I had an unusually strong negative reaction to this person...?

Question

An acquaintance from work, who was a stranger at the time, was introduced to me by a colleague. Now, normally, I'm rather indifferent toward people at work, but I had this visceral reaction of disgust and anger toward this man; he literally made me ill. I noticed a peculiar (unpleasant) body odour, and his appearance in general was repulsive to me. Yet when I chatted about it to a friend who also knows this person, she couldn't understand what I was talking about. She found him good-looking, attractive, and friendly, and though she'd been physically close to him numerous times never noticed any unusual body odour. Now, either I'm hallucinating, or there are some people in this world who, for whatever reason, just clash so much with our own unconscious physiologies that they constitute 'natural enemies'--anyone else ever have such a strange negative reaction to a stranger that they just couldn't logically explain?

Answer 1

Yes, I have. And I would listen to instinct on this one.

Answer 2

Women are taught to pay attention when those hairs on the back of our necks stand up for a good reason. Follow your gut instinct until proven wrong. It may be that a mannerism, a particular physical feature, something he said triggered a subconscious reaction. Perhaps your subconscious mind related this to something bad that happened to you in the past. Perhaps you recognize this person from a past life and had a negative experience then. Whatever the reason behind it, trust your natural instinct about this person while keeping an open mind that you may be wrong. You never want to completely rule someone out just because you got the wrong impression. He may yet turn out to be a good guy.

Answer 3

depends on the situation. the female colleague who u mentioned this too might be (for all we know) a hussy an find anyone attractive with two legs (especially new meat at the office)..

i dont think your judgement is too wrong as most guys dont even NOTICE other things about other guys (and if they do never admit to it). i also think u are right in suggesting that maybe you automatically just clash an therefore see him in different light. for example if you see two chicks, 1 is rather attractive, the other average, and talk to both of them and find out the more attractive one is boring as a piece of sh!t, has an awful snorting laugh while the average one is quite amusing, funny with a smart job, you will soon find yourself more attracted (even physically) to the average looking one. its just chemistry (whether it be platonic or sexually) and so maybe this new guy just is one of those guys. ims ure int he work place you'll see him more often an be able to make a more substancial judgement.

Answer 4

I would say go with your gut instincts provided that you aren't mistaking your instincts with some sort of inferiority complex due to you feeling threatened by him for whatever reason. This is something only you yourself can answer by analyzing your feelings and being honest with yourself . Ask yourself , do I dislike this person because my colleague finds him attractive or is the guy just truly giving off negative vibes? Surely we all have run across unsavory characters that give us cause for concern at one time or another. Just be sure that you aren't confusing your feelings before passing judgment on the guy.

Answer 5

I have had immediate visceral reactions, both positive and negative, towards people. This does not happen all the time, but it happens often enough that I am not alarmed by it. Interestingly, my "gut" reaction is almost always correct, and I've learned to trust this in myself.

Answer 6

I think you summed it up in your last sentence. Some individuals feel a reaction to others as 'natural enemies'. It's not rational, especially when you don't personally or otherwise know the person. I find that it happens more often than I'd like it to..perhaps it's an incitement on myself (or ourselves) than those we dislike.

Answer 7

It is not at all strange. You may subconsiously associate him with a bad experience in your past, it could be his looks or his b.o. that makes you react this violently.

I have experienced the same one time when standing in line at a pharmacy. I had a very strong reaction to the person in front of me but after a few minutes I figured out that he probably had cancer as I could smell it on him (if you have had a close relative with terminal cancer, you know what I am talking about), and it reminded me of some tragic years when several members of my family passed away because of this horrible disease.

So - your reaction is not strange. It has something to do with past experiences of some kind - and probably nothing to do with the poor man.

Answer 8

Oh yeah, when in doubt follow your gut. When ever I have had a reaction like that about someone I've been proven right. Every time.
I'll give you the same advice I gave my daughter when she started dating. " If it feels wrong or "funny" it is." Stay away from that person he is bad news for you.

Answer 9

I actually have expereinced this a lot. I try not to talk about it anymore because it could backfire...specially at work. It's natural. Everyone has an aura and it could be felt by people sensitive to non-verbal communication. It's like magic!

Answer 10

I completely believe in gut instinct. Don't bother sharing your feelings about this man with anyone else. Just steer clear of him as much as possible. I've found that the times I have a gut instinct about something or someone I should go with it.

Answer 11

I have had reactions like this before and turned out to be right on about the person. One example of this: there's a guy my husband works with who I cannot STAND to be around. He gives me the "creeped out" feeling and just can't stand talking to him, I feel strange and uncomfortable. My husband thinks this guy is hilarious and talks with him all the time. Come to find out later that he's a sex addict and hits on everyone's wives at Christmas parties and makes passes at them (physically), he cheats on his wife with younger women and I wouldn't be surprised if I found out later he'd done something illegal. I'd trust your instincts and your gut feelings.