How your eyes are the keys to your soul
Picture three scenarios:
You're watching a crime documentary with friends and someone mutters, "Well, he looks like a serial killer- his eyes just seem.. evil."
Your partner reassures you about your 'unfair' mistrust in them but despite all the reassurance in the world, they don't seem sincere enough.
You meet a stranger at a park and despite their polite smile and average attire, something in their gaze unsettles you and you don't trust them.
I'm sure you've all encountered a time in your life where something doesn't feel quite right. Usually, natural instinct kicks in and you look carefully into the persons eyes, seeking reassurance. But what draws us so instinctively to the eyes? Twitching and physical symptoms of dishonesty prevail but even the mere stare into someone's eyes tugs at our intuition. Even if we feel we can judge a person by their eyes and it's not true, innate human biology trains us to do so. Perhaps the eyes really are the 'windows to the soul'… but how?
The third eye
Eyes are commonly used to make sense of the world with the 'third eye' chakra in Buddhism teaching us to connect the dots between what we see externally and what we understand internally. The pineal gland, often referred to as the 'seat of the soul' by thinkers like Descartes, has long been linked to this third eye to suggest a role in perception beyond the physical. This small pea shaped gland located deep in the brain serves to regulate the circadian rhythm via melatonin secretion; this is thought to be the bridge between the physical and spiritual worlds. The activation of the pineal gland can lead to a heightened sense of intuition, clarity and awareness. Intuition is a powerful tool which has confused philosophers for centuries through being unable to attain quantifiable evidence to measure it. Given both light and dark activate the functions of the pineal, perhaps this is a metaphor for the way external stimuli shape our subconscious perceptions and inner awareness.
Neurological foundation
Not only are eyes seen spiritually as windows into the soul but recent studies have confirmed a genomic link to cognitive empathy. The research undertaken at the University of Cambridge identified a genetic variant on chromosome 3 in women associated with their ability to mindread into the eyes. This is important as chromosome 3 contains the LRRN1 (Leucine Rich Neuronal 1) gene which is highly active in the striatum- an area of the brain shown to be closely involved in cognitive empathy. Strangely, outcomes were not consistent in male participants which is interesting how gender-specific differences can manifest at such an atomic level.
Native origins
Together with neurological rational, humans attention to eye contact also manifests at a primal level where babies are primed from a young age to look into the eyes of their mother. Given most people are right handed, being held in the right arms of its mother facilitates eye contact into the mothers left eye. This right to left eye contact stimulates an interaction from the optic nerve that impacts the amygdala creating an emotional resonance loop of how baby's bond. This alignment is more than just a gaze, it also works later in life to tap into a deeper level of emotional connection. This resonance is so powerful that certain depictions of art can be valued at millions based on the effect the eyes have on the observer. One of the Mona Lisa's prime reasons for its fame resides in its ability to engage emotionally with a vast proportion of those who see it. The eyes of the painting have the ability to follow you around the room, a fascination so profoundly associated with Da Vincis work it is called the 'Mona Lisa effect'.
Conclusion
Perhaps the power of the eyes lies not just in what they reveal, but in what they awaken within us- a blend of instinct, memory, biology, and myth. Whether it’s the pineal gland quietly syncing our inner clocks, a striatal gene flickering with empathy, or an ancestral loop of mother and child gazes, the act of looking becomes an act of knowing. Maybe it’s not even about seeing truth in the eyes, it's about the subsequent feeling evoked inside our individual selves which dictates what we see. After all, the power of the eyes are felt by everyone. Their prevalence in history and religion dates back centuries and it has long been said to "trust your eyes, for they see what others cannot or refuse to acknowledge". Perhaps then, it is more than just coincidence that certain moments urge us to trust the ancient circuitry humming beneath our surface.