Some people have no concept of personal space. It wouldn’t bother them if you sat right next to them in a room with plenty of space, so they assume everyone is like them.
Hahaha this literally makes me enraged. That’s last time it happened I called them out and they just stuttered and I got up and moved. It’s so creepy and entitled.
Probably the reason why at a shopping mall where the parking lot is empty, except for one parked car, some person will compulsively bypass every open spot to park next to it.
On the bus as a femme presenting human, I found guys would do this pretty often to try to talk to me. Annoyed the ever loving shit out of me. On occasion I’ve had a woman do that when there were a bunch of guys on the bus but still plenty of space to sit alone, and I’ve tended to assume they were seeking a bus buddy to avoid the first situation I outlined.
Pro tip: talking to yourself on public transit tends to maintain a larger social boundary than smelling like pee. I know bc when I talk to myself in public, people sooner fill the seat next to the guy who smells like pee, than to sit next to me quietly chattering to myself. So if you want to sit alone, let out a little crazy, and people will probably keep their distance.
It’s even better, when you then scooch closer to them, like get your thighs touching. And when they look at you like you’re the weirdo, point out all the other seating options.
Best seats in a theater fill first, so seat next to you might be in good position for viewing the show.
If the show is likely to fill up, it may be “Filling the gaps” in advance so folks won’t have to push past you later to get to random empty seats.
In an area like a school cafeteria or a party at someone’s house, the person may be shy and doesn’t want to appear to be alone…and possibly hoping that a conversation may develop.
I once watched a guy get on the subway, look around at all the empty seats and decide to sit next to the homeless person who was clearly unstable. The homeless person was not polite or kind and did not seem to want the company.
We were on a Southwest flight recently that was very sparsely filled. There were whole rows empty. My wife and I both got aisle seats across from each other with our own row. Heaven right? Just as the last couple of people come down the aisle, still with empty rows, a woman motions that she wants to sit in my row. Ok . I let her in assuming she is going to take the window seat. No. she sits in the middle seat right next to me. I couldn’t believe it. I ended up moving over to my wife’s row
Last month returning from vacation, I had a big wtf moment at the airport. We are on the last leg of our flight, short layover but we are hungry/thirsty. There is 5 of us. So it’s later in the evening so the airport is pretty empty. We pick seats at our gate and take turns going to the marketplace thing there to get food/drink. There is nobody in the gate when we sit with all our stuff.
When my wife and I return there is a guy (turns out it was a janitor for the airport) who decided to sit right next to us (no space, literal right next to us) with his youtube videos full blast, no headphones. It was maddening, and I felt like he was begging for someone to say something as he kept looking right at me.
About 40 minutes later we get up to board and he decides that is a good time to stop his videos and go back to work. It was like I was in a fever dream.
Meh, if I book eary and I want an aisle seat further up in the cabin I have my pick and everyone else can choose around me.
If I book my flight medium/ late and want an aisle seat a little up then I gotta work with what I got even if the other rows are occupied. Really just depends when it’s booked and what your preferences are. There are flights where I booked that looked like they’d be pretty empty and ended up being pretty full. Just is what it is
Omg right? I parked my car in an empty area of the supermarket car park. Only three cars in the whole place. Some rat bag parked their truck right next to mine.
They may be filling up spaces ahead of a crowd or selecting an optimal seat for a performance. That said the person selecting the seat should attempt light conversation if the setting allows for it. Otherwise sitting in silence in an empty room of seating options will increase anxiety for some folk.
Ugh, this drives me insane. It’s like some people have zero spatial awareness or just thrive on making others uncomfortable. Had a guy at the library once plop down right next to me when there were literally 20 empty tables. He proceeded to loudly unwrap a granola bar and sigh dramatically every 30 seconds. I ended up moving just to escape the weird energy. Some folks just want to watch the world squirm…
It’s so silly. In the mornings on public transportation a man comes sit beside’s me and i think i never want to go with the public transport again! in the evening i see a group of girls sit in a train i go sit next to them to feel save. Or now i park my car also near other cars in the later hours.
