My Social Experiment
(This is a follow up to my 33,000 Zombies post.)
Just to recap, I have not been very happy about the lack of interaction between people on campus. It seems as if people actually avoid each other by looking down as people walk by or not acknowledging each other's existence in general. As an attempt to get out of that habit myself and try to see how people react, I have been looking at people in the eye, smiling, and even saying something (primarily to people I know).
I have been so happy with the results I am getting! I feel more confident and am naturally looking at people more, square in the eye. Just to clarify, I don't stare them down but I just don't make a conscious effort to avoid eye contact. When I smile, more often than not, the person smiles in return! Boy, does it brighten a person's appearance when they smile! It's so simple yet underused. I truly do believe smiling makes a person happier, even if its fake. So smile at someone on your way to your 8 a.m. class or to your least favorite class. It may make you both a little happier in the moment.
A very recent example I had of this was yesterday morning. I was having such a bad morning and I was going down the huge staircase leading to south campus, when I heard "Hey Lauren! How's it going?" I broke my gaze on the stairs to look up to see my home teacher from freshman year. That simple act changed my attitude so fast and I'm thankful he did that!
I hope I can continue this habit and be a friendly face to someone, whether it makes a difference in someone else's day or not.
Just to recap, I have not been very happy about the lack of interaction between people on campus. It seems as if people actually avoid each other by looking down as people walk by or not acknowledging each other's existence in general. As an attempt to get out of that habit myself and try to see how people react, I have been looking at people in the eye, smiling, and even saying something (primarily to people I know).
I have been so happy with the results I am getting! I feel more confident and am naturally looking at people more, square in the eye. Just to clarify, I don't stare them down but I just don't make a conscious effort to avoid eye contact. When I smile, more often than not, the person smiles in return! Boy, does it brighten a person's appearance when they smile! It's so simple yet underused. I truly do believe smiling makes a person happier, even if its fake. So smile at someone on your way to your 8 a.m. class or to your least favorite class. It may make you both a little happier in the moment.
A very recent example I had of this was yesterday morning. I was having such a bad morning and I was going down the huge staircase leading to south campus, when I heard "Hey Lauren! How's it going?" I broke my gaze on the stairs to look up to see my home teacher from freshman year. That simple act changed my attitude so fast and I'm thankful he did that!
I hope I can continue this habit and be a friendly face to someone, whether it makes a difference in someone else's day or not.
I love that idea! I think it is fantastic. I will have to try it as well. I have to admit I am one of those people that puts my headphones in and avoids people. But I guess the change happens one person at a time.
ReplyDeleteI love this! I agree that a lot of people get uncomfortable smiling and looking at people straight in the eye. This post inspired me.
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