Human Behaviour
 

I thought this could be a thread for all those weird little things that people do.

For instance you know when you're driving and stopped at a pedestrian crossing waiting for a green light and someone crosses at the last minute? They always do this half-arsed little jog half way across the road and then walk the rest of the way. It's like they expend enough energy to show that they're mindful of keeping everyone waiting but they can't be bothered actually getting out of the way.

So what behaviours have you noticed that amuse or frustrate or even restore your faith in humanity?

I find it funny (or hate it, not sure) when people walk like zombies staring into their mobile devices. The thing is the evolution hasn't equipped us with ability to text a message and be aware of our location in space at the same time :)

Something I do, sometimes, is getting to the bus stop, seeing a bus there but I haven't reached it yet. Do I
a) run, and then be laughed at when the bus pulls off at the last minute,
b) walk slowly, as if I don't care, but when I get there the bloody thing still hasn't moved and I look like an idiot or worse
c) Walk slow, then realise **** it I might make this, break into a run only to find the second part of (a) comes to pass?

The best ever though was when I ran the heart out of myself to catch the bus, arrived gasping (I was never fit) at the bus stop to find the bloody thing was BROKEN DOWN! Man, I must have been laughed at in secret by everyone who was on the bus, waiting for the replacement!

That'a a good reason for them to have GPS & VTT apps for cell phones.

I tend to dislike it when people judge others for things that have no bearing on their own life. Is that a paradox?

Ah yes, running for the bus. Always a classic.


How about disowning the fart? You think you're alone so you try to slip one out but no sooner is it out there and someone comes around the corner heading straight for it. You try to saunter off nonchalantly and pretend it's not yours but your not fooling anyone.

Or, if some people actually do miss the light, they'll repeatedly keep mashing the crosswalk button.

This situation is quite the predicament. It all depends on how desperately one needs to get on that particular bus I believe.
If you can get the next one in 10-15 minutes and it's fair weather, I wouldn't bother breaking sweat to rush for the current bus.
If you had a job interview to attend and that was the only bus to head in the direction you needed to go, you had better get doing your best Usain Bolt impression.
Those disapproving looks from those that witnessed your frantic dash can easily be quashed by sitting behind them in the bus.

Lying to fit in, no matter how small or inconsequential of a lie it is ("Oh yeah, I've seen that movie.")

People that won't let you pass them because it would show weakness on their part or something.

Drivers who don't indicate. I don't drive so I get pavement rage. There is a roundabout that I have to traverse everyday on my walk to work and I am lucky if 10% of drivers indicate a left turn so if you are not indicating to take that left turn I am completely in my right to cross over.

The amount of times I have flicked the V's at drivers who don't indicate is in the hundreds. Wankshafts.

Queue jumpers. At a bar where it is a level playing field is annoying but acceptable but at a bus stop or in a store is not just annoying it is damn disrespectful especially as we Brits are legendary at queuing!

People who say thank you when you hold a door open for them restore my faith in good manners as I always hold a door open for people. People who DON'T say a thank you will get a very sarcastic " you're welcome" at the top of my voice. Not had a retort yet but then a shaved head and beard usually works as a deterrent not to mess.

Yeah my 8 yo daughter does that all the time. Some of the stuff she makes up just to fit a conversation with her friends really puzzles me.


I really hate that. Like if I'm waiting at a t-intersection for someone and they turn the corner without indicating so I waited for nothing. Especially frustrating when it wastes a break in traffic so you're sitting there another 5 minutes.


What about when you hold a door open for someone and there is a rush of people exiting but no-one else moves to hold the door for those coming behind them so you either stand there like an idiot holding the door for everyone or let the door close on someone which looks bad when you held it for all those who came before them. Stupid social quandaries.

Yeah, I was gonna post in the "Grinds my gears" thread about holding doors. It's worse with women. I swear, at least 70 percent of the women (young girls. older women, very old grandma types) for whom I've opened, held a door or let them go first fail to even acknowledge the gesture. It's no big thing to do it, but you could just as easily not do it, as many I see do. So when you're a gentleman it's nice to be thanked. Even a ****ing smile will do, but to be totally blanked, and they walk through as if it's their divine right to go ahead of you, that you should hold the door and they owe you nothing, not even thanks, in response. That pisses me off. I also do the "You're welcome", but as unlike Jack I'm a weedy glasses-wearing nerd, and a coward, I say it quietly through gritted teeth.

They don't owe you anything.

Want a thank you for holding the door?



Problem solved.

Why is it that, when you're trying to pass someone who is walking slowly on the sidewalk, they almost always start to drift to the side that you're trying to pass them on? Is it simply that people drift from side to side as they walk so you have 50/50 chance of passing on the wrong side? Or is some weird reaction people have to other people trying to pass them?

