“The Study of Feeling Like You Make People Wary Because You Have a Habit of Observing the World with Curiosity Whenever You Think About Weaving Stories” — A Theory of Stories for “People Who Can’t Help But Look” [Column] Science of Thought (No. 60)
🌈 “The Study of Feeling Like You Make People Wary Because You Have a Habit of Observing the World with Curiosity Whenever You Think About Weaving Stories” Science of Thought: No. 60
— A Theory of Stories for “People Who Can’t Help But Look”
🔍 3 Key Points of This Column
1️⃣ We gently unravel the true nature of the “creative brain” and the light and shadow brought about by the “habit of observing.”
2️⃣ You will gain tips on how to face people with peace of mind if you are someone who “looks too much” in interpersonal relationships.
3️⃣ We deliver intellectual life hacks to help you nurture a balance between the “eye that weaves stories” and the “heart that cares for people.”
🌱 Prologue | Why do I always end up observing?
“Um, somehow... I feel nervous,” you say. 👀💭
When told that, I reply with a little smile, “No, no, that’s not the case,” but deep down, I’m actually quite concerned.
The thing is, ever since I was young, I have had these habits:
That is to say, I have always:
Been curious about the expressions of people I pass on the street
Wanted to read meaning into the ends of sentences and the pauses in conversations
Been unable to get a gesture that caught my attention out of my head
It’s not that I’m staring intently;
it’s more like I’m just taking in the whole scene—
I have that kind of “observational habit.”
Surely, this is a byproduct of the creative habit of wanting to “weave stories.” 📖✨
But you know, this habit—
🌀Curiosity?
🔎Prying?
💞Empathy?
💥Intrusion?
Sometimes I can’t even tell the difference myself.
The deeper my observational eye becomes, the more I worry about the distance between myself and others.
Making people feel like they are “being watched”
might just be a pitfall of the “creative brain.”
So, in this column—our momentous 60th installment—I’d like to introduce a rather unusual field of study👇
🎓 It is called—
“The Study of Feeling Like You Make People Wary Because You Have a Habit of Observing the World with Curiosity Whenever You Think About Weaving Stories”📚
That’s a long title.53 characters.A new record for the longest one yet 😅
To you who have this mysterious 'habit'.
And,to you who are interested in human observation, creation, dialogue, and empathy.
Shall we explore the true nature of this 'gaze of observation' together, a little seriously, but also in a fun way? 🧠💡✨
🔔 This column is
Writers 📚
Those interested in education and psychology 🎓
People who want to deepen their human relationships 🤝
You who 'often find yourself watching people' in a business setting 💼
And you who are drawn to 'slightly unusual life hacks' 💡
perfect content for you.
Hoping for a future where your 'habit of observation' becomes a source of comfort for someone.
Let's talk about that gaze that exists in the gap between stories and life 🌈
🧠 Chapter 1 | Because there is a blank space, I want to weave a story
One day, a woman sitting across from me on the train was staring intently at her own reflection in the window.
She seemed to be thinking about something, but her eyes were a little moist—
Didn't something start within you at that moment? 📖✨
Maybe she just had her heart broken
Maybe she's going to meet someone important today
Or perhaps, a secret she can't tell anyone...?
Yes, stories always begin from a 'blank space'.
🤔 1. Why do people want to ask 'Why?'
It's because we want to feel at ease by imagining.
We want to assign reasons to things we don't understand and turn them into 'meaningful events' within ourselves.
That is why we—
search for reasons in the actions of others
Finding 'foreshadowing' in passing by
Reading 'emotions' behind the silence
You have this habit, don't you? 😉
What? You don't? No, no, you definitely do, right? 😮⁉️
✨ 2. The Storytelling Brain is a 'Blank-Filling Device'
The brain of a creator unconsciously tries to understand the world in the 'form of a story'.
There is a cause, and there is an effect
There is a motive, and there is a choice
Someone's actions must surely have meaning
This 'brain that keeps searching for meaning' cannot leave blanks alone.
That is why, even in a landscape I happen to see, or the expression of a stranger,I feel the entrance to a story🚪✨
🔍 3. The habit of always looking for foreshadowing
If you have ever written a story, you should surely understand.
