Your correspondent found himself alone in London, on the Tube, some 24 hours after leaving his usual haunts under several centimetres of snow. He was, therefore, dressed somewhat out of the norm, even for our nation's capital:

Heavy-duty hiking boots, large waterproof coat, large green rucksack, jeans.

Protected by a blanket of underground anonymity, your correspondent acted upon a whim. He attempted to discover how altering his body language changed the way total strangers reacted to his presence.

Persona Number One – the Military Man

Rucksack high on both shoulders, waist belt fastened tightly, back straight, rhythmic steps (slightly faster than a typical walking pace), heel striking the ground sharply, arms swinging at sides, face set in a firm, even grim expression.

MM found his way clear when walking. Fellow-travellers heard the steps echoing down tunnels, checked over their shoulders and edged to one side. No attempt was made by strangers to engage in any form of interaction with MM. Travel was rapid, but un-lightened by human contact.

Persona Number Two – the World Traveller

Rucksack comfortably over one shoulder, one hand in pocket, relaxed stance, walking in a casual, rolling manner, aimed at eating up distance efficiently and without excessive impact on joints. Deliberate efforts were made to allow others to pass at junctions, get through doors first etc, and a small smile was constantly on the lips, ready to flash wider on eye-contact.

Walking was slower-going, as much advantage was taken of the World Traveller’s easy-going politeness. Other passengers pushed through gaps left for individuals, dashed to seats before WT, etc. Of positive benefit was the much greater interaction with fellow travellers. Smiles were exchanged, newspapers offered when finished, and small-talk exchanged (a conversation opener from a commuter with a thick Nigerian accent; “Have you been in our country long, sir?”).

Persona Number Three – the Nervous Type

Rucksack carried to the front, hugged tightly at all times. Small, hurried steps (almost a scurry), plus frequent looks to both sides, behind and even above.

On the whole, the Nervous Type was completely ignored – bumped and shunted down tunnels and carriages without a single apology. The few glances noted towards NT seemed contemptuous, and included at least one exasperated eye-roll. Travel was slow, as everybody else pushed NT to one side to get past.

Persona Number Four – the Furtive Type

As for the Nervous Type, but with an added shiftiness about the eyes (rapidly moving from side to side), and a tendency to act as if the content of the rucksack were very fragile.

At first, the Furtive Type received similar treatment to the Nervous Type, until The Incident of the Fallen Bag. Placing his rucksack carefully on the only seat available (so that he himself had to stand), FT stood just as the carriage jolted. The bag fell to the floor, and Furtive Type gasped loudly, freezing with eyes tight shut. After a moment, FT opened his eyes and opened the top of the rucksack. He poked around inside, looked carefully at his watch and then poked some more. The FT the released a slow breath, gently stood the bag on the floor and continued his journey. Nothing was said by FT’s fellow passengers, but the carriage almost emptied at the next stop.

Other contributing factors

It was between the hours of 7am and 8am, at which time many travellers are not good company.

Terrorism was in the news – after conducting the Furtive Traveller phase, your correspondent opened a copy of Metro (donated to the World Traveller) and found that a second 'shoe bomber' had just been arrested. Whilst the Military man and the World Traveller made further appearances during the journey, the Nervous and Furtive Types did not.

Conclusions

1. Most people take other people strictly on first appearances – if you walk as if you expect a way to be made for you, usually a way will be made. If you act as though you are nobody’s enemy, everybody will be your friend. If you act like your boots are full of semtex, your personal space will be respected.

2. It’s really not very clever to act like a terrorist when everybody else in the carriage is reading an article about a recently-discovered plots to blow up civilian aircraft.

Further work

The experiment bears repetition under more controlled circumstances, preferably with an accompanying observer. Further work could also be carried out with subjects of different race or gender, as your correspondent is reluctant to undergo the surgical procedures required to fulfil these roles.