History Main / EyeContactAsProof

** During Danny's brief stint as a Sergeant, an incident involving one of his trainees makes it look like Danny is covering up a crime. Lindsay confronts the trainee by saying "Look me in the eye and tell me Danny Messer told you to lie." The trainee can't do either and ends up recanting to Internal Affairs. Although Danny's job is saved, he goes back to the Lab where he knows he can trust everyone.
** During Mac's speech aphasia arc, while he's [[HidingTheHandicap not telling anyone about his memory problems]], Christine becomes suspicious and asks him to look her in the eye and tell her nothing's wrong. He can't, and doesn't, so she gives him the silent treatment for a couple of weeks until he fesses up.

* In ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'', Marshall was mugged, but after Lily buys a gun he claims a monkey stole his money, in order to make him change his mind. Ted, who prides himself of being able to tell if Marshall tells the truth by looking him in the eye, has trouble finding out, and instead he distracts with the smell of his new perfume.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': In "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS12E10PokeyMom Pokey Mom]]", Marge asks Jack to look her in the eye and say he didn't set the mural on fire. He does, and very convincingly too--but she later finds out he actually did it.

** [[UsefulNotes/TheBritishRoyalFamily Prince Harry]] refers to this in his memoir ''Spare'' when describing an argument he and his brother William had after their grandfather's funeral, in which William outright grabbed him by the [[AngryCollarGrab collar]] [[note]] This is not the infamous argument in which William outright hit him, that happened two years before [[/note]] and "forced me to look into his eyes" while he made an AnguishedDeclarationOfLove, but despite this, Harry bluntly declared, "[[ArmorPiercingResponse I don't believe you"]].

Figuring out someone else's true feelings can be difficult, especially if their words completely contradict their actions. One way to learn the truth is to invoke EyesNeverLie. Namely, demand that the person look you in the eyes and state with no equivocation that they feel a certain way about the issue. Having to look someone in else in the eyes will force the person to truly consider how they feel, since eyes are the windows of the soul. In most situations, the person will refuse to repeat the statement and instead admit their true feelings. This is especially evoked when someone is trying to force a LoveConfession. Bob will demand Alice look him in the eyes and tell him she doesn't love him. Alice will likely break down and admit that she can't bring herself to deny what is truly in their heart.

This is both invoking and inverting EyesNeverLie: invoked because one person is using this trope to learn or reveal the truth, and inverting because looking someone in the eyes reveals one's own truth rather the other person's. This is trope is more likely to appear in Western media, where eye contact is considered to be sign of respect and trustworthiness. In other contexts, long-term eye contact can be considered aggressive and disrespectful.

* Defied in ''Film/GoodWillHunting'', when Skylar asks Will to move to California with her. When Will refuses, Skylar demands he look her in the eyes and tell her he doesn't love her, and if he does she will break up with him. Though Will is in love with her, he looks her directly in the eyes, tells her he he doesn't love her, and leaves. Skylar is left in tears.
* ''Film/JudgeDredd'' (1995). Dredd has been arrested for murder with all the evidence against him. His mentor Chief Justice Fargo goes to see him to ask if he did it. The only thing Dredd does is ask (repeatedly) if Fargo believes the accusation. In the end Fargo says, "I just wanted to see it in your eyes."

** During Danny's brief stint as a Sergeant, an incident involving one of his trainee's makes it look like Danny is covering up a crime. Lindsay confronts the trainee by saying "Look me in the eye and tell me Danny Messer told you to lie." The trainee can't do either and ends up recanting to Internal Affairs. Although Danny's job is saved, he goes back to the Lab where he knows he can trust everyone.

* In the "Just Say No Way" episode of ''Series/FullHouse '', DJ is in tears after her Uncle Jesse mistakenly thinks he's caught her drinking beer and her father and Joey don't believe her denials. Even though her sister Stephanie doesn't know what's going on, she instantly believes her when she says "I didn't do anything wrong". Because "You looked me right in the eye. When you lie, you look at the top of my head."

* ''Series/StargateSG1'': Teal'c was brainwashed by Apophis, leading him to believe he ws still loyal to Apophis. After Apophis was killed and Teal'c supposedly "cured" of the brain-washing, he claims that he is back to normal. Bra'tac approaches and looks Teal'c in the eyes, detecting that the brain-washing was still in effect.

** Similarly, some autistic people have difficulty with direct eye contact. They can be accused of lying or disinterest/not paying attention, when they are actually being honest and can focus better when not forced to make eye contact.

* Psychoanalysts believe that you can tell if someone is lying if they touch their face when talking to you, as this is a means of avoiding eye contact without explicitly looking away from you.

** Maggie Carpenter accuses Asa Buchanan of starting a fire at the building she just purchased to start an art school in order to have it for himself. Asa vehemently denies it. Maggie doesn't believe him, but his on-again, off-again wife Renee asks her if he looked her directly in the eye when he said it. When Maggie admits that he did, Renee adamantly declares that Asa was telling the truth.

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