When characters meet by chance
A casual remark made in conversation
The small items placed around or the color of clothes
All of those appear asforeshadowing that 'might be resolved later'👁️🗨️
And in reality, you unconsciously search for 'drama that should be resolved'.
🎯 4. To 'you', the reader
If you,
love novels,
cannot stop writing,
and have a habit of observing daily life,
And if you have a slight urge to fill in the “blank”
That is proof that you have a “sensing device” called a story brain installed inside you 🧠💡
🌱 In the next chapter, let’s look together at how this “story brain” expands your curiosity about the world, and how that observation intertwines with life and human relationships 🌏🔭
🔍 Chapter 2 | The “Interest Map” Expanded by the Habit of Observation
“I wonder how this person is feeling right now?”
“Maybe there was something they ‘couldn’t say’ in that pause just now.”
Don’t you ever find yourself wanting to read meaning into someone’s slight facial expressions or the ends of their sentences like that? 👀💬
That is proof that your internal “story sensor” is reacting 📡✨
Even when you are being scolded,
“I see, so this is how people get angry 😲✨”
once your story sensor starts activating constantly like that,
you are already a pro.
🧭 1. The “map” your gaze follows expands like this
When you try to weave stories, the way you see the world changes.
Before you know it, your “observation radar” might look like this 👇
💞 Human emotions … Tone of voice, facial expressions, the flip side of silence
👣 Human behavior … The “motive” behind why they chose that right now
🗣️ Use of language … The “margins” of sentence endings, pauses, and rephrasing
🏞️ Scenery and places … Benches, cafes, and even the scene of waiting at a traffic light as background
🔁 Coincidences and missed connections … “Fate” that you can’t help but feel has meaning
All these little things start to look like “seeds of a story” 🌱📖
🌍 2. When everything in the world turns into “story material”
As your creative work deepens, the range of your curiosity extends even further.
When you try to realistically depict the background of characters and the setting, it naturally becomes like this 👇
⚛️ Laws of physics … Planets with gravity and those without, how time flows
🧬 Biology and evolution … The true nature of emotions, reasons for flocking, the origin of language
📜 History and systems … Historical background, class systems, differences in education and laws
🧠 Psychology and Memory … Why do people lie, and why do they forget?
🚀 Future and Technology … AI emotions, space migration, and social transformation
In other words, the map inside your head expands by connecting reality and imagination 🧠🗺️✨
✍️ 3. Your habit of observation might be the beginning of a “journey of knowledge”
For example, in order to write a single line of a novel,
you might research how railways work 🚃
reread the history of slavery 📚
or imagine “why that person didn’t hold their hand” 🤝
In that way, your habit of observation can sometimes open the “door to inquiry” as well.
🗣️ 4. To “you,” the reader
If right now,
you find yourself pausing at a slight sense of discomfort
you find too much meaning in what you see
and if you get excited by that “why?”...
That might be a sign that your creative map is starting a “journey to rediscover the world” 🧳🌌
In the next chapter, let’s explore how this habit of observation sways between “empathy” and “misunderstanding,” and what kind of influence it has on your sense of distance from others—the light and shadow aspects of it 🌗✨
⚖️ Chapter 3 | The Dual-Faced Lens of Observation Habit
Observation skills are the ultimate skill in creative work, aren’t they? 👀✨
You can accurately depict the fluctuations of a character’s emotions, naturally plant foreshadowing, and carefully pick up on the “true feelings” hidden behind words.
However—
if you keep that lens on all the time, doesn’t it get a little exhausting? 🫣
🌟 1. The “Light” side brought about by the habit of observation
💞 Increased empathy
Once you get into the habit of imagining people's inner lives, you naturally begin to feel the 'depth' of emotions.🧠 Wings of imagination spread
The chain of 'What if this person were...?' expands the world of the story infinitely.🧩 Sharpened ability to find meaning
The habit of thinking, 'What meaning does this have?' regarding events fosters depth of thought.
