Home⇛International Journal of Multidisciplinary: Applied Business and Education Research⇛vol. 7 no. 8 (2026)

The Gen Z Stare on Reddit: Youth Nonverbal Communication in the Contemporary Era

Cleone Fiona Calalo | Bella Antoni Javier | Charlize Sofia Las | Shyannah Olegario | Angelo Yzmael Salces | Lailah Gabrienne Sarmiento | Dr. Leslie Anne Liwanag | Lois Mauri Anne Liwanag

Discipline: Publicity Studies

 

Abstract:

The "Gen Z Stare" is a blank or expressionless stare given in response to sit- uations where verbal reactions are expected. Based on online Reddit discus- sions, this study aims to identify (1) its contexts, (2) its motivation, (3) and its place in intergenerational miscommunication. The findings suggest that the stare is a form of nonverbal communication associated with emotional avoidance, digital socialization, and limited social skills. It commonly occurs under social pressure, in customer-service interactions, or when encounter- ing "offensive" or "nonsensical" statements, and is usually caused by emo- tional fatigue, an anxiety freeze response, or a way of setting boundaries. Older generations frequently misinterpret it because of their difference in terms of communication norms and digital exposure. This study imparts a more critical understanding of the social and psychological factors associ- ated with Gen Z communication practices and could substantiate further in- quiry into comparable nonverbal expressions among younger generations.



References:

