After having been subjected to another person’s head-to-toe visual check-up, one could not help but ask why do people stare? Sometimes, we are the ones who get scrutinized and we are sure to feel uncomfortable about it. On other occasions, and maybe unconsciously, we are at the opposite end of the spectrum and we give others the unpleasant experience of being stared at.
Staring is giving a subject a fixed look. For example, when the computer monitor becomes the constant focus of one’s attention for a significant amount of time, then it can be considered as staring. The stare can be viewed as either hostile or affectionate. However, most people who stare are usually perceived as aggressive and the stare is considered an invasion of one’s privacy.
Several answers have been put forward and shared all over the Internet to provide answers to those who have been pondering on the question “why do people stare?.” One such explanation is that it is the result of one’s admiration. When one person admires another person or an object, it is possible for that person to focus their attention on the object for extended amounts of time. Indeed, it is possible for people to stare simply because they are amazed by the attractiveness of a person or an object.
Another possible answer to the query on why do people stare is that the person staring may want to initiate a conversation with the person being stared at. When a person stares to initiate a dialogue, they wait for the other person to reciprocate or to signal acceptance. When a stare is reciprocated, the person staring will understand this as a signal that you will be entertained, that the other person may also be interested, and that a conversation may begin.
Insecurity may also be an answer to the question “Why do people stare?.” Sometimes, when a person is feeling insecure about one’s self, they have the tendency to stare at others. They check out how others dress up and behave so that they can copy it. Behaving or looking like others can make these insecure individuals more at peace with themselves. There are people who stare in order to better gauge another person. These stares can be the most unpleasant of all as you can feel the judgmental views behind the piercing eyes. If someone looks or dresses differently from the general public, they are usually the ones who have to deal with the harshest stares.
On the other hand, one may simply be staring at you because they are daydreaming. So before you lash out on the next person who stares at you and gives you the creeps, make sure they’re not walking on rainbows and eating strawberry-flavored clouds.