🌑 2. The 'Shadow' side brought about by the habit of observation
🧯 The brain stays on all the time
The 'observation mode' switch is always stuck in the on position, and before you know it, you're exhausted 💤🌀 Difficulty immersing in reality
Instead of feeling events as they are, you search for 'narrative meaning' first, making it harder to savor the 'here and now'.🚧 Blurring of boundaries between self and others
By 'reading too much' into other people's emotions, you may find them getting crossed with your own.
☯️ 3. Aspects that can be both 'Light' and 'Shadow'
🗺️You even start to view yourself from a bird's-eye perspective
While adopting a perspective like looking at a character has the benefit of allowing you to see the whole picture, it can also blur the boundaries of your ego and potentially dull your emotions.
😳 4. Have you ever been told, 'It's scary because I feel like I'm being observed'?
This is one of the 'side effects' of having an observation habit.
Even if you don't intend it, the other person might feel this way👇
'Huh? It feels like they noticed that my way of speaking just now was weird...'
'They're listening without looking away, but that actually makes me nervous...'
'I think this person is trying to read 'something' about me...'
That is to say,your eyes are 'eyes that reach deep' that's why 🫥✨
In other words, is it like the feeling of having an X-ray taken?でしょうか。
✨ 5. To 'you', the reader
The power of observation for creation is,
an eye for knowing people's pain,
a lens for imagining the hidden side of the world,
and a sensitivity that picks up casual events like treasures 💎
But sometimes, it might be okay to gently take off those lenses for a moment.
Just to be yourself, with just someone else, to feel just the present moment.
🔄 In the next chapter, we will share wisdom and tips on how to maintain a healthy distance from that “habit of observation,”
how to live with it, and how to put it to good use.🧰💡
🕵️♀️ Chapter 4 | Have you ever been told, “I feel like you’re seeing right through me”?
As I mentioned at the beginning, “It’s kind of... scary because it feels like you see through everything😅”
I get told that sometimes (laughs).
Have you ever had that experience yourself?
When you notice someone’s gestures, their timing, or the tremor in their voice, and you feel the urge to ask, “Are you okay?”
But isn’t it possible that this kindnessis perceived by the other person as “feeling like they’re being seen through”?🫣
🔍 1. Why are observers easily viewed with “caution” by others?
The reason is very simple👇
👁️🗨️ You notice too much … You notice small changes and emotional fluctuations.
🧠 You read between the lines … You imagine the other person’s intentions and hidden true feelings.
🤫 Consideration turns into a “feeling of being probed” … Even if you aren’t conscious of it, the other person feels like they are “being watched.”
What is “empathy” to an observer
can sometimes look like “prying” or “judgment” to the other person.
🧠 2. The creative brain that focuses on the “details” of emotion
The brain of a creative person unconsciously picks up on the “meaning of details.”
For example...
The tone of their voice dropped by just a semitone.
Their eyes darted away for just a split second.
Their fingertips moved unnaturally.
In that moment, you think, “Maybe something is going on.”
That is“the reflex of someone who weaves stories”isn’t it?🎯📖
⚖️ 3. Does it build trust or create distance? What is the turning point?
So, what should we do with this power of “insight”?
This is precisely the intersection of the creative brain and the communication brain.🚦✨
💡 Shift from “seeing” to “listening”
Instead of insight, have the power to believe the other person’s words through dialogue.🌿 “Respect” rather than “Understand”
Instead of reading into things, wait. Have the courage to leave the silence as it is.🤲 Take a step back from “feeling like I understand”
Even if you can read their emotions, do not “jump to conclusions” about them.
🪞 4. To “You,” the Reader
That “observant eye” of yours will surely make your stories beautiful.
But sometimes, that sharpness can also make the people around you feel tense.
That is precisely why it is important to have
the intelligence and kindness to switch between an “eye for weaving stories” and an “eye for being there for people as a human being”.
Being able to maintain that balance
might just be one of the great vessels of a creator.🕊️✨
In the next chapter, I will share some “little tips” that are useful for both creation and human relationships on how to face this habit of observation.🧰🌱
Let’s find the hints together to turn your gaze into one of peace and trust.
🧰 Chapter 5 | How to Live with This Habit?
The habit of observation is truly convenient.
It breathes life into every move a character makes and gives you subtle insights in real-life human relationships.
