Staring is a telltale sign that the human predator has zoomed in on a suitable target to assault. This pre-attack indicator comes in more shades than one.
Many human predators have less control over their impulse once they set their eyes on the prize - someone whose behavior has turned them into easy prey.
The more attention the assailant gives to the target, the less attention they give to their own behavior, especially their non-verbal behavior - including what they communicate with their eyes.
It’s not just the attacker’s hostile intent that staring reveals.
Some types of stares give an insight into the tactic and the technique that the assailant is planning to rely on to overwhelm the target.
The following types of stares are key to keep in mind:
- Predatory stare. The attacker stares at the target like a hungry predator does at a piece of flesh - with this void look that assesses the target as merely an object. Because of a significant fixation on the target, the predatory stare feels detached from the surrounding environment.
- Baiting stare. The human predator stares at the target in an intentionally provocative manner - with an intense look that causes the target to respond. This type of stare is used as a tactic to either get inside the target’s immediate protective range in some seemingly innocent way or purposely trigger a confrontation.
- Scanning stare. The assailant makes a visual assessment of the surroundings before attacking the target to set up a favorable ground for the assault. This allows the human predator to detect anything in the environment that can undermine the success of the assault - such as potential witnesses including cameras and passersby.
- Focused stare. The attacker zooms in on the exact area within the close proximity of the target where they will attempt to breach the target’s immediate protective range. Likewise, they can also focus on the exact area on the target’s body that they will try to strike first when launching the assault.
- Thousand-yard stare. The human predator stares into the distance in an unfocused manner - with the look of a battle-weary soldier. This type of stare appears emotionless, seems detached from the surrounding environment, and communicates a disconnect in the attacker’s mind from the act of violence that they’re about to commit.
Sadly, the majority of people these days don’t practice situational awareness, and they are not likely to notice that the human predator is staring at them as a result. The few who can recognize such non-verbal cues instinctively know that something’s off, but, then again, many people don’t trust their instincts in this day and age either.
Learning to identify staring as a pre-attack indicator and to distinguish between the different types of stares described above gives us a clear advantage over the human predator. Not only do we get to be aware of the threat in our surroundings, but we also get a glimpse of the tactic and the technique that might be used to overwhelm us with the assault.