Do you smile at strangers?

Smile, talk to, make jokes at…of course!

I LOVE people!

I love to experiment with interplay, see who’s open, who’s not.

’ Strangers are just friends whom you havn’t met yet.’

It’s all about openness!

I create psychology experiments wherever I go…I like to see openness, playfulness, banter, witticism, HUMOR!

It’s what makes the world go ‘round!

We are all ONE!

Okay, some don’t get this, but, that’s where my gifts come in. lol

Nothing brings me more pleasure than getting a closed person to open a bit.

I think the world needs like 1 million xeroxes of @Coloma.

Sure. Even more when drunk.

I’d like to think I am similar to @Coloma in many ways, or at least I used to be like her when I had the opportunity to encounter strangers.

Yeah I smile at everyone.

I have no need for particular reasons.

I like to think that my smile helps at least one person each day.

I often do yes. I am a happy person.

Like @Coloma, I talk to people too.

If people think it’s odd or lame, that’s their problem not mine.

Share the lurveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

@Bellatrix I think most of use share it when it comes to normal questions like this one ^^

lol @hibernate. I meant with the world .. not fluther lurve…. I wasn’t trying to get people to give lurve here. I just think a smile is so easy to give and it can brighten someone’s day and you don’t even know it.

Yep. I actually thought about that today when I smiled at a woman in the check out line, and she smiled back. It just got my gears turning about the subject. So, yes, I do smile at strangers. It feels instinctive, but I know that many people don’t. I have definitely received my fair share of strange looks for it, too.

Yeaahhh I know ^^ but lurve here won’t do any wrong.

I got out of my car at the shopping centre once, and looked up and there was an older Japanese couple walking towards me. It was a beautiful day and I was in a wonderful mood so I gave them a big smile. From the look they gave me, I think they thought I was a fair dinkum nutter… which made me giggle. People are funny! Me included.

Not enough. I wish I had more smiles to shine on strangers but unfortunately I’m more serious in mood most of the time. I also wish people would not only smile but stop and shake hands with strangers, sincerely asked if there’s anything they could do for them that day. But that is just me being silly.

Oh with a preeeety layyyydyyyy…..forgive me, I just went all “Mexican bandit from a spaghetti western” for some random reason. Yeah, i’ll smile at the ladies, but with men it’s different. I may grunt some alpha male style greeting in passing, but that’s all your getting.

Absolutely! But I weigh them up before I get close and guess whether they’ll smile back or not… it’s very disappointing when they don’t.

Smiling is often > not smiling. I find that smiling a somewhat-forced smile will actually assist in bringing on feelings of genuine happiness. So, I find it helps me to smile at strangers.
In addition, I enjoy seeing (what I interpret to be) genuine smiles from people. A smile can be quite beautiful. Just thinking of people smiling right now has me sitting here at work looking insane with a big smile on my face.

Not on the streets. There’s too many people in NYC who’d see that as a sexual invitation and act accordingly. But in other environments, sure.

Smile, talk to, crack a joke, exchange pleasantries. Not to everyone. Just those that make eye contact. In front of my house, comment on dogs, talk about gardening. That’s how I know most of the people in my neighborhood, and everyone on my street.

Yes, I do. If our eyes meet, I smile. :D

(aww, my Linda question is in the related section. We moved and I don’t see her anymore. I miss her.)

I almost always do if we make eye contact.I will say hello,too.
I am a friendly person that will clean your clock if you try sonething funny.;)

Not anymore, you can’t do that in New Jersey.

Yes, always, everyone, especially people who have a look in their eyes of a lonely world. It is such a small gesture that is such a gift to the recipients.

I don’t understand a person who regularly looks other people in the eye and doesn’t respond to a smile or a hello. I tried it once while walking in my park to see if I could get perspective, it felt deliberate and mean.

I am a friendly, people person. I say Hello or Good Morning, whatever is appropriate.

