People Watching: the Great Human Hobby

cc photo By Andrew Bowden from London, United Kingdon; titled: "People watching stuff"

Get your fix today!

We all love to people watch. It is programmed into our brains. When we watch others we are reading social cues that would have been important to our earliest ancestors. We have the ability to learn a lot of information about those around of us simply by watching them. You can perceive moods, relationships, statuses, events.

For example, I think celebrity obsession is just a manifestation of an instinctual need to monitor hierarchies and social relationships. We fulfill our base social needs through people watching, and celebrity obsession is just another form of people watching. Just like with monkeys, it would have been and is still beneficial to watch others. Man is an innately social creature. Sure there are people who just want to be left alone, but as a species we need social interactions.

You have to admit that there is something almost meditative about watching people. There is a reason why window tables are prime locations in restaurants. If you are able to watch people walking by, you receive added entertainment and pleasure with your meal.

People watching is cathartic. It's as if you can experience multiple lives in those moments of watchfulness. Watching children smile and run around, as their parents proudly watch their little sprouts. Admiring an elderly couple's time tested love on display. Witnessing how other people interact with the world and others. I believe that the act of people watching is beneficial to one's being. When you people watch you are almost exercising and expanding your abilities for empathy. To truly get the full experience of people watching, you need to put yourselves in the other people's shoes, whether you can relate to them or not. This improves interpersonal understanding. People watching is an extra perceptive form of visual listening. It takes time, skill, and patience, but I believe that it is worth it.

Don't go stalking people, but do take a moment here or there to appreciate those around you. Get a tangible feel for the fabric of our society which is woven in people, lives, interactions. Go step out into the world with your inner eye truly open to those around you and feel the benefits that you will reap within and that you will sow back into the community with your heightened awareness.