Why is it that you can usually feel someone's eyes on you, even if you're turned the other way? Do some people stare because they don't know any better? Do some people stare, despite the fact that they know better, because they're insecure? Have you ever caught someone looking at length at you, looked back at them, and they quickly turned away, somewhat ashamed? Have you ever done that and the person kept staring back unabashedly? Have you ever had a "stare down" with someone on public transportation? (It seems that a lot of fixed gazing occurs on public transportation, where people often have nothing better to do than check out those around them.) Is staring a compliment? An insult? A threat? Do you stare at people, and if so, when and under what circumstances do you catch yourself doing it? Do men stare more than women, or vice versa? If someone is making you uncomfortable with their eye behavior, is it acceptable to say something to them ("say something" could mean calling them out, or simply saying hello)? Is staring unavoidable because humans are such visual creatures?
(Sidenote: when googling "staring" to find an image for this post, the majority of images seem to be photos of men subtly or not so subtly glancing at breasts. Feel free to draw your own conclusions.)
Rupert Sheldrake had a chapter in one of his books (Seven Experiments That Could Change the World [1994]) on the sense of being stared at. Here's a link to some of his stuff:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.sheldrake.org/papers/Staring/
Thanks for sharing! :)
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