Have you ever wondered why people stare at you? For instance, you are seated on a bus and for some reasons you spot the person seated beside you looking at you intensely.
At one time or another, you must have felt that someone was staring at you. Realizing that people stare at you often might leave you worrying and wondering what kind of judgments they are making about you. Various studies on why do people stare reveal that a person staring at you might be looking forward to knowing something or another about you. For instance, in a conversation, a person might stare at your lips to understand what you are saying.
Possible Reasons Why People Stare at You
Looking at something fixedly shows interest. Being stared at may make you feel uncomfortable and nervous. Here are some reasons why people stare at you.
1. Admiration
Spotting someone staring at you might awaken thoughts in you, such as feelings of being untidy making you feel apprehensive. On the other hand, if you know that you are in good standing; dressed appropriately and have no fault in your appearance then you are likely to feel that you are stared at for a good reason. It is likely that the person staring at you likes your hair or clothes or admires anything else in your appearance.
2. Social Status
If you are a famous person or hold a higher social status, then you will find that you are likely to be stared at in most of the places you go to. People love to look at celebrities and popular personalities in their areas, and they understand that this will now be normal for them.
3. To communicate
The most important parts of the body in expressing a person's feelings in communication is the eye and the regions that surround it such as the eyebrows and the eyelids. One of the main reasons why do people stare could be as a way of communicating non-verbally or to show the willingness to have a conversation. While aggressive stare might mean that he or she is unhappy.
4. Not be conscious
Their sights accidentally lay on other people when they are brainstorming or thinking of something irrelevant. Sometimes it is just an unconscientious occurrence but they don't realize has disturbed or even annoyed others.
What Makes You Feel That People Are Staring at You?
It is likely that no one is staring at you even when you feel like someone is gazing at you; the brain might be playing a trick on you. Commonly, if your brain is unsure of what you are looking at, it makes a judgment that someone is looking at you. Here are some of the reasons why you are always asking yourself the question, why do people stare at me?
1. Something is odd with your appearance
Your appearance might be the reason why people stare at you. Appearance doesn't mean how you look like physically in terms of color and complexion but it is how you keep yourself in terms of dressing and upkeep. A great number of people who are stared at mostly are those who are careless and clueless in relation to clothing and personal style. If you don't use the mirror before setting out into your daily activities, you are likely to walk out with unkempt hair and bad clothing combination, making your appearance loathsome. The appearance is likely to attract people's attention making them stare at you. Next time, make sure that you admire yourself in the mirror, take a look at your attire, hair, and posture.
2. Your brain tricks you
It's very possible that you are not being stared at you as you think. Everybody gets stares once in a while but not as much as you think. Your mind might make you feel that people stare at you almost all the time which could be untrue. You are aware of instances that people stare at you, but there are still instances where you can't tell when people are staring at you. The fact that you can tell whether people are staring at you makes your mind to generalize and create the erroneous impression that people stare at you always. The reality could be far from that and it is something you can overcome by emphasizing on cases where people don't stare at you.
3. Social anxiety
It is likely that people who feel stared at almost all the time, are commonly nervous in social settings. Feeling anxious in a social setting exhibits itself especially the facial expressions attracting people's attention on you. The anxiety expressed on your face has the likelihood of making people tell others: "Look at this person! What's wrong with them?”
Having something odd in your appearance, social anxiety and trickery by the brain are some of the most common reasons why you feel people are staring at you. To learn some other reasons why people might stare at you, watch the video here.
Dealing with People Staring at You
If you still feel that people are staring at you and you find this uncomfortable or disturbing, there The best way is to learn how to deal with them in such scenarios. Here are a few suggestions:
- Ignore it
Ignoring a person staring is the tactic used by most of us. It is the easiest and the best option, especially in a case where you don't want to engage in talk. Ignoring goes by the principle of minding my own business and yourself doing the same your side. Provided you are not disturbing or meddling onto another person's affairs, proceed with your activities.
- Smile
People staring at you doesn't mean that they think you are crazy all the time. In some cases, it could mean that they are amused, amazed and attracted to what you are doing. You might realize that they are looking for a chance to ask you a question. Respond to them by flashing a bright smile and proceed with whatever you are doing.
- Stare back
It is a simple technique where you stare back at whoever is staring at you. If you spot someone staring at you, stare at him or her back. Stare at them for a few seconds and then resume whatever you were doing. Don't do it for too long, or it is aggressive.
- Walk away
There are times you feel that the best thing you can do is to walk away. If you feel distracted and uneasy, just excuse yourself and find something worth your time. Walk away in times where you feel, the best you can do in the situation is to leave.
- Be prepared to give fast and wise answers
Some people will stare at you and then question you. In such a case, be prepared to give a real quick and witty answer that gives them full satisfaction.
Summary
It is common knowledge that human eyes reveal our inner thoughts, feelings and are designed to connect with the world. Maintaining eye contact with another person shows that you are attentive and focused on a particular thing. It is therefore normal to spot a stranger staring at you for different reasons and the only thing you need to do is to learn the ways above to deal with such stares.