But when it runs wild—
Have you ever experienced things like this?🌀
“I felt like I understood the other person’s feelings, but I was wrong”
“I was just observing and wasn’t actually ‘listening’”
“My mind was in ‘analysis mode’ the whole time, and I got exhausted”
Yes, that might be what I wrote about in Chapter 3, “starting to view even yourself from a bird’s-eye perspective,” or in other words, “a runaway meta-perspective”.👓⚡
🧯 1. Three tips to “cool down” your observation habit just enough
🗣️ Shift from “seeing” to “listening”
Observation is from your own perspective. But listening is a door to the “other person’s perspective.”
First, practice believing and accepting the words themselves.🌿 Adopt an attitude of “being there for them” rather than “trying to understand”
It’s okay not to understand, and it’s okay not to jump to conclusions.
The look of “I want to understand you” will surely reach the other person.🤲 Have the “courage not to read”
Do not dare to step into what the other person does not say.
Have the kindness to gently leave that silence as it is as part of the story.
✍️ 2. Another narrative perspective that observers possess
With your creative brain, you surely have this power too👇
🎭 “Being able to move between subjectivity and objectivity”
🧩 “Being able to view your own emotions meta-cognitively”
🪞 “Being able to think by intersecting others' stories with ‘my story’”
This is a very valuable skill in human relationships as well.
That is precisely why what is important is not the “power of observation” itself, but rather
the attitude of “how you use it”🌱
🧠 3. To “You,” the Reader
Your habit of observing is surely also “the flip side of kindness.”
That is why,
don't stare too much
don't pry too much
and please leave some “room for the story” for both yourself and others 📖💭
In the next chapter, we will explore how this “talent for observation” as someone who weaves stories connects to society and the world of the future 🌍✨.
Let's go and depict the moment when your “power to see” becomes someone's hope.
🌍 Chapter 6 | A Creator is a “Reinterpreter of the World”
The act of weaving a story is not just lining up events.
It is an “act of reinterpretation” of how to see the world, how to give it meaning, and how to retell it 🔁📖
🧠 1. The habit of observation is the power to change how you “see” the world
You, with your habit of observation, are a pro at finding the seeds of stories in everyday life 🌱✨.
🍞 Feeling fragments of someone's life even in a single piece of breakfast toast
🚉 Overlapping the “backgrounds” of characters even in the silence of a train
📚 Reading foreshadowing for a story in casual words
That “eye for seeing the invisible” is the gaze of a creator.
🎭 2. That is precisely why creators need “consideration and playfulness”
The power to reinterpret the world is strong.
That is why both “kindness” and “flexibility” are important in how you handle it 💡💫
🪄 Consideration: Not “interpreting someone else’s story too much” on your own
🎨 Playfulness: Leaving room to love the “unknown” without assigning meaning to everything
Because imagination can sometimes step into someone’s “inner territory.”
A creative gaze requires a gentle buffer.
🪞 3. The resolve to not only “look,” but also accept being “looked at”
When we are on the side of the observer, we are in a safe place.
But when we release our work into the world as creators, we then become the ones “being looked at” 👀💬
“The stories this person writes are scary-realistic…”
“Is this description, by any chance, about that person?”
“You yourself are being observed the most, aren’t you?”
Yes.
Creation is also a reciprocal movement of “gazing” and “being gazed at” 🌀💭
🌈 4. To “you,” the reader
You who have worried about your habit of observation.
You who get tired from being too considerate of others.
You who still wish to keep weaving stories.
Your eyes are a magic lens that softly reinterprets this world 🔮✨
And they are also a gaze that gently wraps around someone’s wounds.
So, please, do not be afraid.
It is okay to look. It is okay to be looked at.
Because deep within that gaze, there is surely a “prayer for others” 🕊️
🎁 Summary | Observation might be something like a prayer
To you who have read this far,
perhaps you were reading this while feeling a little startled.
Thinking, “Could this be about me?”
Yes, perhaps, that is correct.
