Do people move seats when you sit beside them?

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This happens to me constantly or at least enough to notice it. I don't think I smell or look untidy so i'm assuming that it's something to do with my gaze or something about me that is intimidating people. It seems to be more frequent with females e.g when I sit down in a lecture theatre beside a women occasionally she will move up a seat or on the odd occasion relocate to a totally different seat. It happens more frequently when I sit facing people, for example, this morning I was at a practical and there was a guy who edged up after about 5 minutes of awkward eye contact between me/him. It also happens the odd time in the gym when I am using a machine that is opposite another occupied machine.

Anyway... Does this happen with other people or is this just me/my imagination? It doesn't give me much confidence in myself.

Yes sometimes. But lately I'm trying to act like a normal human being and lately I didn't experience this. It happens to me when I'm way too nervous or when they notice some retardness on me. If they notice my retardness and look at me too much, I become even worse and nervous.

No, it doesn't happen to me.

I try to apply a rule based on what I observe in places like The Underground.

Public place eg train, underground, bus, theatre etc. People want their space and privacy, so I would sit in the next seating bay if free, or if the carriage was filling up more, leave a seat free between me and another person, and then when things have filled up so much that this is no longer possible , sit next to someone.

The word I have from women friends is that they feel a background wariness in public, not from anything personal from other persons, but as the sex which often has less physical strength or agressive instincts, the risk factors with unwanted attention or worse are increased, and as a result of this, feel much more comfoirtable having at least one empty seat between them and someone who is not anyone they know.

It feels intimidating if in a fairly empty carriage or theatre someone sits in the next seat. It looks as if the person has chosen to sit there in preference to all the empty seats, and as a precaution they may decide that the reason the person chose that seat is to be next to them nis to be next to them, and when it is someone they don't know, regardless of whatever that person is intending, it feels uncomfortable and a bit threatening.

If at all possible, I never sit next to anyone.

I'm never by myself, so whatever family I'm with act as a shield. However I do know people are put off by the weird looking/acting hooded fidgety mumbling kid. Can't say as I really blame them.

And I have heard of people purposely acting crazy, touched, whatever because they want people to leave them alone and switch seats etc.

When this happens to people, what gender is it mostly with?

I notice people seem to do this when other seats open up and people just move to that empty seat where no one is sitting by. I at first thought this was some hidden rule so I asked about it online but got told it's not a rule they are doing, people just like their personal space so they will try and avoid sitting next to anyone they don't know if they can unless all the seats are taking with one one sitting next to them. Then when that opens up, they move there.

Yes. I don't understand why. However, I like sitting alone most of the time and if the seats are very close together, I get uncomfortable if somebody I don't know is next to me.

...Yes .

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If possible, I tend to move seats when people I don't know sit beside me.

yes, all the time, i find that okay though, as alot of the time people are a bit too vocal on this, i had many times in school where i had to share a book with someone or sit next to them only to hear them say rather clearly "oh god do i have to?" so at least the people who move arn't so direct, they are at least thinking of my feelings

I'm usually the one moving to another seat. I don't like being too close to people who make me feel uneasy.