How to Keep Someone from Sitting Next to You

On the train, or the bus, and want to keep the seat next to you empty? Sociologist Esther Kim suggests the following strategies:

• Avoid eye contact with other people.
• Lean against the window and stretch out your legs.
• Place a large bag on the empty seat.
• Sit on the aisle seat and turn on your iPod so you can pretend you can't hear people asking for the window seat. 
• Place several items on the spare seat so it's not worth the passenger's time waiting for you to move them. 
• Look out the window with a blank stare to look crazy.
• Pretend to be asleep.
• Put your coat on the seat to make it appear already taken .
• If all else fails, lie and say the seat has been taken by someone else.

I have to say that my experience differs. I find that looking out the window is an invitation to take the seat beside me, but if I turn a blank stare on each approaching passenger in turn, they usually go elsewhere.