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If you are the type of person who relies on public transportation on a regular basis, this is the sort of video that you are going to want to watch closely.

Even those who ride buses and trains on a more infrequent basis are going to want to watch, too. This man is here to share a surefire way to keep the seat next to you empty in these all too common scenarios.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

After all, no one wants to be stuck next to the same person for hours on end. It can be tough to end up stuck in the same seat, with no ability to move in because you are essentially wedged inside. How do you get away with this, though? People tend to be willing to take whatever seat they can get in these instances.

u/esberat is a Redditor who has the perfect idea. He doesn’t try to look sullen or annoyed. He does not pass gas. He does not play his music loudly.

Photo: Reddit/u/esberat

Instead, he kills them with kindness. He smiles at each person who is boarding and pats the seat next to him. Of course, everyone just assumes he is a weirdo and want no part of sitting next to him.

This hack is too perfect. It would only work for a man, though. A woman would not have this kind of luck. Even the most determined woman would still have men trying to hit on her and take the seat. The comment section was full of dissent, too. People wondered just how well this would actually work.

Photo: Reddit/u/esberat

“Yeah this seems like the kind of thing that will work really well, right up until it suddenly doesn’t,” said one viewer. Another viewer made an even better point that is going to stick with us. “Oh hell. You’d be GIVING them an excuse to talk to you,” u/SlyGallant says. “They wouldn’t even need to contrive one in order to approach you. Yeah, I don’t think the payoff is worth the risk anymore…”

How to keep the seat next to you empty. from lifehacks

So, where do you stand on this one? Is it genius or is this guy asking for trouble? The more that we think about it, the more terrified we would be to carry this out.

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