203) Sixth Staring Sense

(Photo from pw0nd.)

This week, I've been conducting a little experiment of sorts. In between interviews, I spend a lot of my time walking around the city, exploring neighborhoods, little stores and cafes. My on the street methodology is this: I pick a target and stare at them as I walk by to see if they'll feel my gaze and look up. I'm generally a fair distance from the target (as opposed to standing right next to them, staring like a creeper), who is stationary (as opposed to also walking by). It's always uncanny to me that we can feel another's stare, like this invisible beam that pricks up the hairs on your neck, nerves blazing. I wanted to test the strength of this sense.

My subject pool is currently at 21, 16 males and 5 females. Of the males, only 2 out of the 16 didn't look up. Of the ladies, only 1 has met my eyes (which I avert casually, to reduce further creepiness). The sample size is tiny, but it's fun, easy and interesting to keep a running tally. I could talk about the biological drive to pick up on someone looking at you (evolved sixth sense?), and people being more attuned to stares from the opposite sex, but I'd be making premature conclusions. To be continued...