Ever saw people laughing in your direction and thought they were laughing at you?

[zav943]

Just after I was done my jog today, walking back to my car, I passed a group of girls who started laughing at about the same time I passed them....

Naturally, I walked up to my car and started staring at my reflection, wondering if there was anything off about me.

This happens to most people, I'm sure, but I'm a lot more self-conscious, in the sense that the laughing sticks with me a bit longer and has a much worse effect on me than most people...

I always feel like there's something wrong with me when I'm walking around in public...like I'm just asking to be ridiculed....that is, until I get comfortable with the surroundings....oh god I miss my self-confidence!!

 

[BlueDays]

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[hoddesdon]

Correlation does not equal causation. Just because two events happen simultaneously does not mean that there is a connection between the two. In legal parlance that evidence would be purely circumstantial, and no-one would be convicted on the basis of that alone. One should not convict oneself either.

 

[zav943]

Correlation does not equal causation. Just because two events happen simultaneously does not mean that there is a connection between the two. In legal parlance that evidence would be purely circumstantial, and no-one would be convicted on the basis of that alone. One should not convict oneself either.

Yes, but this is not a legal case. This has to do with perception...the laughter doesn't convince me that there's anything wrong with me, but it fills me with doubt...and that's what bothers me the most

 

[32belly]

I always cringe when I hear strangers laughing. Just happened to me today in the grocery store...a few isles over some girls started laughing and immediately I think, what did I do!

Of course, these girls probably had no idea I was even in the store, but my brain seems to be on high alert for these situations.

So dumb, huh?

 

[BlackPuma]

Yeah, for me it's usually the young ''beautiful'' people. Happened again last Tuesday in fact. I came out of a building, feeling quite good about myself.

Then two 17 year old guys walk by, they take one glance at me and there yah go, there was that arrogant ''Oh-look-at-this-guy'' laugh. It doesn't make me ashamed anymore though, I look different, and so be it. It really just makes me angry. And thus I had half a mind on confronting them about it, and teaching them a thing or two about their own magazine ripped-off appearance. I didn't, but I was very tempted. ;3

It's their problem really. If people judge you by merely your appearance, it tells more about them, then it does about you.

 

[EscapeArtist]

Teenage girls? Damn teenagers... wait I am one.
People used to laugh at my hair all the time, I had really 'big' hair during my elem years, It was talked and chuckled about a lot, whether behind my back or around a visible corner... On the upside, I got many compliments on it from stranger old ladies

 

[mrb]

people laugh at all kind of things , now take girls for instance , if they fancy you and there in a group they will probably all laugh and giggle , it doesnt mean there laughing at you , if you see someone laugh in the street again it might be something silly , hell maybe your shoes or top , whatever but i wouldnt worry about it to much , as i said people laugh at the most silly things sometimes , try not to take it to personally lol ... course there will be times when you will come across people laughing at you in some horrible way ... like look at him or her trying to be Intimidating .... but lets be honest morons like that are not even worth worring about anyways are they ? ........

 

[Danfalc]

I have to agree with what a few others have said,while it's easy to kick in the negative thought patterns,it's possible true that they could be giggling because they think your attractive .

Even if they were laughing at you in a negative way,Like Puma said,it says more about them than you.Thing is we will never be able to read other people's thoughts,but our self doubt and low self esteem tries to,It jumps to conclusions and is part of the cycle of negative reinforcement which keeps our anxiety going.

Easier said than done,but I think us social Phobes need to stop giving that negative thought pattern so much power over us.

 

[SociallyAwkwardAndShy]

I try to avoid walking towards groups of people because even if they don't laugh i think they will when i leave. (Paranoid I know...) This only stems from people actually laughing at me to my face when i was in High School

 

[userremoved]

Yeah this has happened to me quite a few times. My rule now is that as long as they aren't looking and pointing at me I just assume it's a coincidence. And if people are laughing at me and it can't find anything on myself that looks obviously funny, then I just assume their morons lol.

 

[Ecclesiastes]

Agreed. I used to have that kind of thinking wherever I go. Somehow, you just have this tiny thought that would make you wonder if they're actually laughing at you.

..it is probably the case why I've grown up to be overly conscious of how I'm perceived by people, not a good thing ):

 

[Lonestar473]

Its happened to me a lot too.

Yeah this has happened to me quite a few times. My rule now is that as long as they aren't looking and pointing at me I just assume it's a coincidence.

Yeah I try to think that. Problem is, seems like most of the time, they are looking in my general direction, and then I have to fight the instinct to run away, and just try to take care of my business as fast and calm as I can and then get the hell out of there.. walking and not running

One thing I've noticed, I doesn't really bother me as much if I'm not alone, and depending on who I happen to be with, it might not bother me at all.

When your alone, everything and everyone seems much scarier and more intimidating, etc. Or well, at least that what I've noticed.

 

[Zaona]

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[Wishmaster]

I'm kinda the same as Serafina on this matter. I used to be very concerned about how people perceived me in public. Now I just brush it off... Well usually. The idiots/stuck-up people I could really care less about. It's the people I actually like that I am a bit more self-conscious around lol.

 

[Tiercel]

If you hear laughter and the people seem to be laughing at you, then give them something to laugh about. Do a stupid little dance, then point at them and wink and smile. If you're feeling a bit gassy, squeak one out. Then look confused and go back a few steps and step on the ground/floor and wonder why it squeaked the first time you stepped there.

Not that I can claim to have done any of this in public, mind you. But if you're worth laughing at, shouldn't you be the first one to get the laugh? Or at least have some fun with it? But chances are that they're not laughing at you anyway.

But if you choose to act silly and you make someone laugh, then you have a reason to feel good about yourself. Sometimes it only takes a small gesture to completely change one's mood or day around. And if they're really just being jerks and laughing at you, you've showed them what you think of their opinion.

 

[Srijita52]

Yeah, it happens to me a lot. Maybe its just because of my own insecurities.

 

[Valhalla]

There are so many laughs as I pass by groups and individuals that it can't be a coincidence. I'm used to it, but of course it is aggravating, frustrating and very distracting.

 

[gustavofring]

Today I had a similar experience, was riding on by bike and a group of people walked by and the only word I could hear as I drove by was quite a loud "BAH" which means something like "ew" in Dutch.

Now of course they probably weren't saying that about me (atleast I hope not, lol) but still I had a bit of a "wtf" moment.

 

[MrJones]

Yes, not pleasant.