When you pass different kinds of strangers on the sidewalk, what is your body language? What is your interior monologue?

I always move out their. Wish I didn’t. But in real life I am too polite.

Wow. I do not pay that much attention to random passer-bys. Since I’m so short, I usually navigate through people shoulders. I just go by visual cues. I don’t really articulate the experience in my head.

I almost knock myself out staring at lovely titties, well truth be told my wife almost knocks me out.Still worth it though,it’s all in the bounce & sway see hypnotic really, sigh! On another level infuriatingly my instinct is to move out of the way,don’t know why but I always feel slightly frustrated that i’ve done it especially when some ignorant git makes no attempt to budge at all.

Rules of the road apply on busy sidewalks and I will always maintain eye contact as to anticipate the oncoming traffics level of awareness. It is amazing how reluctant people really are to making and or maintaining eye contact. Kind of a shame!

depends on how those people look like…

I always maintain eye contact. I will perhaps smile & check if they are looking at me, then react accordingly

I used to be the one to move out of the way…until I actually realized that I was doing it. Why?!? Am I inferior?!? Are they better than me?!? Screw that!! Now I make them move!! Unless its someone elderly, etc.

If they are bigger than I am, I get out of their way.

I generally make eye contact if I look at a passing person at all.

Always eye contact . . . it might be that alpha dog thing . . .(too many years of training dogs)

There are simply too many people walking around in this burg to have any interior monologue going on about alpha dominance or eye contact or anything regarding passing strangers.

I only seem to really notice when they are especially slow, and upon encountering those people, I think, “Oh, geez, I’d better cross the street,” because they are tourists and will not be moving any quicker. My self-protective NYC guard is usually up as well, but no, I’ve no interior monologues going on.

I tend to look people in the eye, maybe even smile, or I look straight ahead. Some of it depends on where I am, some of it depends on how crowded the area is where I am walking. In the city, while walking on the street, I walk like I know where I am going, with a confident posture and a quicker stride mostly looking straight ahead. This is for safety reasons. In a suburban neighborhood I will look others in the eye and I will say “hello” to everyone I pass by. I don’t have much of a dialogue going on in my head.

I tend to be accommodating when it comes to making room to pass while walking unless I can tell the person is being a jerk (not caring whether they’re in the way or not.) My body language is determined by how I feel, not by other people. I also tend to look people in the eye when passing them.

Oh, I move to the right to let others pass by if room is tight.

@ucme Titties are all you think about. You can have your own if you want. Modern science is pretty advanced. You can even have a vagina. I heard they’re cheap in Thailand.

I almost always make eye contact. Sometimes a head nod for guys. I’m not a fan of the fake smile. I’m usually looking around and taking everything in, so I’m not one to stare at the ground.

As for the right of way, it depends on the situation. I’m not diving out of people’s ways, but I’m also not barrelling down the sidewalk. Usually, it’s not a problem. I guess my body language suggests which way I’m going to walk.

I make eye contact to gage whether or not I am going to be the most likely candidate to move out of the way or not. There are some people who make it a point never to yield the field and depending on their attitude I decided if I’m going to be flexible or an unmovable object. The choreography of navigating this world with mutual respect depends on eye contact. It’s my pleasure to move out of someones way but if I get the impression they not only expect it but are going to wipe their feet on me on their way through the door I won’t budge.

@silverfly No shit sherlock. I’ll pass on the vagina though i’m a giver more than a taker.

I give them their personal space and that’s about it.
Unless there’s a compelling reason for us to interact, I may as well be walking past a tree or a pigeon.

Here we usually make eye-contact, say “Hi” or smile. Half the time we know each other. One of the many advantages of living in a very small town.

