TRY this when People STARE to INTIMIDATE YOU… SIMPLE HACK Avoids Street Fights 

I have a glass eye, if someone stares and me I take it out and polish it.

Within 90 seconds of watching this you have proven the exact point that I've been trying to make for years. Ignoring bullies/thugs can actually make it worse. For years I was told as a kid "just ignore them and they'll get bored and find someone else to intimidate". This simply is not the case. The world is a scary place and it saddens me there's no such thing as 1 on 1 anymore. You've always got gangs of people on one person. Cowards, all of them.

As a 60 year old man with a full set of whiskers who used to catch the train home from the city at night, I used to use 2 strategies - Either give them a slight nod (if I knew I would be in trouble if something started) to indicate we were equals or blink while I looked away (when I thought I had their measure) to indicate they weren't a threat to me. Both strategies worked for me. And on the rare occasion someone DID hit me with the old "what are you looking at", I'd reply "You look like one of my friend's kids, he's a tough unit too". Never had a problem.

Great advice. To add to this, a simple, short and respectful nod goes a long way, too. If you're showing someone respect without giving them too much focus, it creates a sense of humanity and a chill, comfortable vibe. It's also almost like a subtle compliment, in that it insinuates an acknowledgment of the other person's value, while also acknowledging your own value. We do call it "the bro nod" here in the US, but I've done it to ladies as well, and had ladies do so to me at times. Definitely breaks or prevents any potential awkwardness or tension, in my experience. And it seems to work every time.

In the USA we call it the "bro nod". You're out and you see a guy looking at you when you look at him. You give a very slight nod and look away. This is a simple way of acknowledging their presence, not ignoring, not antagonizing, then go about your business. Not a big nod, just a slight dip of the chin while looking directly in their eyes then look away and move on. Has got me through many, many years of living in Detroit and Los Angeles without any problems.

3:09 "You learn to fight so you don't have to fight"... Timeless wisdom.

People who stare in order to intimidate are universally despised. It's a behavior that is not tolerated. It is a lesson most people learn early in their lives, others will not understand until they end up in prison or dead.

My go-to is the head nod with the thin lipped smile, like how you'd acknowledge someone at work. Polite, civil, calm energy without giving someone a huge reaction will throw off a lot of people and make them think "why am I messing with this person?"

Step 1: Hold the stare 1 second to show them that you see them. Step 2: Nod. Optionally smile. Step 3: Look back in the direction you are headed at a leisurely pace. Don't look down, and don't look away fast. Step 4: Keep them and anyone with them in your peripheral vision until you're out of range. Keeps you from looking like a target while also not challenging them.

"Do not stare into the eyes of your opponent: he may mesmerize you. Do not fix your gaze on his sword: he may intimidate you. Do not focus on your opponent at all: he may absorb your energy. The essence of training is to bring your opponent completely into your sphere. Then you can stand where you like." - Morihei Ueshiba

I’m a woman, I realize it’s different dynamics btwn males, but I’ve experienced this situation plenty of times with hostile people I come across every so often. I also have some experience in bad neighborhoods canvassing for campaigns, volunteering, and also living downtown. I find it works best just to do a head nod with a relaxed or neutral face expression, always diffuses the situation perfectly.

One thing I learned that they didn’t mention here. Is when it’s time to look away, DO NOT look down and away. This signals weakness, and gives the other a sense that they are better than you. Instead, keep an even level of view, and look towards another person, or anywhere that is not down.

When people stare at me, I get nervous and fart…usually that diffuses scary encounters.

"Don't look away because that shows weakness .... how we deal with this is by um .... looking away". Great hack. Thanks for that.

I think it is important to acknowledge that you realize they are staring at you but you don't want to turn it into a contest. I give them a quick glance directly in the eyes without changing my expression then return my attention to whatever/whoever I was looking at before. This shows neither fear nor aggression but lets them know "I am monitoring the situation mate". Of course, some people are looking for a punch-up. I think that the brief and direct eye contact lets these people know that maybe you know how to handle yourself in a fight and you aren't an easy target.

I accidentally locked eye contact with a guy on the street. He looked at me, I looked back, suddenly he's asking what's my problem. I just said "Sorry mate, you look like an old friend of mine" and kept on walking... It's just silly how stuff escalates because we looked the wrong way

Smile, wave, and ask, “Did you go to Uni with me? I haven’t seen you in years!”