  1. Analysing Generation Z Communication Attitudes, Values and Norms -repository of the Academy's library. (n.d.). https://real.mtak.hu/202164/
  2. AnarchyTaco19 (July 2025) What your thoughts on the supposed "Gen Z stare"? The "Gen Z stare" is another random thing people have recently come up with in an attempt to generalize an entire generation. [Online forum post] Reddit From https://www.reddit.com/r/AutismIn-Women/com-ments/1m14hyb/what_your_thoughts_on_the_supposed_gen_z_stare/
  3. Beddington, E. (July 27, 2025). Have you been a victim of the 'gen Z stare'? It's got nothing on the gen X look of dread. The Guardian. From https://www.theguard-ian.com/commentis-free/2025/jul/27/gen-z-stare-its-got-nothing-on-the-gen-x-look-of-dread
  4. Bluujacket (July 2025) What is the deal with the gen z stare? I've seen this happening for a while but never realized there was a term for it until now. [Online forum post] Reddit From https://www.red-dit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/com-ments/1lzo8ck/what_is_the_deal_with_the_gen_z_stare/
  5. Boettcher, N. (2021). Studies of depression and anxiety using Reddit as a data Source: Scoping Review. JMIR Mental Health, 8(11), e29487. https://doi.org/10.2196/29487
  6. BriscoCounty-Sr (July 2025) The vacant stare of the moron transcends all generations. Quit trying to make something new out of nothing. [Comment from online forum post What is the deal with the gen z stare?] Reddit From https://www.red-dit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/com-ments/1lzo8ck/comment/n3402sw/
  7. Bukhari, S. U. P., Imran, A., Hadi, S. a. A., Masood, I., & Mirza, Z. A. (2025). Bridging the Generational Language gap: A study on the intergenerational comprehension of Gen Z's language. Journal of Asian Development Studies, 14(3), 357-370. https://doi.org/10.62345/jads.2025.14.3.31
  8. Cabahug, M. M., & Pescadero, R. J. (2023). Social media engagement in relation to psycho-social well-being among generation Z. https://ejournals.ph/arti-cle.php?id=22121
  9. CakesNGames90 (July 2025) Coming from the view of a millennial middle and high school teacher: This is a direct result of your generation being stuck on screens more than other generations [Comment from online forum post Surviving the Gen Z Stare Has anyone else been seeing the discourse about the "Gen Z stare"? Have you experienced the Gen z stare??] Reddit From https://www.reddit.com/r/black-ladies/comments/1lvkapo/com-ment/n26vuzn/
  10. Celestial_Blue_Pearl (July 2025) So I was in the military not too long ago, and there for sure is different behavior with gen z. [Comment from online forum post En-countered what I think was a Gen Z stare, and I haven't stopped thinking about it] Reddit From https://www.red-dit.com/r/bayarea/com-ments/1lxkas6/comment/n2odjqa/
  11. Cook_croghan (August 2025) I've seen it from Genz, and I think I know what it is, but it confuses the **** out of boomers/genx and a lot of millennials. [Online forum post] Reddit From [Archived URL]
  12. Fagan, A. (August 18, 2025). The Psychology Behind That Gen Z Stare: Have you seen the Gen Z stare? What's really behind it? Psychology Today. From https://www.psychologyto-day.com/us/blog/the-clar-ity/202507/the-psychology-behind-that-gen-z-stare
  13. Frubbs(July 2025) The clearest explanation for "Gen Z Stare"? I sent this to my dad and I believe the underlying cause is a dopa-mine deficiency in our generation. [Online forum post] Reddit From https://www.reddit.com/r/generationol-ogy/comments/1m2bd4e/the_clear-est_explanation_for_gen_z_stare/
  14. Funny-Salamander-102 (July 2025) 'Gen Z stare' I've seen a lot of discourse about the 'Gen Z stare' on TikTok lately, where people are saying that Gen Z will stare blankly at people who interact with them. [Online forum post] Reddit From https://www.reddit.com/r/socialanxi-ety/comments/1lxhryq/gen_z_stare/
  15. Gabriel, A. G., Alcantara, G. M., & Alvarez, J. D. G. (2020). How do millennial managers lead older employees? The Philippine work-place experience. SAGE Open, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244019900174
  16. Glass_Department3253 (August 2025) The gen z stare is completely misunderstood and is completely justified. [Online forum post] Reddit From https://www.red-dit.com/r/antiwork/com-ments/1mdmx1k/the_gen_z_stare_is_completely_misunderstood_and/
  17. Hartoonian, N. (January 20, 2026).The Gen Z Stare: Social Anxiety and New Communica-tion Styles. Rowan Center for Behavioral Medicine. From https://rowancen-terla.com/the-gen-z-stare-social-anxiety-and-new-communication-styles/
  18. Hater4life22 (July 2025) I'm 28 so right on the cusp of Gen Z/Millennial and I'm going to break the mold and say I think this is actually largely because people are no longer being trained to do their jobs [Comment from online forum post Surviving the Gen Z Stare Has anyone else been seeing the dis-course about the "Gen Z stare"? Have you experienced the Gen z stare??] Reddit From https://www.reddit.com/r/black-ladies/comments/1lvkapo/com-ment/n26vuzn/
