Staring contest
Encyclopedia
A staring contest is a game
in which two people stare
into each other's eyes and attempt to maintain eye contact
for a longer period of time than their opponent. The game ends when one participant intentionally or unintentionally looks away. A popular variation of the game exists in which the participants not only attempt to maintain eye contact, but also must resist the urge to blink
; creating a physical challenge as well as a psychological one. Most other variations revolve chiefly around either of these two core objectives, with some prohibiting virtually any action but staring (laughing
, making a face
, winking, nodding, talking, touching, bobbing, etc) and others allowing the aggressive use of these same actions to force an opponent into defeat.
. The contests would start normally, but then absurd scenes would take place in Andy’s line of sight just over Conan’s shoulder. (For example, a woman with deflatable breasts or Hitler planting a flag on the moon.) The scenes would get increasingly bizarre until Andy either laughed out loud or flinched in horror, breaking eye-contact and losing the contest. During his final show before he moved on to pursue other projects, Andy finally won a contest after people playing Conan’s parents and grandparents appeared in Conan’s line of sight, stripped naked and started making out
.
A popular sketch on Saturday Night Live
features Will Ferrell
as a parody
of Robert Goulet
, having a staring contest with an artificial ram.
The 1993 comic strip Return of the Taxidermist in Judge Dredd Megazine includes stare-outs as one of several unlikely Olympic sports, others including taxidermy and sex.
In one Garfield
strip we see Garfield staring at a goldfish in a bowl intently, until Jon tells Garfield that 'fish don't have eyelids'. In another Garfield comic strip Jon and Garfield have a staring contest in which Garfield wins.
A Toy Story Treat featured Sheriff Woody
challenging Lenny (a pair of toy binoculars with eyes but no eyelids) to a staring contest. After great effort, Woody loses and comments ""Oh, you're good!"
In a Muppet Sports segment on The Muppet Show
, Klaus Mueller is shown at the end of an 87 hour staring contest against a tree. The tree loses.
A recurring sketch in the first series of comedy
show Big Train
featured a hand-drawn stare-out competition (the "world stare-out championships") accompanied by commentary (voiced by a professional BBC sports commentator, Barry Davies
), based on a comic book by Paul Hatcher and animated by Chris Shepherd
.
Game
A game is structured playing, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements...
in which two people stare
Staring
Staring is a prolonged gaze or fixed look. In staring, one object or person is the continual focus of visual interest, for an amount of time. Staring can be interpreted as being either hostile, or the result of intense concentration or affection. Staring behaviour can be considered a form of...
into each other's eyes and attempt to maintain eye contact
Eye contact
Eye contact is a meeting of the eyes between two individuals.In human beings, eye contact is a form of nonverbal communication and is thought to have a large influence on social behavior. Coined in the early to mid-1960s, the term has come in the West to often define the act as a meaningful and...
for a longer period of time than their opponent. The game ends when one participant intentionally or unintentionally looks away. A popular variation of the game exists in which the participants not only attempt to maintain eye contact, but also must resist the urge to blink
Blink
Blinking is the rapid closing and opening of the eyelid. It is an essential function of the eye that helps spread tears across and remove irritants from the surface of the cornea and conjunctiva. Blink speed can be affected by elements such as fatigue, eye injury, medication, and disease...
; creating a physical challenge as well as a psychological one. Most other variations revolve chiefly around either of these two core objectives, with some prohibiting virtually any action but staring (laughing
Laughter
Laughing is a reaction to certain stimuli, fundamentally stress, which serves as an emotional balancing mechanism. Traditionally, it is considered a visual expression of happiness, or an inward feeling of joy. It may ensue from hearing a joke, being tickled, or other stimuli...
, making a face
Gurn
A gurn or chuck is a distorted facial expression, and a verb to describe the action. A typical gurn might involve projecting the lower jaw as far forward and up as possible, and covering the upper lip with the lower lip....
, winking, nodding, talking, touching, bobbing, etc) and others allowing the aggressive use of these same actions to force an opponent into defeat.
Staring contests in popular culture
A semi-regular sketch on Late Night with Conan O’Brien featured Conan having a staring contest with his sidekick, Andy RichterAndy Richter
Paul Andrew "Andy" Richter is an American actor, writer, comedian, and late night talk show announcer. He is best known for his role as the sidekick of Conan O'Brien on each of the host's programs: Late Night and The Tonight Show on NBC, and Conan on TBS...
