people-watching
- Thread starter rawr
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- Nov 12, 2008
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All the time. I do it so often that I don't even realize I am doing it. When I enter a room the first thing I do is start looking at everyone in the room, scanning them, making judgement calls, gathering information, and I use that information to go from there. It's just one piece of what I use to socially navigate. I attend to people rather quickly and I am always observing in some way.
it's fun watching people, but i have to be in a neutral head space to understand or interpret what's happening correctly and fairly. I'd like to say i learn great insights about people just from people watching, but sometimes it's an activity which makes me learn more about how i see people and the world; makes me more aware of my assumptions and prejudices.
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*watches*
I normally pay attention and analyze, analyze, analyze. People are neat animals. I was someplace yesterday and a couple was walking by the female said "what do you want to do" and in the next breath said "lets do something we haven't done before". I thought to myself, then you aren't really asking him what he wants to do and how it was passive aggressive. Why ask, I thought to myself. Perhaps to reinforce some idea that you really weren't being bossy because you asked? I pondered this concept of asking but not asking for awhile. These are the things that run thru my head.
I normally pay attention and analyze, analyze, analyze. People are neat animals. I was someplace yesterday and a couple was walking by the female said "what do you want to do" and in the next breath said "lets do something we haven't done before". I thought to myself, then you aren't really asking him what he wants to do and how it was passive aggressive. Why ask, I thought to myself. Perhaps to reinforce some idea that you really weren't being bossy because you asked? I pondered this concept of asking but not asking for awhile. These are the things that run thru my head.
I don't do much figuring-out...just watching. I'm generally thinking about other things.
I people-watch downtown when I'm out for lunch. I people-watch when my favorite little hole-in-the-wall restaurant is crowded on the weekends. Occasionally I people-watch on the commuter train. I guess I just enjoy people........in moderation.
I people-watch downtown when I'm out for lunch. I people-watch when my favorite little hole-in-the-wall restaurant is crowded on the weekends. Occasionally I people-watch on the commuter train. I guess I just enjoy people........in moderation.
As long as they're communicating verbally with someone I'll be able to gather information about them. I'm right about people's characters in 99% of cases, and I appear judgy when I say I'll dislike someone just based on 2 mins of convo. I can't help it, and it's quite distressing. Sometimes I imagine what it must be like to be a different personality type...
Yes.
I eavesdrop on strangers conversations.
I've heard some poignant stuff.
I used to be a receptionist at a nursing home and one of the most memorable things I overheard was an elderly man visiting his wife in the lobby. She was there for some rehab, but she was very irate with him for 'putting' her in there.. she felt abandoned. He was pleading with her to forgive him and he said, "Don't be mad at me. Fine. Bite me. Go ahead, hit me. 72 years and we've had some good times together. Don't be mad at me if you die I will." (I guess she was slapping and biting him when he was trying to hug her.)
Another time I was watching this really overweight man push a shopping cart uphill in the grass while it was raining. The stranger thing is that it seemed like he had empty plastic bags in the cart, just flapping and blowing out of it. I actually love people watching, or rather, paying attention to people around me. See and hear some interesting stuff.
I eavesdrop on strangers conversations.
I've heard some poignant stuff.
I used to be a receptionist at a nursing home and one of the most memorable things I overheard was an elderly man visiting his wife in the lobby. She was there for some rehab, but she was very irate with him for 'putting' her in there.. she felt abandoned. He was pleading with her to forgive him and he said, "Don't be mad at me. Fine. Bite me. Go ahead, hit me. 72 years and we've had some good times together. Don't be mad at me if you die I will." (I guess she was slapping and biting him when he was trying to hug her.)
Another time I was watching this really overweight man push a shopping cart uphill in the grass while it was raining. The stranger thing is that it seemed like he had empty plastic bags in the cart, just flapping and blowing out of it. I actually love people watching, or rather, paying attention to people around me. See and hear some interesting stuff.
I do it whenever I get the chance. I think it's just fascinating to watch the archetypes of human nature. It makes me feel timeless and I have a sense of internal peace and assurance that everything is doing okay.
Could it be more correct?
@Jana, sometimes wrong, sometimes right
But it's easy to misjudge or misinterpret. It's also easy to focus on finding things in what we observe to prove or justify what we think or how we feel than to actually see the entire truth of what's happening.
@Jana, sometimes wrong, sometimes right
Yes, I realised long time ago that people usually just see what they want or what they expect...
It takes someone special to see what it is...
Yeah, I think there a lot of people watchers out there. The other day I was doing a mundane task at work. I said to myself, "I bet this person is watching me", glance towards them, and they look away. Damn you people watchers and your watching. Damn you.
I people-watch fairly often, but not habitually. Sometimes i'm more wrapped up in what i'm doing that i "forget" to people-watch.
When i just watch them, without thinking much, it seems pretty fluid and predictable, how people interact with one another: haptics, proximity, nonverbals, etc. It's pretty relaxing to watch, i think.
When i actually think about the people that i watch (which is more often than not) i try to make guesses about what they are like. people are very complex, pretty interesting to see how much you can tell of who they are with limited observation and interaction. Not that i'm very good at it - i suck actually, but it is still enjoyable.
When i just watch them, without thinking much, it seems pretty fluid and predictable, how people interact with one another: haptics, proximity, nonverbals, etc. It's pretty relaxing to watch, i think.
When i actually think about the people that i watch (which is more often than not) i try to make guesses about what they are like. people are very complex, pretty interesting to see how much you can tell of who they are with limited observation and interaction. Not that i'm very good at it - i suck actually, but it is still enjoyable.
Thank you I thought I was the only one who doesn't do this. Partly because I hate when people stare and I don't want to be the person that stares. I try to avoid unnecessary contact that might catch me off guard or put me in a socially awkward situation.
I'm currently doing it now.
I'm somewhat eavesdropping on these two music students who are having note issues on a piece of choral music that they are practicing. It's our Alma Mater that we are supposed to have memorized by today.
Girl x: "You're flat"
Girl y: "No You're sharp"
Me (thinking): "Eh, you both are on the wrong note, given you two are soprano 1s and are reading the alto 1 line. You both should be swelling on a b flat, but you are on on an eb/e"
I'm somewhat eavesdropping on these two music students who are having note issues on a piece of choral music that they are practicing. It's our Alma Mater that we are supposed to have memorized by today.
Girl x: "You're flat"
Girl y: "No You're sharp"
Me (thinking): "Eh, you both are on the wrong note, given you two are soprano 1s and are reading the alto 1 line. You both should be swelling on a b flat, but you are on on an eb/e
"