Good timing. Earlier today, I got stared at by an old high school bully, let's just call her "Bernadette." I looked in her direction, then carried on about my business, meanwhile I could see out the corner of my eye Bern opening her mouth wide like she was trying to catch a fly. I laughed internally and it made my day. She inspired a character of mine; writing is cathartic and has helped me heal from the trauma having been verbally abused by her a good chunk of my life.

00:55 🔍 Eye contact in a stare-down can provoke or escalate a confrontation. 01:53 👁 Glance at someone to acknowledge their presence without escalating the situation. 02:35 🤔 Intent matters: Looking away diminishes their importance, not engaging in an ego battle. 03:43 💪 Confidence is key; acknowledge presence without needing to prove oneself. 04:11 🔄 Maintain situational awareness without engaging, preventing surprise attacks. 05:08 🚶‍♂ Acknowledge without engaging in an ego battle; it's about control, notdominance.

You guys have overcomplicated this. Simple strategy: look, acknowledge with head tilt and closed mouth smile and move on. This has worked for me 99.9% of the time even with groups wanting trouble. The only time it went further I said I had to look after my grandma and she was expecting me. My dad taught me this. There is always the chance you catch one of the bullies alone one day (pre-cctv!). Dad told me a story about when he was in in the forces in the late 50s and was surrounded in a bar. One of the group poured dad's drink over him and asked what he was going to do. My dad looked downbeat and said he would have to go home as he had no money left. The group ended up buying his drinks for the rest of the night!

Great video here. I’ve found a 100% rate with looking in their general direction, but never locking eyes. Also, if you’re walking down the street/down a hallway/through a room - walk with intent, like you’ve got somewhere to be. Even drunks will get thrown off, because they’re waiting for that moment of acknowledgment. Keep them in your peripherals, but never connect eyes. They’ll wait... and wait... and wait.

I like that, you really don't have a desire to fight when you've self improved enough, said it better than I could.

I smile back as if it's pay day, nod and move about my day. Love wins every battle.

Yes, that exactly. I became SO confident when I learned to fight, because I knew then that anyone so hot headed enough to randomly start a fight could never have the patience to go through the training I had.

Cats have an interesting natural response to this: They look back at you, in full eye-contact... Then briefly, but casually, close their eyes... And then -- upon opening their eyes -- they are looking elsewhere... but still with you in their peripheral range of vision. ...and they casually walk away -- in the direction of their redirected gaze.

This is a great talking point. What I’ve learned in my experiences is to make an initial direct eye contact, yet rather than just “looking away” I purposely scan the environment (both for potential aligned threats-and and display of situational awareness).. it’s also about HOW you look away. It’s easy to spot someone doing so with confidence (vs) fear or intimidation. Also you can orient your body and movements to convey both perceived awareness- and a genuine peripheral awareness.

When locked in eye contact with someone you can directly effect their operational frequency. The energy you radiate effects them. If you are afraid, you will emanate fear, that can trigger an attack. If you are happy you will radiate happiness. That can diffuse an attack. That may be hard to do in the situation, but if instead of being defensive, or offensive, be friendly. You can say, "sorry to stare bro, but you look like someone I know, a friend from back in school. Is your name Jay?" Crack a joke. Start singing a fun song. Ask for directions. Or whatever you can to break tension and create a "friendly" vibe. Redirect the conversation and the energy. These situations are governed by emotions, not intellect. Emotions are stored in our electromagnetic field. The true art of alchemy is being able to change energetic states from one frequency to another. Your mind is a frequency generator. Think about happy stuff and you will tune in to the happy frequency. Think about things that scare you and you are in the fear frequency. And you radiate that energy up to 6 feet from you in your biofield. People can feel it and you can effect their frequency as well. If you are not in control of your energy, someone can control you as well. The stronger signal will overpower the weaker signal. So be the master of your own force field. Or you will be a slave to it.

What I typically do, I just nod my head. It shows them you notice them. But you’re not there to stare them down. It allows a break away. But it also shows them the respect. As in I see you, I recognize you, And we’re not a threat to each other and carry on.

