Noticing people around you

[coriander1992]

This maybe isn't to do so much with social anxiety, but here goes anyway..

Do you really notice the people around you? Do you really think about them, or just see them as another person?

I mean, when I go into a shop and somebody serves me at the counter, I look at them while they work the till or whatever, and I think about what sort of person they might be, what their fears are, what they enjoy, where they've been and where they are going. I wonder wether they are happy with themselves, what they are thinking and wether they would think about me the same way I am doing about them. I wonder wether I am just another face to them, and I wonder what their life is upto at the moment, and how they see the world around them.

I like just people watching, and thinking about each person that walks past. Particularly people who are a lot different to me.
Does anybody else do this?

 

[hippiechild]

I definitely do that, I wonder about everyone. I see what people do and try to find out what sort of person they are. I guess it's my way of staying safe from potential problem people. I guess I analyze them to find out if they are harmless or if they could pose a threat to me.

It goes beyond just a defense mechanism though. I tend to be curious about all people, what they think, how they perceive me and what sort of person they are.