So I'd expect something along the lines of "Oh. Erm. That's... nice... I guess".
Usually, I'm asked "So what do you actually do, anyway" and "so what are you going to do with that." And, because I'm trying to avoid childhood traumas, I do have to give a rather sculpted response. Luckily there's a bit of a stunned expression most of the time, which I can take advantage of to ask the other person questions, instead.
And, there can be unsolicited comments of "Ah, secretarial work?" or "Yeah, that's useless." But those are rare enough.
What is so dire about not knowing what Anthropology is exactly? I am sorry if this really is something deeper than I realize, as I would not like to mock something that is important to you, but I do not really understand.
I meant the unsettling feeling of not knowing if you're doing the right thing, as I quoted, which was what my response was referring to. There can be different causes for this. At the very least, I am quite accustomed to that feeling of not knowing if you're pursuing the "correct" feel of study, though I suspect my reasons are different.
Mindmaker, you could always tell people the most utterly vague thing ever. "I study people and humanity and why they are the way they are." No lengthy explanation needed, and the reply "Oh, neat" will sometimes be a little more sincere.
Yeah, my usual explanation is "mathematics is the study of patterns, both geometric and otherwise," and then I try to move on.