🧵 The “true nature of the story” of the observation habit woven in this column
👀 The observation habit is a heart that wants to fill in the “blanks” of the world
A perspective that unconsciously searches for “why?” and weaves stories while supplementing them with imagination.📡 The observation habit is a radar that expands interest to the world
A creative brain where people, words, history, systems, the future… everything becomes material.🌓 That lens has both light and shadow sides
While it strengthens empathy and the power to assign meaning, there is also the danger of “seeing through things too much.”🛠️ The important thing is the art of balancing 'observation and dialogue'
From 'looking' to 'listening,' from 'reading' to 'waiting.'
Sometimes, you also need the 'courage to leave things blank.'🌍 A creator is someone who reinterprets the world and is prepared to be seen
💌 To 'you,' the reader
Which line you stopped on,
at what timing you felt like pressing 'Like',
whether or not you reacted to the slight 'pauses' in the sentences...
...Actually, I, the author, have been observing you the whole time too🕵️♀️🪞✨
No, no, please don't be scared💦
It's not 'watching' you, but 'watching over' you—a somewhat clumsy form of affection💫
🌱 Observation is a prayer of 'wanting to understand someone'
So if you also have a habit of observing,
and you're a little worried about it, it's okay.
It might be a wish to gently embrace someone's story.
And surely,the day will come when you yourself become a story to someone else📖🌈
In the next afterword,
I will talk a little bit about my own 'story' of why I decided to write on this theme.
It might overlap with your own perspective—🌌
✍️ Afterword | What if you turned your 'habit of observation' toward yourself...
The moment I learned that writing stories was this much fun was—
over 40 years ago, in a fourth-grade Japanese class📘🧒
🐗 The origin is the continuation of 'Mochi Mochi no Ki'
That nostalgic story 'Mochi Mochi no Ki' that was in the textbook🌳
The homework was to 'think about and write the continuation.'
I was usually bad at writing compositions and would feel like crying just facing the manuscript paper,
but for some reason, a switch flipped for me that day...📝💨
Before I knew it, the clock was near 12, and I was absorbed in writing 10 pages of manuscript paper for the continuation, and after I finished, it was the first time I thought,'Writing... might be fun'—that was the moment.
That was surely the beginning of my 'creative brain' sprouting🌱✨
👀 The reason I decided to write this column
Time has passed since then—
Now, I am once again facing my 'habit of observation' and 'narrative brain'.
Why am I sensitive to people's emotions?
Why do I want to fill in the blanks?
Why does everything in daily life look like a “fragment of a story”?
I wanted to take this opportunity to gently observe that “habit” of mine once again.👓💭
🤖 This column was written together with ChatGPT.
This column is also a journey of thought woven together with AI🧠✨ Because ChatGPT exists, I was able to encounter perspectives and expressions I hadn't even noticed myself.
To places I couldn't go alone
There are places we can go together (human and AI)
I am a little excited about the possibilities of such “co-creation.”🤝💡 And above all, I am also in the middle of observing
how far generative AI can go.
💌 To “you” who read this
If a certain sentence happened to remain in your heart—it might mean that
you also have eyes for weaving stories within yourself👁️📖
I would be very happy if you could “like” or follow me.🧡 May I meet your story somewhere again.
📘 Thank you for your time.🌸 I would be happy if we could find new seeds of stories together on the next page.✨
Profile | Kazuomi Matsunaga
🧭Thinking Navigator
Biography:Graduated from Kyushu University, Faculty of Engineering (Materials Engineering) ⇒ Engineer at a metal materials manufacturer in the Chukyo region (Production Technology) ⇒ Advertising sales for a local free paper in Nagasaki Prefecture ⇒ School corporation staff (← Now here). A person in his 50s living in Nagasaki Prefecture. Both children have graduated from university and left the nest, and I am living with my wife. I am a writer who lets my thoughts play every day at the intersection of “questions” and “curiosity.” Recently, I have been writing about my own unique perspectives on themes such as education, stories, psychology, AI, and design, centering on the serial column “The Science of Thought” series. I am exploring “free design of knowledge” that goes beyond existing frameworks. My motto is “Imagination opens up the world.” In my main job, while working in university and education-related fields, I value carefully observing “the moment when people come to ‘like’ something” and “scenes where questions sprout.”
🧭 I would be happy if I could deliver articles that leave you with one “new perspective” after reading them.
📮 Impressions and messages of support are always welcome!
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