This is a very interesting question. I tend to pay attention to what makes me tick and why I do the things I do (this was not always the case) I believe my reactions to people I pass have more to do with where i am in my head and how I feel on a given day. When i was younger I was very very shy and could not make eye contact whit anyone. I kept my head down and tried to stay out of everyones way I had serious self-esteem issues and serious drinking issues a a way to escape the pain I felt in my life.
About 15 years ago I got sober and I had to face so much of who I was and how I reacted to situation that I now have a pretty good awareness of my own reactions.
So what I have noticed is that if I am sad or angry I tend to avoid people and eye contact more. Otherwise I am good at smiling at most everyone and making eye contact.
I feel comfortable around all sorts of people, but I am more uncomfortable in larger crowds. One on one I will talk to pretty much anyone. A while back I, in an attempt to be less frightened of others, made a point of saying hello or waving to people I did not know. What I found out is that most everyone will smile back if you smile first.
We live in a very crowded world and it is difficult to not be cautious of strangers, but I believe that we all tend to build too big of walls around ourselves out of fear.
I like the fact that I am more friendly now and not so afraid (tho sometimes I still wont answer the door if it is the crazy lady from down the street lol)
As for yielding to let others pass, it would seem I almost always yield. But I think that at times I am so distracted or rushed that i probably don’t pay attention to others and cause them to have to yield to me.

I just smile to everyone I seexD

When I’m walking down the street or taking public transit, I’m usually off in my own world. The only time I think about the other people is if someone gets in my way or makes me late. Like a while ago all the protesters who didn’t know how to use the farecard machines at the metro and caused a huge backup, which made me miss my train. UGH!

@wundayatta if the person will make eye contact with me, will say, “good morning, good afternoon, or good evening!”...whichever applies!

My internal monologue never stops – I can be thinking a million thoughts at the same time (sure feels that way) – I can make an assessment of a person in a millisecond and be pretty much on key about their kind of life. I am confident and calm when I move around. I have a lot of stuff on me sometimes so I try to not hit anyone with my bags or yoga mat but I, through body language, express that no one can push me around or be rude to me. Generally speaking people stare at my outfits, tattoos, what have you and they think they’re discreet but I already know what they’re doing. Generally speaking, I will always make a point of helping anyone that needs help, of offering my seat, of getting others to get up for pregnant people (drives me nuts when they don’t) and so forth. If people talk to me, I keep it short – I don’t really want to talk to anyone, I want my transition time (from place to place) to be my time, for me to read or to listen to music but if they have a question, I will drop everything and help. Generally I am able to relate to many different kinds of people and to adjust to their subculture, so to speak, when they need to interact with me. I do not get scared of anyone, I think I can stand up for myself no matter who the interaction is with and I usually take the role of the leader when there is a situation happening. I tell people to calm down, what I think will happen next and so forth (situations occur all the time here in NYC). If people are in my way, I never push until provoked or they don’t respont to my ‘excuse me’ – then they will learn what it means to grow up in Brooklyn.

The only time I walk is when I’m I’m walking the dog. He takes up most of my concentration.

I put on my leave me the hell alone mask. I’m not very social and having had tremendous problems with shyness and expression in the past, I’ve grown pretty good at exhibiting body language, and recognizing it.
I swear if you walk down the street but don’t move your arms and leave them straight at your side, not a single person is gonna talk to you. I call it the slasher walk.
I can also easily recognize when people are going to accost me or try to talk to me, so I can try to amplify my get the fuck out look to turn them off.
I’m not mean though, I just want people to leave me alone. Which is kinda stupid for a Goth but whatever, I didn’t ask nobody’s opinion on my social disposition lol.

I don’t make eye contact, nor do I look down, I just look dead ahead and I pretend nobody’s around.
I lived in this bit of a rough neighbourhood for a while, and I discovered that looking down, hurrying up or eye contact can sometimes get you in trouble, especially at night. I learned a few things about how people can sniff out fear and nervousness, and use this to this day to hide my own inadequacy at social play. Lame, but useful.
As I say it’s just a mask. In the rare times that my defenses are broken through, I never know how to react or what to do, and therefore my weakness is exposed.

I usually avoid people, & look away from them. I also tend to get tensed up.

If either of my girlfriends don’t like a persons vibes, they shove me away from the person.

I don’t necessarily make eye contact, but instead I look at their forehead. you don’t know how many of those baldies polish their head ;)