  19. IcyWelcome9700 (September 2025) The "Gen Z stare" just makes you look incompetent or of low intelligence. [Online forum post] Reddit From https://www.red-dit.com/r/PetPeeves/com-ments/1nxb486/the_gen_z_stare_just_makes_you_look_incompetent/
  20. Intelligent_Pop1173 (August 2025) I don't actually think it's even meant to be rude in a lot of cases. It's generally just being stupid and inexperienced socially. [Comment from online forum post People complaining about "The Gen Z stare" Ever since the dawn of time, older generations have considered younger generations unmotivated, distracted, and more or less braindead.] Reddit From https://www.red-dit.com/r/PetPeeves/com-ments/1m84zjk/comment/n4y9yst/
  21. Irshad, N. S. (2024). Deciphering digital body language and the Gen-Z in new normal. Creative Saplings, 3(01), 31-48. https://doi.org/10.56062/gtrs.2024.2.10.498
  22. Isabella_Hamilton(August 2025) People com-plaining about "The Gen Z stare" Ever since the dawn of time, older generations have considered younger generations un-motivated, distracted, and more or less braindead. [Online forum post] Reddit From https://www.red-dit.com/r/PetPeeves/com-ments/1m84zjk/comment/n4xn3db/
  23. Itsthethrowaway2 (July 2025) As someone who definitely has a gen z stare I'm glad someone coined this term lol. (though I don't really think this is exclusive to gen z) [Comment from online forum post The Gen Z Stare Why do you think this phenom-enon occurs among Generation Z?] Reddit From https://www.red-dit.com/r/GenZ/com-ments/1m0u1jl/comment/n3c3iza/
  24. Katos, A. (n.d.).What is the Gen Z stare? We ex-plain the viral expression taking over your feed. Harper's Bazaar. From https://harpersba-zaar.com.au/gen-z-stare/?page_data=1
  25. Lacasadelmango (July 2025) As a collective, yall really need to log off the internet, go outside more and talk to people IRL. [Comment from online forum post Surviving the Gen Z Stare Has anyone else been seeing the discourse about the "Gen Z stare"? Have you experienced the Gen z stare??] Reddit From https://www.red-dit.com/r/blackladies/com-ments/1lvkapo/comment/n26vuzn/
  26. Lamba, P. S., & Jain, N. (2025). Psycho-physio-logical impact of virtual non-verbal communication on Gen Z workforce: A study of memes. Acta Psychologica, 254, 104848. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2025.104848
  27. López Restrepo, M., & Venkat, M. (July 18, 2025).Is the 'Gen Z stare' just a call to look inward? PR. From https://www.npr.org/2025/07/18/nx-s1-5468597/gen-z-stare-tiktok-ex-plained-meme-expert-trend-viral
  28. lotusmack (July 2025) As a Millennial, it's hard for me to believe that some of my class-mates have Gen Z kids. (We is old, we is tired, and we need a break. ROFL). I digress. [Comment from online forum post Surviving the Gen Z Stare Has anyone else been seeing the discourse about the "Gen Z stare"? Have you experienced the Gen z stare??] Reddit From https://www.red-dit.com/r/blackladies/com-ments/1lvkapo/comment/n26vuzn/
  29. Michael_G_Bordin (July 2025) I realized this as I went back to college in my 30s. The kids were just so damned afraid of looking like a fool by being wrong. [Comment from online forum post Encountered what I think was a Gen Z stare, and I haven't stopped thinking about it] Reddit From https://www.red-dit.com/r/bayarea/com-ments/1lxkas6/comment/n2odjqa/
  30. MissHannahJ (August 2025) As a Gen-Z this generation is kinda bad at socializing and people just don't want to admit it. [Online Forum post] Reddit From https://www.reddit.com/r/GenZ/com-ments/1m8inns/as_a_genz_this_genera-tion_is_kinda_bad_at/
  31. Nikwillow (July 2025) As a gen z working customer service, I do the best I can to not seem deadpan. [Comment from online forum post 'Gen Z stare' ] Reddit From https://www.reddit.com/r/socialanxi-ety/comments/1lxhryq/gen_z_stare/
  32. OmericanAutlaw(July 2025) It's simple in my perception. It's a lack of communication skills and confidence. [Comment from online forum post The clearest explanation for "Gen Z Stare"? I sent this to my dad and I believe the underlying cause is a dopa-mine deficiency in our generation.] Reddit From https://www.reddit.com/r/gen-erationology/comments/1m2bd4e/com-ment/nm8i3wx/?context=3
  33. Pal, M., & Rashmi, C. P. (2026). The influence of screen time on social skills and face-to-face communication. Howard Journal of Communications, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/10646175.2026.2638809
  34. PuddingComplete3081 (July 2025) IDL being called "GenZ stare" just because I didn't fake a reaction [Online forum post] Reddit From https://www.red-dit.com/r/I_DONT_LIKE/com-ments/1m0g6tq/idl_be-ing_called_genz_stare_just_be-cause_i_didnt/
  35. Raslie, H. (2021). Gen Y and Gen Z communication style. Studies of Applied Economics, 39(1). https://doi.org/10.25115/eea.v39i1.4268
