How to Win a Staring Contest

Last Updated: February 11, 2023

A staring contest is when two people stare at each other until one person blinks, laughs, or looks away. The first person to do this loses the contest. There are some ways you can improve your chances of winning such as developing techniques to keep your own eyes moist or distract your opponent. This article addresses how to win a staring contest using some of these techniques.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Avoiding Blinking and Distractions

1
Settle on the rules. It is important to establish criteria for winning and losing before beginning so you don't get distracted during the game.
- To avoid a dispute later, decide exactly what the rules are with your opponent before you start.
- Some rules state that the staring contest is over as soon as someone blinks, looks away, or laughs.
- Other contests don't allow pulling funny faces or waving your hands in front of your opponent's eyes.
2
Moisten your eyes before you begin. You won't be able to blink for a long time so it's best to try to get your eyes as moist as possible to start with. ^{[1]
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- Take a nice long blink and close your eyes tightly right before the contest begins.
- If you can, yawn to produce a few tears.
- Avoid eye drops and face creams. It's best to steer clear of anything that might cause your eyes to itch or become irritated. This might cause you to blink.
- All of these things will help your eyes avoid feeling dry and itchy during the competition.
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3
Try to relax and stay calm. If you get uncomfortable or anxious you are more likely to get distracted or blink. ^{[2]
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- If you can, sit or stand in a comfortable position.
- Try to find something that you like looking at. When you find what you are drawn to it won't be hard to keep your eyes open
- Don't strain your eyes.
- Don't focus too hard on the person before you.
- Or if you want, try to look through the person.
4
Let your mind wander. If you focus too hard on your opponent or winning, you might make a mistake. ^{[3]
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- Most people tend to stare, unblinking, off into space when they're lost in thought.
- Think of a topic that you find deeply interesting, and turn all your mental energy toward that.
- Don't let your mind wander too much, though, or you might find yourself looking away!
5
Squint slightly, every so often. This can help when your eyes start to feel dry. ^{[4]
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- When you feel like you can't take the dryness anymore and you need to blink, squint a bit.
- This will help bring some moisture back to your eyes.
- Try to make this subtle. If you squint too much, it can look like you've blinked.
6
Practice in the mirror. This can help you build up your time without blinking and avoiding distractions. ^{[5]
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- If you keep losing staring contests, give it some practice.
- Stare into the bathroom mirror, and time how long you can go without blinking.
- Try for a longer time each time you practice.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Cracking Your Opponent

1
Know your opponent. Being aware of your opponents weaknesses can help you win.
- If your opponent is easily distracted, that can help you.
- Know how long your opponent can go without blinking and strive to keep your eyes open at least that long.
- Find out what makes your opponent laugh.
2
Make your opponent laugh. ^{[6]
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- Make strange faces or sounds.
- Open your eyes very wide or squint.
- Tell jokes to make them laugh.
- Be careful that you don't start to make yourself laugh in the process, or you will lose!
3
Try to distract your opponent. Try to make them look away or blink. ^{[7]
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- Wave your hands off to the side to create a distracting motion.
- Snap your fingers off to the side to distract them with sound.
- Try dropping an object to get them to look away.
4
Keep focused. Your opponent will likely try to distract you in similar ways. ^{[8]
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- Think of something that makes you angry or sad. This will help to keep yourself from laughing.
- Acknowledge when your partner does something funny, but refuse to allow yourself to react.
- Avoid listening to sounds or other distractions.
- Stare directly into the pupils of your opponents eyes to avoid looking at other parts of their face.

Community Q&A

Question

If something gets in my eye and causes me to blink, do I still lose?

Community Answer

It depends on the rules you've decided to play by. Personally, I would restart the round if my opponent blinked because they got something in their eye, but in other cases, you might just be declared the loser.
Question

Can this harm your eyes?

Community Answer

Not in the long term, but you can definitely get sore eyes from doing this.
Question

Do glasses help you not blink?

Community Answer

No, glasses don't really make a difference in a staring contest.

Warnings

Be careful if choosing an animal as a practice partner. Staring at some animals (dogs or cats, for example) may be considered a challenging or aggressive act by the animal and could possibly result in a bite or attack.

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