But They Think I'm An Alien

:) back atcha!

I have the same problem. But mostly people just stop and stare at me like they've never seen anything like me before in their life. Makes me wonder what they see

I don't always smile at strangers, but when I do, I've been lucky to have them smile back. I think it just catches some people off guard. People aren't used to it, so some react kinda negatively. Just keep doing what you do....keep smiling! :-)

I've made it my new year resolution to smile and greet just about everyone I meet and encounter. So far so good. People smile back at me and greet me and I have random conversations with people all the time...at the grocery store, in lines while waiting, at work etc... I get a positive response from most people. Maybe its working for me because I don't expect people to respond negatively IDK. And if they don't smile or say anything back it doesn't bother me.

poeple can be mean sometimes..............but i would smile at you back

I would definitely smile back. I like smiling at people and sending "good vibes" about.

I can never win. I smile and I'm glared at. I don't and strangers ask me why I look so sad or angry. Can't win so I quit trying. Now, I glare at everyone.

did you stop smiling at people?

I have to comment, you are so spot on!!

I lived in London for 30 years, when I first moved there from the friendly provinces yes, I smiled and got those looks reserved for aliens and idiots. That changed when I got a dog, mind you, and when I had children, then people do smile at you. Now I am away again in a far province and I can smile again.

Be careful though smiling in smileless places, some idiots see it as a sexual advance...

Great write up! I feel the same way, lol. I smile at everyone and get so (mad inside) when they don't smile back :) I feel some people, well a lot of people, are just very unhappy.

I say hello to strangers. Sometimes. they say hello back. You get a nice warm "fuzzy" feeling.

Oh I get the same thing! some of them even give you a dirty look. Don't stop smiling we don't want to turn into them :)

Ahh... If only When i smile at strangers they would think i was an alien! If only... you think that bcauz ppl look @ u weirdly when you smilke is beacauze they think you r weird..... no no darling!! When u smile @ ppl they envy u1 they couldnt even make an effort to smile at someone cauz they are fmile can make a difference... when u smile @ full of prblms & **** in their life. u may have the same issues but @ least u r able to smile @ someone.... when u do to a person who thinks u r atracctive they think u like them too... when you smile at an old person u might be the last person they see smiling... when u smile to a stranger u dnk but u make their day... (sometimes @ Least :P )...

when i smile to ppl especcially men or boys my own age everybody thinks im hittin' on them! =.=

when i smile @ girls they think i wanna get close to them for interest! it is a Effed up world and ur smile could of have just made somebodys day!!!!!

With <3 from NNC!

Ahh... If only When i smile at strangers they would think i was an alien! If only... you think that bcauz ppl look @ u weirdly when you smilke is beacauze they think you r weird..... no no darling!! When u smile @ ppl they envy u1 they couldnt even make an effort to smile at someone cauz they are fmile can make a difference... when u smile @ full of prblms & **** in their life. u may have the same issues but @ least u r able to smile @ someone.... when u do to a person who thinks u r atracctive they think u like them too... when you smile at an old person u might be the last person they see smiling... when u smile to a stranger u dnk but u make their day... (sometimes @ Least :P )...

when i smile to ppl especcially men or boys my own age everybody thinks im hittin' on them! =.=

when i smile @ girls they think i wanna get close to them for interest! it is a Effed up world and ur smile could of have just made somebodys day!!!!!

With <3 from NNC!

a smile for you, stranger:) I Love doing such...

I know exactly what you mean. If I am in the city, I rarely get eye contact, let alone manage to exchange smiles. I think it might be a 'sense of community' thing - I find that there are some places where people arent afraid to look you in the eye and smile back.

I experience the same thing! I automatically/usually smile at people.. You never know how hard people's day have been and a smile might just make it better! Or maybe not, but... It's just polite to do so. (And to mention: I live in Denmark) Many will return the smile, but, many wont! And those who don't, give me the strangest look.

