you know any sociopaths?" thread except this one is uses an inane question as a decoy.

From my own experience, it was the very LACK of such unusual characteristics that made it so spooky. They really loooked sincere and perfectly human. That was worse.

Big Orange · Post by **Big Orange** » 2007-08-17 02:22pm

Bounty wrote: What is it with you and these supposed "sociopaths", anyway? I'm sorry, bulging reptilian eyes? That sounds less like an objective observation and more like the ramblings of a paranoid whacko, trying to get some vindication for his own deep-seated issues.

I would be a paranoid whackjob if I suspected sociopaths eveytime I waited at the bus stop or down the shop, but not really, since the people I suspected of being sociopaths were individuals that I had the misfortune to spend weeks, months and years around. More than enough time for me to pick up on their arsehole nature, with them bullying or outright attacking me for no real reason.

This is just like your last "do you know any sociopaths?" thread except this one is uses an inane question as a decoy.

I know that eyes supposedly being windows to soul sounds like a trite saying but I'm puzzled how you can sometimes pick up on somebody's personality or intent by looking them in the eyes.

Justforfun000 wrote: From my own experience, it was the very LACK of such unusual characteristics that made it so spooky. They really loooked sincere and perfectly human. That was worse.

Some sociopaths are better at hiding their nature better than others, but some of the worst people I knew were dishonest pricks who violently turned on a dime over little provocation.