You probably had the feeling that someone was looking at you from behind, even if you couldn’t see anyone. You are not alone. It seems that this is an experience most of us share, and there are even studies that sometimes cover more than one explanation for why we feel this way.
Our brain can tell if someone is looking at us even if we don’t see it
We met with a ‘cortically blind’ patient who was blind due to damage to the visual cortex (part of the brain). study was done. He could not consciously perceive anything, such as watching movies or reading a book, but he could process information sent to working brain areas. Research has shown that we can sense when someone is looking directly at us, even if we don’t consciously see it; this might explain why we feel like we’re being watched, even if we don’t actually see anyone looking at us.
A fallacy of interpretation
Another thing that can confirm this feeling, and even make it happen more often, is when you turn your back and see that someone is actually looking at you. While this might seem like confirmation that there was someone looking from the start, the person looking at you may have done it simply because you turned your back, which is missing all the trouble.
A small cue alerts you
The feeling of being watched can be caused by a small cue that alerts your brain, something you see out of the corner of your eye, a faint sound from an unexplained place, or It could be something random that you’re not sure about. In addition to this bit of paranoia, and the inability to see what’s behind you can give the impression of someone watching your steps, even if that’s not the case.
If you’re not sure, the answer will probably be “Yes”
According to a study done at the University of Sydney, people are talking about their surroundings, whether it’s dark or wearing sunglasses. When they receive finite visual cues, such as This makes them more likely to believe they are being taken care of, especially when they are faceless.
It is valuable to understand that someone is looking at us
Being able to identify whether someone is looking at us, and also being recognized when looking at someone, is a truly valuable part of human behavior as it relates to interpersonal communication. Since the beginning of human evolution, the gaze has been a powerful tool for communicating feelings such as love, anger, and information necessary for survival, and has been evolving ever since. That’s why our brain is specialized in this activity and we are always alert about our surroundings.