I try to maintain my face in a relaxed half smile at all times. this makes me more approachable by people in need. for instance, recently in a crowd, a stranger walked up to me and asked for help. He said he was dizzy and asked it I had any candy or gum in my purse. As luck would have it (I guess), I am a diabetic and always keep a Glucerna bar in my purse. It's a type of bar that helps stabilize blood sugar. I gave it to him and then stayed by his side for a while until he felt better.

i have horrified multiple friends who accompanied me by smiling at and beginning conversations with complete strangers all the time. i thought everyone did it until some of my friends told me that no everyone most certainly does not do it. well, i always have, and i will continue to. if you treat people like friends, then 9 times out of 10 they will be friends, just be careful of that other one, it is probably trying to pick your pocket. consider an encounter with another person like a game of rock paper scissors or 1,2,3... shoot --- it is like that (but more complicated but you get the idea) you both go into it holding some part of the encounter. if you are holding a smile, then maybe you can see what they are holding for a smiling person. but if you are not smiling you would never see that. i have occasionally thought when i am feeling lustful that i would welcome it if complete strangers would pull down my pants and blow me off. what card do i have to hold to get that to happen lol? life is a complicated game. but it is easier if you smile. then when i went to a new school and smiled at random people there it was like everyone hated me for it (then they called me smiley). there are some people who just are not into seeing happy people (achievement oriented cultures etc, the school only rewarded quote unquote achievement and i still havent learned what the hell that is other than something that someone else wants from you and is trying to get you to do for them in exchange for a pat on the back or some money) i guess they think something else besides happiness itself will be even better than that. lol who knows.

maybe you have a naughty smile (???)

I smile and say hello sometimes. I'm in TX, and I get weird looks back. Is it racism, or am I not speaking loud enough. I'm shy, and may not be as open as I think I am.

I love it when strangers smile at me. Although sometimes im caught off guard and dont have time to smile back, maybe thats your problem

I love it when strangers smile at me. Although sometimes im caught off guard and dont have time to smile back, maybe thats your problem

Awe, everyone is making me smile. I am so glad there are people who think like I do. I like to smile at people and once in a while ,someone smiles back and it just makes my day. So what if a lot of people are missing out, that's their bag.

never stop smiling!

when im walking home from school, i always want to smile at the people on the street, but i feel that my smile is ugly and awkward.

i love it when someone smiles at me first, or holds open a door for me while smiling!! (live in a building, always holding doors open or running to someone holding a door waiting for me)

there need to be more poeple like you in the world :)

Never take those reactions as personal. Allow me to give a clear example:



When visiting London for the first time many years ago, I was taken aback by the fact that almost all Londoners never look anyone in the eye or even toward another, either on the street or on a train.



Yet, if I needed directions or information and stopped anyone on the street, I was given full and polite attention. Once, a businessman even went out of his way to guide me two blocks away to find an office.



I learned that, partly because it's a relatively small island, that residents traditionally are very sensitive to another's privacy. To look anyone in the eye, or even smile at a stranger, is considered bad manners.



Here in the U.S. within the past few decades, many people are wary of others. We have become even more of a multi-cultural society. Unfortunately, that means many people we don't know can be dangerous.



It is no longer a good idea to smile at people in most public areas if we don't know them. However, if you are in a church area - as an example of the exceptions - smiling at those you don't know is considered completely appropriate. There, you will almost always be returned with a smile of appreciation for your attention.

Well to some its weird. Well it depends on the place where your doing it. and the culture too (not the country, but the people in that particular community i.e. school, workplace, or maybe city)



For now i see it, people i know see it rude ignore people greeting them.

just smile, and smile back at them

"I've heard that people who live down south are more friendly than in the people in the north."



That was more true 30 or so years ago than it is now. Southern hospitality has followed the rest of the world and packed her bags and left. She was replaced by this shell people have around them. The shell has been worn for so long, it's started to fuse with the person within it.

OH MY GOSH.....I thought I was the only one....I am a server and at work sometimes all day long the people I deal with look at me with that ALIEN look. It drives me nuts. My coworkers laugh at me because ask them...what wrong....why are these people staring at me like that.......