What Does It Mean When a Random Stranger Smiles at Me?

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02 Feb 2009, 10:24 pm

I have the same problem at the office. There are the people I talk to on a regular basis. These people I have no problem making eye contact or striking up a conversation or making a joke of some sort when I see them passing by. Then, there are people I've seen around the office, I pass them everyday, but I may or may not have ever spoken to them in the past. When I'm walking down a long corridor, and they're looking at me, but not really, I have a bad habit of looking at them and giving a thin smile. It's hard for me to judge whether people are looking at me in an acknowledging manner or when they're just looking ahead in general. Usually when I walk down a hallway, I'm staring kinda into space, lost in my own thoughts, so maybe I do look odd to them...? I just don't want them to mistake me for being rude either.

So, yeah. Random people smiling? I still haven't decoded this one for my "social database" yet and I don't think I'll ever get the hang of the art. :oops:

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Eggman
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03 Feb 2009, 12:57 am

Yoyur going be the next victem

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spockezri
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20 Feb 2009, 5:28 pm

Aspie1 wrote:

spockezri wrote:

Oh yeah, people who say "don't worry" make me worry so much!

I agree, and saying "relax!" is even worse. It's like telling a mountain climber not to look down.

yes, it's counterproductive! *tenses just reading the word relax*

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benjimanbreeg
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20 Feb 2009, 5:45 pm

they probably want your arse

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LolaGranola
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20 Feb 2009, 7:16 pm

Courtesy, often. Or they might, for example, like your shoes or something.

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ruennsheng
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21 Feb 2009, 1:39 am

To me he means nothing

ARandomPerson
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21 Feb 2009, 7:04 am

Morgana wrote:

Okay, I have read that a member of the opposite sex who smiles and makes eye contact probably is interested in getting to know me (possibly romantically). And I do understand it when there is a shared experience between myself and a stranger; for instance, if something weird happens on the subway one day, which I experience as well as the other people on the train, I can understand passing a smile or a look of connection. But what does it mean if some random person of the same sex, and with no common experience, tries to get my attention and smile? Maybe they are trying to make a connection...but why? What´s the point? And why me?

I realize that when this happens, I´m probably "supposed" to smile back. But somehow, this feels hard for me. It feels fake, for one thing. I´ve tried to smile back sometimes, but I can´t quite muster a smile, at best maybe a half smile, and I have trouble looking at the person. Does anyone know what this is supposed to mean???

Of course, as I sometimes have trouble recognizing people´s faces, there is the worrying thought that maybe I actually know these people from somewhere....

it means you are looking at them and they are acknoliging your presence.

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21 Feb 2009, 4:36 pm

ARandomPerson wrote:

Morgana wrote:

it means you are looking at them and they are acknoliging your presence.

Usually, I´m not looking at them, or I turn only very briefly in their direction. I have the feeling they are trying to catch my eye...that was partly why I was asking about it.

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21 Feb 2009, 7:42 pm

I've also experienced this, I think it means something like "hi, fellow human! we're on the same team you know!" though I might be wrong.

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