This is a hobby perhaps of the idle and the inert. But it is a social science and extremely stimulating if you know what i am talking about.
Whenever i travel i simply love to sit at an outdoor cafe in a crowded street or at the airport as i am waiting for the flight and watch people go by (that is when my daughter is not trying to probe my attention).
You can gather many insights by simply observing people - their language, their accent, their anatomy, their fashion, their profession, their attitudes and even their thoughts. You sink into their lives even if for just those few moments. And it is amazing how much you can muster from just a fleeting glance. There are so many nuances that you can notice in people which give away so much information.
I was sitting with a friend at Espresso house and we were discussing the different anatomies of men (it is improper to comment on women's anatomy so i will leave that out:-) - Danish men have longer foreheads, Swedish men have a huge gap between their upper lip and their nose, Finnish have longer heads and Germans are big built whereas Polish are leaner and of course the English have that unmistakable air about them. Americans you can hear from over a mile and French you may be able to smell from long distance if your nose is not blocked.
And of course their dressing style is a major clue to their nationality. Americans are mostly casually and clumsily dressed whereas Europeans pick their wardrobe very carefully.
Once they open their mouth their dialect/accent might be able to confirm further details of which part of that country they might belong to.
Moreover, their unguarded body language can tell you more about their personality than what you will understand if you chat with them for hours on end.
Ah! and maybe you are wondering if such an hobby is ethical - afterall you are invading the privacy of unknown people without their consent. If bird watching is a science, people watch enriches you with the understanding of your own species. As long as you are not crossing the line into voyeurism. Infact there is a lovely BBC serial called "Watching" which is a romance between a shy bird watcher and a lively people watching girl. And, there is a lot more information available in the book "People Watching" by Desmond Morris.
