How do you ride the train?

I read an interesting New York Times article, today, that documents the choices people make regarding seating when they ride the train. I've included a few snippets below that intrigued me, but you can read the full article here. 

"...the doorway area was desirable for a less obvious reason, too, the report found; it allowed riders to avoid “the sometimes uncomfortable feeling of accidentally making eye contact with seated passengers.” 

“Customers do change seats as seats become available due to passengers disembarking,” the report said, in language riders would be unlikely to use: “but seat-change maneuvers incur utility costs (movement effort, and risk of desired seat becoming occupied midmaneuver).”  

Awolou Sossa, 23, a student from Benin, in West Africa, who came to New York City last year to study civil engineering, said he had been told upon his arrival to avoid eye contact on the train. “People are afraid if you’re looking at them,” he said. “They wonder why.”  

Do you worry about making eye contact with strangers when you ride the train? I'm curious to hear.