Call them out on it every time. “Really? A whole empty theater and you had to sit RIGHT HERE next to me?” If they don’t move them make a big show of doing so yourself. Lots of heavy sighing, etc.
People are assholes. I just get up and move and make it really dramatic – lots of sighing and eye rolling.
The same is true w parking. I could be parked in the very furthest spot in an almost completely empty lot and some asshole will park right next to me in his big ass truck. And of course he will just have to back in.
Same with people who choose the stall next to yours in an empty bathroom! I swear to god. The bathroom at my job has 8 stalls, and no matter which one I pick when it’s empty, someone always comes in and chooses the one next to mine.
One time someone did it and then had massive, groaning diarrhea. WHY.
It’s human nature to bunch up. Park your car in the back corner of a parking lot wayyy away from everyone else, go into a store, and I can almost guarantee by the time you come out, there will be another car parked right next to yours.
What bothers me is in a set of three chairs someone chooses to sit in the middle one. Curb Your Enthusiasm validated me with a quick joke on an episode in which Larry says “The middle? Really?”
Same reason why I’m in a completely empty campground..other than the one asshole who moved in right next to me.
He has a dog that runs laps in his camper so all day it’s thumping and I’m only here because my whole family is sick and needs rest before we hit the road again. I really wanna take this over to the unethical life tips sub lol
And follow-up question, why am I called a bitch when I get up and move away from them?
See also: No, see, when I parked in the back of the lot with five buffer spaces around me that didn’t mean pull up alongside cause now I have to have my keys out between my fingers man, come on.
Have you ever wondered how animals that evolved sharing physical space with each other will react when those opportunities are dramatically and rapidly removed from their everyday lives?
Well… we’re finding out right now.
Believe it or not we are deeply wired to seek out physical connections with other humans for the purposes of duplicating our DNA and influence into the future.
These traits mean we seek connection by default. So when we share space with each other we want to sit closer to inspire connections to form.
You hate it now because you were likely born into a society in the process of deleting those moments in favor of channels of communication they can monetize and control.
You should reframe those moments in your mind to take advantage of them by creating the connections they’re intended to inspire. Ask a question, share a preference. Interact with other humans in shared physical space more… not less.
Thats what I love about being swedish. Sitting next to someone is a last resort when there isnt any space left alone. Even then some people prefer to stand up( if it is on a train )
Comments
I generally sit next to my spouse or friends because I like to be close to them.
op is pissed
Sadism
for the same reason why birds set close to each other on a wire. We are still the same, we are one thing, why not sticking together
Besides you are stinky
insecurity.
Some people have no concept of personal space. It wouldn’t bother them if you sat right next to them in a room with plenty of space, so they assume everyone is like them.
I would have to assume they are either one lonely to associates or three raised in a barn
Hahaha this literally makes me enraged. That’s last time it happened I called them out and they just stuttered and I got up and moved. It’s so creepy and entitled.
First year sociology students.
Same in giant parking lots. SMH
So we can chat
Probably the reason why at a shopping mall where the parking lot is empty, except for one parked car, some person will compulsively bypass every open spot to park next to it.
maybe they think you’re cute and want your number
On the bus as a femme presenting human, I found guys would do this pretty often to try to talk to me. Annoyed the ever loving shit out of me. On occasion I’ve had a woman do that when there were a bunch of guys on the bus but still plenty of space to sit alone, and I’ve tended to assume they were seeking a bus buddy to avoid the first situation I outlined.
Pro tip: talking to yourself on public transit tends to maintain a larger social boundary than smelling like pee. I know bc when I talk to myself in public, people sooner fill the seat next to the guy who smells like pee, than to sit next to me quietly chattering to myself. So if you want to sit alone, let out a little crazy, and people will probably keep their distance.