. The contests would start normally, but then absurd scenes would take place in Andy’s line of sight just over Conan’s shoulder. (For example, a woman with deflatable breasts or Hitler planting a flag on the moon.) The scenes would get increasingly bizarre until Andy either laughed out loud or flinched in horror, breaking eye-contact and losing the contest. During his final show before he moved on to pursue other projects, Andy finally won a contest after people playing Conan’s parents and grandparents appeared in Conan’s line of sight, stripped naked and started making out
Making out
In human sexuality, making out is a sexual euphemism of American origin dating back to at least 1949, and is used synonymously with the terms necking, heavy petting, and hooking up to refer to non-penetrative sex, though "hooking up" is also used in some cultures to imply casual sex.-History:The...
.
A popular sketch on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
features Will Ferrell
Will Ferrell
John William "Will" Ferrell is an American comedian, impressionist, actor, and writer. Ferrell first established himself in the late 1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in the comedy films Old School, Elf, Anchorman, Talladega...
as a parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of Robert Goulet
Robert Goulet
Robert Gerard Goulet was a Canadian American entertainer as a singer and actor. He played the role of Lancelot in the Broadway musical Camelot of 1960.-Early life:...
, having a staring contest with an artificial ram.
The 1993 comic strip Return of the Taxidermist in Judge Dredd Megazine includes stare-outs as one of several unlikely Olympic sports, others including taxidermy and sex.
In one Garfield
Garfield
Garfield is a comic strip created by Jim Davis. Published since June 19, 1978, it chronicles the life of the title character, the cat Garfield ; his owner, Jon Arbuckle; and Arbuckle's dog, Odie...
strip we see Garfield staring at a goldfish in a bowl intently, until Jon tells Garfield that 'fish don't have eyelids'. In another Garfield comic strip Jon and Garfield have a staring contest in which Garfield wins.
A Toy Story Treat featured Sheriff Woody
Sheriff Woody
Sheriff Woody Pride, or simply Woody, is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the Toy Story franchise . He is voiced by Tom Hanks in the films, and by Jim Hanks in most other media.-Toy Story:...
challenging Lenny (a pair of toy binoculars with eyes but no eyelids) to a staring contest. After great effort, Woody loses and comments ""Oh, you're good!"
In a Muppet Sports segment on The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show is a British television programme produced by American puppeteer Jim Henson and featuring Muppets. After two pilot episodes were produced in 1974 and 1975, the show premiered on 5 September 1976 and five series were produced until 15 March 1981, lasting 120 episodes...
, Klaus Mueller is shown at the end of an 87 hour staring contest against a tree. The tree loses.
A recurring sketch in the first series of comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
show Big Train
Big Train
Big Train is a surreal British television comedy sketch show created by Arthur Mathews and Graham Linehan, writers of the successful sitcom Father Ted...
featured a hand-drawn stare-out competition (the "world stare-out championships") accompanied by commentary (voiced by a professional BBC sports commentator, Barry Davies
Barry Davies
Barry George Davies MBE is a British sports commentator. He has covered a wide range of sports in a long career, primarily for the BBC.-Broadcasting career:...
), based on a comic book by Paul Hatcher and animated by Chris Shepherd
Chris Shepherd
Chris Shepherd is a BAFTA nominated television/film writer and director. Born in Anfield, Liverpool in 1967. He is mainly known for combining live action with animation. His work fuses comedy with commentary on the darker side of human nature....
.
See also
- Group-dynamic gameGroup-dynamic gameGroup-dynamic games are experiential education exercises which help people to learn about themselves, interpersonal relationships, and how groups function from a group dynamics or social psychological point of view....
- The gaze
- Nonverbal communicationNonverbal communicationNonverbal communication is usually understood as the process of communication through sending and receiving wordless messages. Messages can be communicated through gestures and touch , by body language or posture, by facial expression and eye contact...
- Evil eyeEvil eyeThe evil eye is a look that is believed by many cultures to be able to cause injury or bad luck for the person at whom it is directed for reasons of envy or dislike...
- Eye contactEye contactEye contact is a meeting of the eyes between two individuals.In human beings, eye contact is a form of nonverbal communication and is thought to have a large influence on social behavior. Coined in the early to mid-1960s, the term has come in the West to often define the act as a meaningful and...