In my humble opinion, what also matters a great deal when you look away is where you look. If you lock eyes with someone who is sizing you up for a potential confrontation the worse thing you can do when looking away is look down. This is a sign of weakness and could actually encourage the other person to continue the confrontation because they feel they already have you beat. Rather than looking down, look to the side at the same eye level while also keeping the subject in your peripheral vision. This has been proven to me to be a good way of disengaging without appearing weak and still keeping your situational awareness.

Thanks for making this video and I have had simular experiences. Its typical to school yard bullying and the mentality with that type of behaviour. The difference when its adults behaving in this way, then you have some dangerous adults because I have experienced the behavior as childlike but don't mistake it as the same. Its either they have been born that way in development and they see themselves to be highier than anyone else, or its to do with their ability to build themselves and they need need the validation by feeding on the weakness from others. Its difficult to know how to act in this situation but I would say don't look at them with eye to eye contact or directly at them. The best way is look above them and gather as much information as possible. They don't like 'backlash' or anything that will shatter their fragile ego. Its a power drive for them to make others afraid or intimedated and if by keeping control and not reacting to their signals, this is sending a message claiming power back. They often don't like retaliation and that can come in many forms, doesn't have to be direct. Thanks for making such an educating video.

Great job on fleshing out how things often play out in real life. Your take meshes with the messages in Rory Miller's book "Facing Violence". Valuable info, as there are indeed causes & effect. 🤙🏽

Whenever someone's tried this with me, I smile and nod my head and say "hi" then look away. It's actually quite hard to start a confrontation with someone who is being friendly to you.

“When a bully gets bullied he folds every time” -Tyson fury

This video gave me one more reason to avoid being around people.

This is so refreshing to see and hear, and is something I've said this for years. Eye contact within the human species is meant to instil trust. The truth is that in every species it is seen as a challenge or threat.

I went thru something like this where I was staring cause I thought he was someone I knew. He walked towards me saying you got a problem. I simply said you look like someone I went to school with then named the person and the school. He stopped in his tracks and said he was his cousin. We had a good convo.

My overall tactic has been to keep the eye contact brief, never stop moving, don't stand still. My eyes will make contact, but because I'm on the move, I will shift my gaze in a manner of I confidently have a place to go, and that this small moment is not worth my time. It's important to stay alert if you're walking close to this person, though, cause you don't know if they will make sudden movements towards you.

There are great lessons! I have used them in the gym - I have seen improvement in the ring - this has helped me get over the fear and engage!

I grew up in the CAS in canada, people picked on me because I was poor and had no parents and lived with foster parents. I started to fight because I was sick of being picked on. The eyes and body language tells me everything about the person and situation. As I've become older, I understand how important these lessons have become. I don't fear most men because I know my abilities. But I also fear the odd man because I know my abilities aren't on his level.... Brilliant stuff, guys. There is so much hidden knowledge in fighting....

A nod, a smile, a quick "hey, how ya doin?", and carry on your business. Sends a powerful, but non-threatening message. De-escalate, everybody goes home happy.

Something I do when I get into a stare-down with someone, which happens relatively commonly (I have a bad habit of looking at everyone's eyes) is I stare for a brief second, then nod my head in approval; to this date, all it has resulted in is a nod in approval back, tension in the room decreasing, and sometimes even an approach, smile, and banter at the bar. Anyone else share this experience?

I’ve only watched a couple videos on this channel so far but everything matches my experiences, pleasantly surprised by the accurate advice. 👍👍

I just start crying and then they feel real bad.

I get in this situation occasionally and I know exactly what he's saying about "glancing" at them and then looking away. I've done exactly this with those people many times and it absolutely works. I usually have other things on my mind as I'm in a store shopping or out in public where these things tend to happen. One thing I add to this is, I also make sure to not wander away from them in my browsing, but actually will wander towards them on purpose as I'm looking around no longer paying any mind to them. This further adds to the psychology of it that they know you've "seen" them staring at you, not only do you not care, but you're even moving in their direction so you're not just pretending not to care either. After a certain period of time passes, they realize that the more they continue their attempt to enter into this "game" the more dumb they feel and possibly appear to me and others around them. They'll give up quickly and be on their way. They may even mosey past you and you two will engage in some sort of "excuse me" scenario, (still be sure that you're mind is in other places and interacting with them is almost an afterthought) and when/if this happens, be sure to maintain your level of confidence and assertiveness with them. By this time for them to actually start conflict they would be so far out of a social norm that they would feel way too dumb in doing so. It's hard to explain in text so I hope I made some sense, lol.

