Why do people stare at me?

Question

I’m not someone with a lot of self confidence, but I’m not very self conscious either. However, I’ve noticed everywhere I go whether I’m waiting in line at the store, walking down the street, or waiting in an office that a lot of people stare at me. It’s not a stare like they think I’m attractive but like there is something weird about me. Now I really am starting to feel self conscious when I catch people staring all the time! Why do people stare at me?

Answer 1

You might think people stare at you, but most likely it’s your own anxiety or self-consciousness that is making you think that. If you already feel nervous about your appearance or feel uncomfortable in your environment, then you might project this onto the people around you. Someone could be looking out a window nearby but it might look like they’re staring at you from your point of view. Go out with confidence and you might notice that a lot less people seem like they’re staring at you!

Answer 2

Some studies have actually shown that it might be a natural instinct that makes you think people stare at you often when they actually don’t stare at you at all. Apparently we’re just wired to suspect that people are staring at us, and this self-consciousness is even worse when we can’t clearly see their faces. So if you tend to notice that the people staring at you are wearing sunglasses, this might just be your brain playing tricks because you can’t see their eyes. This is just a natural habit because direct eye contact tends to be a animalistic sign of aggression, so we’re seeing what our defensive reflexes want us to see.

Comments

I agree this answer to why do people stare at me. Sometimes, it’s just people look at someone or something behind you, you know…

Answer 3

When we catch people staring at us, we like to assume the worst, like we have something in our teeth or our hair is a mess. There’s definitely a clear difference between a look of attraction and just a look, so when we get just a look, we assume we must be unattractive.

So to your question: why do people stare at me… I think sometimes people might stare at you because there’s something odd or interesting about your appearance, not necessarily that it’s bad. Is your taste in clothing a little different? Do you wear a lot of bright colors or busy patterns? Are your features more pronounced or have a foreign appearance? There’re a number of things that people might find out of the ordinary about you, but you should embrace your uniqueness!