Have You Ever Pranked Strangers Using Gaze?

[walkitout]

When I was young(er) (I don't do this anymore, I swear. Really. It's probably been years. I think), my sisters and I, and then later various friends, used to think it was hysterically funny to all stare at some point in space where there wasn't _anything_ at all, and then watch other people look there, too. Obvs, we did this in public places. Equally obvious, this is a way to exploit innate gaze following to humorous effect (if you have my sense of humor).

Have you ever done this? Were you ever the initiator? Was it funny? Why?

I've done it. I think I "learned" this as a game (likely from my cousin J.), but I definitely initiated it with other people later. It was funny because we could "make" other people do something and then they'd be all confused and not understand what had happened (har de har har -- yeah, I'm not proud of this and, like I said, I don't do this any more. Altho I can't swear I won't teach my kids to play this game.).

I assumed this was a normal childhood game that everyone played. However, I am increasingly suspicious it's actually not that normal at all. Any takers?

ETA: Apparently Milgram did this. Now I feel even more ashamed.

http://psycnet.apa.org/index.cfm?fa=search.displayRecord&uid=1970-00589-001

Comments

[ethelmay.livejournal.com]

My husband's dad used to do something like this in museums. He'd go over to an electrical panel or a fire extinguisher or something and stand and look at it for a while as if it were a piece of art. Sometimes he and B. would do this together until people started craning around to see what they were looking at, and then they'd kind of nod at each other solemnly and go somewhere else.

It always seemed to me when I was a kid that no one ever looked at what I looked at (especially if it was up in the air -- I'd be the only one looking at the plane or the swarm of birds or whatever), so no, I don't think I could have played that game.

great variation!

[walkitout]

That is _brilliant_!

I don't think I ever tried to do this by myself. I think it only works if you can get two or more people to do it -- four always seemed like a nice number when we did it as kids, but then there were four of us so we _would_ think that.