I work at a prison, as a non-uniform officer, and I get hard looks all the time especially by new inmates. I found that when we're walking towards each other, I give a slight nod, and a smile. It's really nice to see their face go from a concrete tough look, to a friendly nod, and smile.

I have loved seeing the vids you create and help people become aware and empowered I like the ways you describe how to be a bit more streetsmart

I learned through my dogs how eye contact works. You can look at someone but the way you redirect your gaze is underrated to us. With dogs, you can tell how they communicate through this body language.

I agree with your advice totally. When I used to work the door as a bouncer at several bars, I used that technique all the time and it worked most of the time. But when someone feels the need to test you, all you can do is expect and be ready for the inevitable. Keep them in your peripheral, but do not engage them visually. Let them do what they feel they must and be ready for the sucker punch. My friend (the bar owner) got stabbed making that mistake. If he had kept focused on his peripheral, he'd have seen it coming.

The moment someone stares at you unreasonably , THEY are the ones who are making it very clear they want to start something.

47 now so hopefully that is behind me, but during my 20’s I had to deal with this a few times. As others have commented, a quick bit of eye contact to acknowedge, little tilt of the head and smile, then keep in peripheral vision worked a treat. I had refined my black belt in taekwondo through a few scraps on the street, so I’m sure I would have carried myself ok but not being a big bloke I’m sure I didn’t look a threat.

incredible, so important lessons, I was struggling to understand the approach in such situations for my whole life))

Here’s the trick. Don’t focus on your actions, focus on your attitude. Act as if it is not a big deal and they don’t really pose a threat to you. Then you would neither going to appear as someone who is challenging them nor as a victim. Act like you’ve got more important things to think about at the moment.

“What the f**k are you looking at?” “How many guesses do I get?” The expression on his face as what I said sank in made waking up in hospital well worth it.

Yeah I definitely agree, very good advice!

Sometimes a simple nod can break the tension but that really is situation dependant.

That's why I don't walk around putting my eyes on people's heads, to avoid eye contact, I'm really confident in my combat skills since I'm trained but I don't like to fight in public. So be a bigger man and avoid unnecessary fights.

My own experience of being jumped by multiple people half a dozen times in my early twenties, is that looking at the person without fear but without anger and offering a genuine smile and incline of the head or even a very slight wave can disarm the entire situation. I've had people admit to me after the fact that they had plans to hurt me bad and rob me. But they didn't simply because I surprised them with my visual response. Not the right move in every situation but more applicable than you may think.

good advice. I find a slight head nod before looking away can help too. its the acknowledgement mixed with a good faith gesture of agreement, as well as confidence. ultimately if someone is trying to start something, never engage them on that level. As a former Bus driver people would take their frustrations out on me all day long. I learned that if you dont take it personally just stay calm, logical, but still firm they usually dont maintain that heightened level of aggression. I've even had strangers try to be my friend after going off on me lol.

I agree with everything they said- so true! I’ve been there!

Interesting. About 2 weeks ago, I was out at a bar, and there was this one guy wandering around the place with a few drinks in him and a surly attitude. He was a bit shorter than me (and I'm only about 5'8 myself) and leaner than me. But you could tell he was fit. And he was clearly looking to start trouble. I was sitting by myself watching a screen showing horse races and having a punt. Anyway, he walked past me a few times and everytime he'd walk past, he'd eyeball me. The first time I saw it, and didn't react. But I could tell he was looking for trouble. I simply looked at him, then turned my focus back to the screen showing the races. All the while I kept him in my peripheral vision to make sure I didn't let him sucker punch me. He walked by again and eyeballed me again. This time I gave him an acknowledging nod, and then returned my focus to the tv screen. Shortly after, a friend happened to come and sit down to have a punt on the races as well, and we started having a conversation. Then old mate walks past a third time and eyeballs me again. Same thing, I look briefly, then shift my focus back to my friend as we continue our conversation. He walked by a fourth time...same shit. This guy was clearly looking for a fight and I wasn't giving him any action. Afterwards, he walks over to a group of friends sitting at another table in front of me and began a conversation with them. I was able to deduce that this guy was semi regular at that pub, and that the regulars can't stand him and think he's a wanker. Shortly after, he says he's going home, picks up an empty schooner of beer (with a few mls at the bottom of it), turns it upside down and places it down on the table causing the remaining beer to spill over. He paused for a few moments, then again bid farewell and walked away. He looked rather dejected as he left. Once he was gone, I overheard that that group of friends talking among themselves. And it seems they have dealt with this guy's antics before. One turned the other and said "Look, I know he's one of your mates, but I can't fucking stand him. He's a dickhead." Some people are just plain fucked in the head. Very insecure. And that giy fit the profile to a tee.

