{"id":12420,"date":"2016-05-04T08:30:46","date_gmt":"2016-05-04T12:30:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.fashionwithaconscience.org\/?p=12420"},"modified":"2017-07-10T19:53:33","modified_gmt":"2017-07-10T23:53:33","slug":"5-reactions-i-received-from-smiling-at-strangers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fashionwithaconscience.org\/consciousandchic\/5-reactions-i-received-from-smiling-at-strangers\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Reactions I Received From Smiling at Strangers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Smiling at strangers is normal in most US cities but in the North East it’s a rarity. How much, you ask? I thought I’d put this to the test for 30 days<\/a>.\u00a0Here are the reactions I received.<\/p>\n

1. No Eye Contact<\/strong><\/p>\n

This first group of people was really interesting because they avoided reacting to me at all cost. I could tell by their body language that they could feel my gaze upon them but refused to\u00a0look\u00a0back at me no matter how long I stared. They probably thought I was crazy. Lol.<\/p>\n

2. Awkward Smile\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The next four groups of people did engage me in some way but again their reactions were all quite intriguing. This second group, when coming face to face with my smile gave me a smile but this smile was outfitted with a giant question mark on their face as saying: “Why are we smiling? Do I know you?” They were clearly uncomfortable and often even surprised by the interaction.<\/p>\n

3. Look Away<\/strong><\/p>\n

Then, there were those who after seeing my smile\u00a0emerge immediately looked away to avoid any form of connection. As though they had seen something they were not supposed to see or got caught behaving badly. This group made me chuckle a little.<\/p>\n

4. I’m Just Going to Ignore You<\/strong><\/p>\n

This group of people was the most fascinating to me and annoying. Upon me looking them dead in the eyes and giving my most genuine smile, they were 100% unfazed. They simply ignored me. They had no reaction whatsoever. If they were looking in my direction, they continued to do so as though nothing had happened. Who does that?<\/p>\n

5. Genuine Smile<\/strong><\/p>\n

My favorite group was of course those who, in response to my smile, gave me a smile as warm and sometimes one even more generous in return. \u00a0This group of people is probably genuinely happy and content with their lives.<\/p>\n

This experiment was part of a challenge I gave myself \u00a0to do 3 unusual things for 30 days<\/a> to celebrate my birthday! It was a wild ride and I learned a lot from it.\u00a0Of course, this is only my personal opinion. I suggest you try it for yourself one day, if you don’t normally do this, and share your experience below.<\/p>\n

JOIN THE CONVERSATION:<\/strong> Do you smile at strangers?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"ginette\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Smiling at strangers is normal in most US cities but in the North East it’s a rarity. How much, you ask? I thought I’d put this to the test for 30 days.\u00a0Here are the reactions I received. 1. 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