Insecurity wants a herd to hide in.
Is it pee-wee Herman? Watch out for the splashback.
It’s even better, when you then scooch closer to them, like get your thighs touching. And when they look at you like you’re the weirdo, point out all the other seating options.
They are lonely or mentally disturbed
Flip a coin
Fear vs Empathy
Same reason we form clumps of tightly – spaced cars on the freeway, I guess.
Couple reasons (assuming a theater):
Best seats in a theater fill first, so seat next to you might be in good position for viewing the show.
If the show is likely to fill up, it may be “Filling the gaps” in advance so folks won’t have to push past you later to get to random empty seats.
In an area like a school cafeteria or a party at someone’s house, the person may be shy and doesn’t want to appear to be alone…and possibly hoping that a conversation may develop.
I once watched a guy get on the subway, look around at all the empty seats and decide to sit next to the homeless person who was clearly unstable. The homeless person was not polite or kind and did not seem to want the company.
Because she’s my wife…she, uh…wants me to sit here…
We were on a Southwest flight recently that was very sparsely filled. There were whole rows empty. My wife and I both got aisle seats across from each other with our own row. Heaven right? Just as the last couple of people come down the aisle, still with empty rows, a woman motions that she wants to sit in my row. Ok . I let her in assuming she is going to take the window seat. No. she sits in the middle seat right next to me. I couldn’t believe it. I ended up moving over to my wife’s row
fear of emptiness, subconscious support
Just like me they long to be close to you
I did it once because it was the only seat with a table and I had food and wanted to use the table. The lady freaked out and left
The same reason I always pick the middle urinal. To establish dominance.
Why do some robots seek the light when left in darkness?
I want to get to know you better. How ya doing?
Last month returning from vacation, I had a big wtf moment at the airport. We are on the last leg of our flight, short layover but we are hungry/thirsty. There is 5 of us. So it’s later in the evening so the airport is pretty empty. We pick seats at our gate and take turns going to the marketplace thing there to get food/drink. There is nobody in the gate when we sit with all our stuff.
When my wife and I return there is a guy (turns out it was a janitor for the airport) who decided to sit right next to us (no space, literal right next to us) with his youtube videos full blast, no headphones. It was maddening, and I felt like he was begging for someone to say something as he kept looking right at me.
About 40 minutes later we get up to board and he decides that is a good time to stop his videos and go back to work. It was like I was in a fever dream.
Your body is warm and I’m so cold 🙂
Meh, if I book eary and I want an aisle seat further up in the cabin I have my pick and everyone else can choose around me.
If I book my flight medium/ late and want an aisle seat a little up then I gotta work with what I got even if the other rows are occupied. Really just depends when it’s booked and what your preferences are. There are flights where I booked that looked like they’d be pretty empty and ended up being pretty full. Just is what it is
Omg right? I parked my car in an empty area of the supermarket car park. Only three cars in the whole place. Some rat bag parked their truck right next to mine.
That’s how they think asserting dominance means, by invading personal spaces
Some of us just have a sadistic sense of humour.
They may be filling up spaces ahead of a crowd or selecting an optimal seat for a performance. That said the person selecting the seat should attempt light conversation if the setting allows for it. Otherwise sitting in silence in an empty room of seating options will increase anxiety for some folk.
Because deep down, they’re agents of chaos. It’s not seating—it’s psychological warfare.
Ugh, this drives me insane. It’s like some people have zero spatial awareness or just thrive on making others uncomfortable. Had a guy at the library once plop down right next to me when there were literally 20 empty tables. He proceeded to loudly unwrap a granola bar and sigh dramatically every 30 seconds. I ended up moving just to escape the weird energy. Some folks just want to watch the world squirm…
I think this actually goes back into some deep rooted subconscious that humans are in fact pack animals and will seek out others over solitary.
It’s so silly. In the mornings on public transportation a man comes sit beside’s me and i think i never want to go with the public transport again! in the evening i see a group of girls sit in a train i go sit next to them to feel save. Or now i park my car also near other cars in the later hours.