My mother was a tomboy & got into a lot of fights as a kid. Her stock answer to "What are you looking at?" was "Not much." She had a lot of nerve.

This is amazing. I gave my younger brother basically this same advice when driving. Like, you have to know how to see people, without it being "a thing".

tbh, when someone decide to stare at you for that reason. they know in their heart that they're going to take you. it's not your decision to make. but when someone is dehumanize you. it's not a matter of being nice. they're clearly don't care about you. or using you as handicap. being nice is good, but for some people it makes you a target. don't make yourself a target of their attention seeking.

I just make eye contact, keep good straight posture, give a "hello" nod, and then look away. That way you're validating and being friendly at the same time. If you're being friendly, the other guy will probably feel friendlier toward you. Not only that, you are absolutely sending the message that you're not intimidated in the slightest.

I actually went bold and bought two guys that eyeballing me hard at the club 2 beers each and walked up to each of them and handed them to each of them. They were so surprised by my boldness and the gesture that we actually sat down and had drinks together for about 2 hours. They said I looked like someone they’ve been looking for but they respected my balls!

I actually did this the other day properly I'm glad to hear

Love this man he can kick ass but yet he don’t bully intimidate people he helps people wish everyone was like him this world would be a great place

This is what I have learned growing up in a sort of rough neighborhood. A lot of times you avoid being a victim just by your posture, keeping your head up with confidence, walking straight as if you’re about to handle business. Also when I feel that someone could possibly be shady I lock eyes with them and stare at them back showing them that I’m not someone they’ll easily bully or are afraid of.

99% is how you carry yourself, and this advice is right on. It shows awareness and preparedness in a subtle and matter-of-fact way without engaging. Maintain the attitude that you know something about what you can do they don't, even if it's just knowing how easy it is for one with basic skills to dislocate a knee or sweep an attacker's feet out from under them. Those types are looking for easy targets, and the last thing they want is to become a meme millions of people laugh at.

Every single situation is different, no two people are the same. In some situations I've experienced that if I caught someone's eye and they stare back at me then usually I just try to pretend that it didn't mean anything and just try to carry on going on my way, while secretly trying to be aware if they're following me without them noticing me looking back . I've been lucky enough not to be bothered with. Usually I try to avoid certain areas if I know it's rough even if it means going the long way around to my destination , But not everyone has that luxury if they live in a rough area.

Great video as always. Cheers.

I usually give people a quick, friendly “what’s up” head nod, then go back to whatever I was doing. Works well in the Midwest. Worst that has ever come of it is it’s taken as an invitation to polite conversation with crazy person.

This is exactly what I did growing up in a rough neighbourhood. I never found nodding to be effective like some are saying in here. Nodding gets tricky cause the way you nod can imply a hierarchy and they don't want to think that you think you're even their equal. Glance, look just away a bit, no smiles, no recognition, keep going, let them decide if you're worth the trouble.

Nah... This has happened to me dozens of times in my life. Hold your ground and don't just look at their eyes. Look through them and get as cold as you possibly can. Keep your chest up and your nerves in check. Your jaw is also important. Make sure it looks strong and confident. If it's a group, focus on the leader of the group because 9/10 times if he backs down or falls (assuming it goes to a fight) then the rest will be in shock and flight will occur. Also, don't be in the wrong place at the wrong time as much as possible.

“It is better to be a warrior in a garden, than a gardener in a war.” ― Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of Five Rings

When someone stare to intimidate me I just smile and nod at them and try to say something nice, for example "good morning". Works everytime for me 🤣

Another tactic... look straight to the ground, casually walk directly towards him (or her)... Double-leg takedown to full mount. Jaw-removing elbow to the chin... flip 'em over, take the back... rear-naked choke while whispering in their ear... "is this what you wanted, sweetheart?" Release the strangle when they go limp.

