Stolen Project

I have probably mentioned a time or two (or perhaps not at all) that I love talk radio and listen to it frequently to help me pass the time as I drive around America. I do not remember which talk show it was on, but a while back I heard someone talking about a project they under took as a sort of sociological study,pretty much just for sh*ts and giggles. The person was going to smile at everyone with whom they made eye contact with and see what reaction they got.

The radio host said that all of the reactions received fell into pretty much one of two categories. Those that smiled back and those that averted their eyes and/or looked away immediately.

I've been curious about the reactions myself and have been experimenting with the smile project whenever I think about it. And the radio hosts' personal experiences have pretty much mirrored my own. I have had about half and half, smile back or avert their attention. It's been pretty interesting.

Once, so far, I had someone just stare back at me, straight faced, with a look that can best be described as "wtf are you looking at?" That one made me chuckle and then move on with what I was doing.

People are strange.

Comments

The Daily Rant said…
I heard about this experiment too...interesting how it worked out. And you're right - people are strange. Much more than I ever thought.
August 17, 2009 at 10:45 PM
Terry said…
I have been living the smile project out for the past several years. You may notice one more category ( my personal favorite). In this one, the person will have the blank expression, and it will slowly spread into a meaningful smile, almost as if you have touched their lives just by smiling at them. If you look back at them after you have passed by, they may even now be grinning like a possum.

The only drawback is that this act of kindness sometimes encourages folks to engage you into a conversation you otherwise would not have chosen. But then , what is a few minutes, when it can mean so much to someone else. :) Keep on Smilin!!
August 18, 2009 at 7:34 AM
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