  36. Red_Taco16 (July 2025) I'm 25/Gen Z and I definitely noticed this happening but I didn't know there was a term for it. In my experience, I receive the stare at checkout. [Online forum post] Reddit From https://www.reddit.com/r/black-ladies/comments/1lvkapo/com-ment/n26vuzn/
  37. red286 (July 2025) I find it weird that people think it's unique to GenZ. [Comment from online forum post What is the deal with the gen z stare?] Reddit From https://www.reddit.com/r/NoStu-pidQuestions/comments/1lzo8ck/com-ment/n3402sw/
  38. Robinson, B. (July 16, 2025).The 'Gen Z Stare': What It Means And Why Employers Can't Afford To Ignore It. Forbes. From https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrobinson/2025/07/16/the-gen-z-stare-what-it-means-and-whats-under-neath-it-at-work/
  39. Sen6ry (July 2025) this is so puzzling to me bc i'm gen z and i just have resting b*tch face. [Online forum post] Reddit From[Archived URL]
  40. Shaftalope (July 2025) I thought the 'dead eyed stare' was gen x, we were doing it in the 80s, anyone else? [Comment from online forum post What is the deal with the gen z stare?] Reddit From https://www.red-dit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/com-ments/1lzo8ck/comment/n3402sw/
  41. SherbertTurbulent404 (July 2025) Rbfis normal though. They're talking about speak-ing and replying back when someone says hello or thank you. [Comment from online forum post this is so puzzling to me bc i'm gen z and i just have resting b*tch face]. Reddit From [Archived URL]
  42. Skylark7 (August 2025) I think it's just the GenZ version of the GenX eye roll. The difference is we got obnoxious behavior beat out of us before we left home. [Comment from online forum post The clearest explanation for "Gen Z Stare"? I sent this to my dad and I believe the underlying cause is a dopamine deficiency in our generation.] Reddit From https://www.red-dit.com/r/generationology/com-ments/1m2bd4e/com-ment/nm8i3wx/?context=3
  43. Soundofsidhe (October 2025) I asked them what they thought about the Gen Z stare. [Online forum post] Reddit From https://www.reddit.com/r/Profes-sors/com-ments/1o8ovrc/i_asked_them_what_they_thought_about_the_gen_z/
  44. Spacestonkz (July 2025) I'm a millennial professor and it's not truly a thing for younger GenZ, elder genZ, millennials, zillennials, whatever. [Comment from online forum post Is Gen z stare real? Why do you do that?] Reddit From https://www.reddit.com/r/GenZ/com-ments/1lxes8a/comment/n2lw5qv/
  45. Stock, N. (July 20, 2025).Yes, Gen Z Is Staring at You. But Why? The New York Times. Publisher: The New York Times Company. From https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA848315157&sid=google-Scholar&v=2.1&it=r&linkac-cess=abs&issn=03624331&p=AONE&sw=w&userGroup-Name=anon%7E2745925c&aty=open-web-entry
  46. Tayone, R. J. M. (2024). Ang Gen Z sa Usaping Sex. . .Bisyo. . .Barkada. . . Mga Kaalaman, Karanasan, at Kaisipan ng mga Piling Mag-aaral sa Kolehiyo. Malay Journal, 36(2). https://doi.org/10.59588/2243-7851.1018
  47. View of Non-verbal means of communication of young people. (n.d.). https://philology-vestnik.buketov.edu.kz/index.php/phi-lology-vestnik/article/view/306/270
  48. Viviaana (August 2025) it has nothing to do with working retail, people are seeing this stare from people in all situations, it's from a lack of social skills. [Comment from online forum post People complaining about "The Gen Z stare" Ever since the dawn of time, older generations have considered younger generations unmotivated, distracted, and more or less braindead.] Reddit From https://www.red-dit.com/r/PetPeeves/com-ments/1m84zjk/comment/n4y9yst/
  49. What is the Gen Z stare? (n.d.). BBC. From https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/arti-cles/zf8kfdm#zvjw3qt
  50. Wild-Lecture-2080 (October 2025) In my experience, they usually stare when they don't know what to do, whether other people didn't give them the answer they were expecting. [Comment from online forum post The clearest explanation for "Gen Z Stare"? I sent this to my dad and I believe the underlying cause is a dopamine deficiency in our generation.] Reddit From https://www.reddit.com/r/generationol-ogy/comments/1m2bd4e/com-ment/nm8i3wx/?context=3
  51. Wyton, M. (2025, July 18). Lately: TikTok left on read in Ottawa, Rogers launches new emergency service and the Gen Z stare. The Globe and Mail. https://www.theg-lobeandmail.com/business/article-lately- iktok-left-on-read-in-ottawa-rogers-launches-new-emergency/
  52. Yang, G., King, S. G., Lin, H., & Goldstein, R. Z. (2023). Emotional expression on social Media Support Forums for Substance Cessation: Observational Study of Text-Based Reddit Posts. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 25, e45267. https://doi.org/10.2196/45267

Tools


Copyright © 2026  KITE Digital Educational Solutions |  Exclusively distributed by CE-Logic