I feel like the best thing you can do with people who have an intent to intimidate is to remain mysterious. On the surface that sounds shallow but to be mysterious is to essentially make it so that the person isn't able to figure you out. While staying mysterious can be important, the most important factor of that which should dominate that is above all remaining confident, yet passive. Maybe you're shitting bricks inside, but if you act confident, it will have an effect on their behaviour. Realistically, unless you're dealing with a pure nutjob who just wants to hurt somebody with nothing to lose, most people will only want to engage with somebody verbally or physically if they are showing signs of being timid or submissive, yet at the same time will likely become hostile if you do the opposite and become aggressive and dominant. In situations with groups this can change, I think all around the best thing you can do if you don't believe you have the capability to seriously hurt all of them by yourself and to pose a serious threat, is to defuse the situation with remaining calm and confident, show them you are not afraid and that they do not phase you, but not in a cocky way. Most people fear the unknown. That mysteriousness causes a level of fear, they don't know what you're capable of. In a situation where they don't back down no matter what, your best bet is to get away from the situation and to flee.

As someone with a bad vision, locking eyes with people is actually hard for me in most situations as my eyes need a good lighting condition and close to a stationery object to focus clearly on small things like eyeballs. This condition has forced me to always do a sweeping glance whenever I walk across someone cos I can't clearly read someone's intent through their eyes. I focus more on their body language, vibe and surroundings. Now that I see this video, I guess I was unknowingly doing the right thing. My sweeping glance probably makes the other person know that I'm someone who is alert of their surroundings. I didn't lock eyes (since I can't) so there's no challenge to their ego either. On top of that, I always had a clean military hair cut my whole life, tend to walk fast, often with a serious poker face and a decent fitness level. All that combined likely gives an impression of someone that would be a hassle to mess with. Till date, I've never had anyone pick a fight with me. Well, I did get into fights in my school days and got my share of being bullied. All that said, the best strategy imho is to avoid. Due to my vision issues, I've been forced to experience the harsher side of life at an early age and learned to avoid places and roads with potential dangers. It's almost an instinct by now- how I dress, my gait, the time I commute and the routes I pick. Like choosing wider roads and highways over narrow alleyways even if that means I have to go the longer route. Also, risking injury or death over ego makes no sense to me. Got too many more important things to live for. And if it ever comes down to it, I will simply run. As someone who loves long distance running, they better be pretty good if they want to catch me haha. Jokes aside, I'm planning to get into bjj soon as another safety net as well.

As a Brazilian guy from Rio de Janeiro i know very well these situations. The thing that always saved me many time even from guys that swore to kill me, because they just didn't liked me, was to have a good talk, show confidence without trying to be aggressive, or showing to be a threat to them. You need to understand and recognise their background and to talk like them, ask them how things are going, sometimes be some sort of generous, offer some cigarettes. The cigarette part i didn't smoked at all, but it always was some sort of leverage or currency to gain their empathy offering them to smoke and light it. Doing this i got a lot of respect from this though guys, that anytime happened that someone from my barrios, the tipical wealthy guys wanted to do something to me, this though guys always came to my help. This is how i survived as a teenager in Rio de Janeiro and other very Violent part in Brazil. You need to be nice, to them making some non offensive jokes, and show that you are not superior to them. I think there's so much discrimination and etc, that they feel threatened, and start this ego Battle to show that they are the bosses and the area. The non confrontation is the best weapon.

When walking past someone who is staring at you, say “alright mate” and ask them how they are, works every time

I found that the simplest method to avoid a confrontation from being stared at (which is just strange in general lol) is by staring back and just nodding your head. If I catch someone staring at me in an intimidating manner, I will majority of the time, just look back into their eyes and then just give a small head-nod, basically saying, "Hey I acknowledge you staring at me, I am not nervous or scared or intimidated and this head nod is to make you aware of that in a respectful manner so that this does not escalate". then whether they nod back which happens 99% of the time, I go about my day, if they don't I just assume they are day dreaming and still go about my day. The reason I still go about my day regardless, is because in their head, they will recognize I am unbothered and start to second guess if they are intimidating, then will become puzzled by why I wasn't intimidated. For some people, especially those who are looking for a power trip, sometimes using psychology to outsmart them is the best method. It will leave them thinking about it and you will be in their head rent free, all-the-while, enjoying your day and not falling into stupidity and immaturity.

