Stopped making eye contact on the subway for a week straight - wild difference in how people treated me

I live in Chicago and usually do the whole polite nod and quick eye glance thing when I get on the train. Last month I decided to just stare at my phone the whole time for 5 days straight. People actually bumped into me way more, but I also had zero random conversations and felt way less drained when I got home. Has anyone else tried totally ignoring eye contact in public spaces and noticed a change?

3 comments

3 Comments

valh3211d ago

Totally did this on accident one time because my glasses broke and I couldn't see anyone's face anyway, felt like a secret superpower against awkward small talk.

spencerm4611d ago

Might have to try that next time I forget my contacts. Just squint and pretend I'm too blind to notice anyone waving at me.

-1

norathomas11d ago

My aunt actually did this once at a family reunion in 2018 and it backfired hard. She ended up ignoring her own mother for 20 minutes because she couldn't recognize her from across the yard, and my grandma was pretty hurt about it. Now I always pack an extra pair of glasses in my car because the risk of accidentally being rude to someone I actually care about isn't worth the convenience of dodging a chatty neighbor.