It’s very much a cultural thing. When I lived in Paris, I quickly learned that smiling at passersby was the equivalent of saying, “Hi there, I’m an American! Scorn me!” At most, one flashes one of those little pseudo-smiles, where the eyes maintain their aloof ennui. From what I’ve heard, the Eastern European countries are even more averse to gratuitous smiling. It’s read as a lack of dignity and aplomb.

Returning to the States many years later, I felt like I was drowning in smiles. I had to relearn that it was OK – even expected – to publicly display my kind feelings for my fellow man.

Yes, all the time and if they get too close to me they get a “how ya doing” slap on the ass too!

Well..I might not be as zippy as I am usually today.
A wee bit too much champagne the last couple o’ nights celebrating the completion of a personal project and the longer days that have led me to staying up til midnight.

Then again, it’s early, give it a few hours, and my rocket will probably achieve lift off.
It takes a lot for my engine to stall! lol

Not at every random stranger…that would be weird…but, yeah, sometimes…if something mutually funny happens, if flirting, etc…

Usually smile. Sometimes say hello, depending on the circumstance.

If our eyes meet I do, saves any awkwardness I feel.

I do, but not as much as I used to. People started returning hateful remarks rather than smiles, so I dialed it back.

@Facade Dude, really? But you have such a pretty smile!

@bob_ It’s lopsided, but thank you lol. I’m learning that people are assholes sometimes and adjusting accordingly.

I do it all the time, especially at the grocery store. Senior citizens seem to especially like it and will respond in kind. And If I’m walking out on the street and I see someone walking a dog, I cannot help but smile and I usually stop and talk with them too.

Most of the dirty looks, or non responses, came from some very sour people at work when I said hello or goodmorning to them.

On the other hand, I’ve been sitting somewhere minding my own business (usually reading a book or newspaper and not even noticing what people are doing, I’m clearly engaged, like in a library or at the park) and some person will come up and say something like, “Hey girlie, why don’t you smile, it can’t be all that bad!?” in a really creepy and condescending manner. 100% of the time it’s been a man in his late 50’s thru 70’s.

If it’s in the hall or something, yes. If on the streets, no, unless I make eye contact with them for a long enough time. And there can’t too many distractions like people,etc. It’s not really a smile either, so I guess maybe my answer is no. It’s just kinda like a half-smile. No teeth, tightening of the lips…Bulge my right cheek a bit.
I agree with @Kardamom where I smile if it’s an elderly person. Really elderly, though (or at least looks really old).

I do… they usually smile back with a bewildered look! Lol.
I guess they’re not used to being smiled at by a stranger.
Now boys is a whole different story. I don’t feel cofident enough…

The funniest and cutest reactions come from young, tatooed guys that are waiting in line at the grocery store to buy alcohol. I usually say something like, “Oooh, it looks like you guys are hosting a barbecue. It’s a great day for it.” They usually just cock their head to the side, like they can’t believe that someone would just make nice conversation with them. Then they usually say something like, “Yeah, we are having a barbecue and we’re going to make ribs and John over here is going to smoke a turkey and we might even do some salmon.”

I’ve found that most people are totally open to a little friendly conversation. I’ve gotten some really great recipe and cooking tips from people standing in line at the grocery store.

One young group of fellows was standing in line with several different bottles of really cheap wine like Boone’s Farm Strawberry hill and a few other things that were similar. So I chimed in with the “havin’ a barbecue?” and they told me that they have recently started a local winery and their wine will specifically be fruit based (but not grape) and so they were comparing this cheap, awful, but fruit based wine to get more info. They were in their early 20’s, but one of the fellow’s father owned a big farm and helped his son and some investors get a winery up and running. They were currently experimenting with apricot and apple and blackberries. They wanted to make sure that they perfected some really good wine that would be accepted as legitimate fruit based wines that would not be looked down upon in the way that the Boone’s farm stuff is. Boy, I learn a lot at the grocery store.