I've found that a (genuine) smile and a nod works wonders. The gesture just exudes confidence, because it shows that you consider them zero threat, but at the same time it's a non-escalating one.

Gotta pick your battles. Knowing when to quit and quitting are 2 different things

Always find it strange when someone feels the need to stare at you, i think it shows insecurity in their own masculinity. You can look at people in the eyes but to stare intentionally longer than usual is just indicative of your own need for validation. You know what i mean? i don't think confident people are fixated in always trying to dominate people, they just are. I always come across someone trying to ''challenge'' me in a sense but they would be like a foot shorter and overweight, i don't have to stare at you to show my dominance i just am, so weird

Thats crazy, because this is what ive always done in tense situations like this. Just give a friendly nod and move on like normal after all the training ive had throughout the years

I work as a support professional with clients with mental illness. When I first started, one client tried staring me down. Given the situation, I simply returned his stare with a compassionate smile- briefly, then I would return to my work, then smile back again, and repeat until he went on his way. For me it wasn't really an ego battle or a power struggle, I was just doing my job. The client never became my best friend, but he never tried to intimidate me again.

I think the answer is quiet simple... Somebody stares a you, just totally ignore him. The guy don't have a life, you do, just ignore him... He maybe some punk with nothing to loose looking for action. But I do not have time to entertain him, I have a life and while he stares at people to feel strong, I move along with my life and imagine that guy looking at himself in the mirror and saying to himself "iam a looser"... Cheers

I don't know why RU-vid suggested this but I like it! I lived with an abusive mother who ironically taught me to stand up for myself and show no fear. I have had plenty of confrontations in my life, and walked the streets of the South Side of Chicago at night and not one situation ever turned physical. In fact, I typically make friends with everyone or at the very least, remain cordial. I can see now what I might be doing right. I can completely agree with this video. I don't just look away though, because where you look matters. Never look down to the ground or down in any way, not even sideways. Turn the head and look left and slightly up, like looking around, then glance back over at them and make eye contact again. For some reason, they usually break eye contact and put their head down. If I need to walk toward them (say they're in the direction I'm walking), I will put my right hand in my pocket (where my pocket knife or pepper spray is) and genuinely smile, make eye contact, and say "What's up?" or "How you doin?" in a friendly way. If I see them again later, they either apologize to me or start acting nice. I'm a small woman, but this has worked with any size, either gender all over Chicago.

Looking away is a lifesaver.

I feel like I've always done this naturally and didn't know that this didn't come naturally to people. Just recently I was sitting next to a guy on a train and I think he'd had a bit too much to drink, and kept staring at me very awkwardly, and I did exactly this... acknowledged but then dropped it. This suddenly makes a lot of sense how things escalate for other people. Acknowledge but don't reciprocate. And "you are the alpha" is an interesting phrase because I've never thought of it that way (in 44 years) until now. So, thank you for this enlightening experience into the psychology of how the escalation happens for other people.

I find a small nod works wonders. You've made eye contact, you've let them know you've seen them, but your reaction is respectful, friendly, and non-confrontational-- not what they're looking for at all. Takes the wind right out of their sails.

Another tactic is to look into their eyes for a brief moment then to take the vision down from the eyes slowly and controlled to their feet and then look away. It lowers the energy. Found it to be incredibly effective.

Great stuff guys! Bravo! The solution is of course, growing up and just not looking at people directly. Or just wearing sunglasses... But you already knew that, since your adults creating bait for insecure teenagers.

Weird… I do this already, great stuff 👌🏾

In my experience, as a woman, I have to stare back just as hard and answer anything they say calmly and politely. While locking on their eyes just as hard. They are looking for an easy target.

Keep in mind, none of these rules apply when people have psychosis. They see what they want to see AND see things that aren't there.

This guy always has loads of advice of what to do in street fights, not bad for someone who has never had a fight in his life.

Simple hack, learn martial arts for decades. Thanks for that.

I just smile slightly, nod, and keep moving. Smiling conveys acknowledgement, non-aggression, and confidence. The nod is acceptance or approval. By continuing to move on your way, you're signifying that no conflict is expected or warranted.