Lonely
Call them out on it every time. “Really? A whole empty theater and you had to sit RIGHT HERE next to me?” If they don’t move them make a big show of doing so yourself. Lots of heavy sighing, etc.
People are assholes. I just get up and move and make it really dramatic – lots of sighing and eye rolling.
The same is true w parking. I could be parked in the very furthest spot in an almost completely empty lot and some asshole will park right next to me in his big ass truck. And of course he will just have to back in.
We call these people extroverts, or as we introverts see them, psychopaths
JTPYO
Don’t want to sit across from them and have to make awkward eye contact the entire time
In class today, 50 empty seats and someone sits next to me and doesn’t stop coughing. What the actual hell
They do it in empty parking lots too
Idk, but that’s how I met your mother.
Serial killer
Same with people who choose the stall next to yours in an empty bathroom! I swear to god. The bathroom at my job has 8 stalls, and no matter which one I pick when it’s empty, someone always comes in and chooses the one next to mine.
One time someone did it and then had massive, groaning diarrhea. WHY.
They’re trying to steal your warmth.
It’s human nature to bunch up. Park your car in the back corner of a parking lot wayyy away from everyone else, go into a store, and I can almost guarantee by the time you come out, there will be another car parked right next to yours.
that shit makes me think violent thoughts 🤣🤣. now i gotta move
Herd mentality
I normally wouldn’t, but if I’m on my clinically crazy bullshit it’s because I’m very bored and want to see what will happen.
I also find it weird, but believe it or not this is probably the natural thing to do. And I mean “natural” as in humans are instinctually communal.
But ya I also would prefer to be left alone haha
I think it’s the same people who will park right next to you when there’s a giant empty parking lot. I don’t understand it, either!
What bothers me is in a set of three chairs someone chooses to sit in the middle one. Curb Your Enthusiasm validated me with a quick joke on an episode in which Larry says “The middle? Really?”
Ah, Golden Rule Asymmetric Processing Error. You have been GRAPEd.
Just like the reason why they choose the urinal next to yours when theres 10 others open.
Same reason why I’m in a completely empty campground..other than the one asshole who moved in right next to me.
He has a dog that runs laps in his camper so all day it’s thumping and I’m only here because my whole family is sick and needs rest before we hit the road again. I really wanna take this over to the unethical life tips sub lol
And follow-up question, why am I called a bitch when I get up and move away from them?
See also: No, see, when I parked in the back of the lot with five buffer spaces around me that didn’t mean pull up alongside cause now I have to have my keys out between my fingers man, come on.
Same reason why people like to park their car right next to another car in an almost empty parking lot.
Seats were meant to be sat in. Don’t want to sit next to someone? Don’t sit where there’s other seats lol
Have you ever wondered how animals that evolved sharing physical space with each other will react when those opportunities are dramatically and rapidly removed from their everyday lives?
Well… we’re finding out right now.
Believe it or not we are deeply wired to seek out physical connections with other humans for the purposes of duplicating our DNA and influence into the future.
These traits mean we seek connection by default. So when we share space with each other we want to sit closer to inspire connections to form.
You hate it now because you were likely born into a society in the process of deleting those moments in favor of channels of communication they can monetize and control.
You should reframe those moments in your mind to take advantage of them by creating the connections they’re intended to inspire. Ask a question, share a preference. Interact with other humans in shared physical space more… not less.
So I don’t feel lonely
Maybe they think you’re big time cute and hope if they sit close you’ll notice them and yall will fall in love.
Some people aren’t as anti social as you. Crazy, right?
Thats what I love about being swedish. Sitting next to someone is a last resort when there isnt any space left alone. Even then some people prefer to stand up( if it is on a train )
Same as car parks. I’ll park miles away from everyone but you can guarantee some wanker will still park next to you in a sea of spaces.