And yesterday when my friend and I were at an Asian grocery store, looking for mushrooms, we ran into a guy (who we smiled at and spoke to) who was a local chef and he turned us on to some nifty items that had been looking at, but had no idea what they were. Turns out that they were Chinese Chives (the sign had them spelled as cheivre). Then he walked with us through the produce section and showed us some other great Asian produce and how to use it.

@Kardamom Re people telling you to smile. When I was in my early 20’s I worked in a large Army hospital with long corridors. Enough people to make me notice would ask me, “What are you sad about?” I was just thinking about where I was going next. I looked in the mirror and realized when my face was in repose, my mouth turned down. I wasn’t unhappy, but I looked like I was. So I put a small smile on my face and the comments stopped. It became a habit over the years mostly because I didn’t want people thinking I was a sad sack. Some people have mouths that smile in repose. Some, the opposite. I suppose most are neutral. But it’s something you can change if you want to enough.

@Blackberry The whole state of New Jersey won’t smile back? Wow. How come?

@Sunny2 I’m usually a pretty smiley kind of person, but when I’m just sitting there reading a book or a newspaper, which is where this thing has always happened, I can’t imagine that I would be actively smiling, any more than I would right now, where I assume I’m not being watched or being engaged with anyone. That was the creepy part. These guys tend to come out of the woodwork.

@Sunny2 maybe it’s because I haven’t lived in the right town, but everywhere I have been doesn’t seem to accept smiling or friendly ‘Hellos’ lol. It has only worked with 2 or 3 people :(

Only if they’re not looking at me funny.

@Blackberry Try older folks. It is a boost for you to get a positive response. It’s a real downer to have to live where no one smiles back at you. Makes you feel like an outsider instead of part of a community.

@Sunny2 Word up :)

If you want to go to a really friendly town, visit Durango, Colorado. When I went there, everyone would wave at you, even if you were driving in your car or riding the steam train that went through town (Durango to Silverton). Everybody would say hello or good morning, even if you were a total stranger. It was really pleasant and a nice change of pace.

@Kardamom I’ve never been anywhere in the central U.S. That sounds like a great place.

@Blackberry Durango is so beautiful, it’s in the mountains. The steam train goes along a river, that is sometimes way down below you on the side of the wooded cliffs. Very spectacular and it’s an old fashioned open air steam train. Durango is known mostly for it’s skiing, but I went there in the summer to stay with some relatives. It was just gorgeous and probably also has camp grounds. It’s a very small town atmosphere, it almost looked like Mayberry, but in an Alpine setting. It had a couple of great barbecue restaurants and even a little movie theater. Everybody was just so nice.

Here’s some info on the narrow guage railway train.

@Kardamom

I was in Durango a few years ago, very nice! It was February, snowy and beautiful! :-)

@rock4ever Lol! yeah, I don’t tend to even look at them then.

Same here

Damn..I am having a really talkative day so far. lol
Not too bad for the champagne hangover which has steadily worsened from 6 a.m. til now, at 3:30. Haha

Babbled with my boss this morning, the Starbucks girl, Oh man, those new Coconut mocha frappacinos are amazing! Then, ran into one of my daughters friends and carried on for a bit, THEN, picking up copies of my poetry chap book at the printers and they read my work and sooo, babbled about my poetry for awhile. Free readings. lol
Then…home to the spa guy doing his thing and chattered with him for awhile. Think my gardener buddy is showing up soon and then a Mothers Day/Birthday party here Sunday for my daughters boyfriend. Sheesh…it’s hard to do, but think I am talked out for the next 36 hours or so. lol

You’ll get a lot of smiles in northern Wisconsin too. =)

Yes

Yeah, when glancing around I sometimes catch someone’s eye by accident on the bus or train and then smile at them. Conventional wisdom says that’s a mistake to do in New York, but I haven’t been murdered yet…