Agreed. And it's not even a sexist thing. My ex used to rage when she held a door for anybody (of any gender) and they didn't thank her. I never understood it. Never will. Don't hold a door for anybody if you're doing it for praise. If you do it because you feel it's polite then just do it and don't expect any response.

I get people always leaning the way I'm trying to pass them. Sometimes I have to awkwardly squeeze in. But yeah, it does seem like a weird pattern.

QFT.

I hold doors for people because I was taught that it is a polite thing to do. Most of the time people do say thanks or something along those lines, but I don't expect it. They don't owe me anything. I do nice things for people because that's how I am - I don't do them to gain approval or anything of the sort.

Exactly. The only time I do throw out a nasty comment to someone in public like that, is if they bump into me w/o saying excuse me. That's ****ing rude.

It is pretty rude for people to not say thanks when someone else holds a door for them though.

It is, but they don't owe it to you.

Holding the door for others is an automatic reaction for me. It's courteous. People always say thank you. They're pretty polite.

That seems like kind of fine point to me. I do kind of think we owe it to our fellow humans not to be rude.

The first thing I thought of when I saw this thread:



I was immediately intrigued when I first saw this video, but it's definitely true. Get a few friends in on it with you, and you'll be surprised (or maybe not, if you expected it to work) at how people are so intent on conforming in an anonymous group setting.

It's bizarre.

Edit: And also related to the thread:

I can't understand being offended if they don't. They didn't ask for it and it just doesn't seem rude to me if they just walk on through.
I do hold doors for people and if they flatly ignore me I feel nothing. Shit, maybe I need to see a psychologist about this.

I don't know. If someone does something nice for me, I think I'd be pretty rude if I didn't thank them in some way. Maybe it's just the way that I was raised.

Why are we making saying two words out to be a big deal? You're acting like they've terribly inconvenienced you by now making you say "thanks" lol. I always hold doors and always say thanks, and yeah am slightly irritated when people don't thank me but it happens so often that it lingers in my mind for like 5 seconds.

It doesn't even enter my mind whether they thank me or not, and I'm probably a non-thanker myself. An open door seems like nothing more than an open door whether it was opened by another human or by the wind. Even when I'm the person holding it open for somebody.
I was raised to be polite and I'm seriously a little bit freaked out by this small example of a lack of empathy because I never realized it before. Schizoid pathology does run in parts of my family so hopefully it's just my nurture.

Man, I wish the wind opened doors for me. :(

"Thank you" to me is a gesture that they appreciated what I did for them, if they didn't appreciate and don't care that I held the door, of what use was opening it? I do it for their sake and "thank you" to me is a reminder that they like when I do it, and don't feel inconvenienced by it. Maybe I'm overthinking this :shycouch:

Sometimes manners operate on a psychological level where it's not about the practice but about the feelings involved. Sometimes it's nice to hear, and othertimes a peson would like to hear it.

I see you are about to enter/leave the room/building so hold the door for you, it not only about being nice or helping you it also be about recognising your presence. And in return the you say "thank you" (that might like a triffle), but for some it's about reciprocating recognition.

I'm just gonna assume that I'm fine and forget about this now.

Thank You! :wave:

I would like to discuss a related topic: When you enter a revolving door and the person exiting decides shuffle along without touching the door, leaving all the pushing work to you. What the fuck is up with these people?

When there's a tin of roses/quality street/celebrations/any type of box/tub of assorted sweets/chocolates which are all individually wrapped, and someone puts the wrappers back in the container with all of the other sweets when they've eaten them. They belong in the bin, it is really not difficult.

People who try and get on a bus/train before others have alighted. It is ****ing rude.

Also public transport related, when you have to sit next to someone who is sitting on the inside seat and they're getting off at the next stop but don't let you know, so you have to stand back up pretty much straight away to let them off (this more applies to buses as stops on a train are a fair few minutes apart so its not too bad)

Oh god yes. I hate that. Elevators too.

Yeah that one bugs me but in a funny way. I mean when you know they're doing it, its just like...Okay...Do I pretend I believe him/her or give them a weird look. Do I act polite or call them out and potentially humiliate them.
Pass them on what? Like when you are walking? I am a fast walker so I pass people all the time and sometimes they get nervous because they think you are following them, but then they realize that would were just passing them out. Is that what you mean?

I believe that everyone has different personalities. The reality is that we all act different although we are not aware of it. I just think we need to check ourselves of what we are doing everyday to see whether it is good or not.

Wise words Franco!

It is true. I mean afterall not everyone gets along. We like some people and hate some people. That is the reality of life.

Maybe this should go in the "Brain Fart" thread, but sometimes when I'm driving to work, I'll go into "Auto-Pilot" mode and suddenly realize I just went through about 4 or 5 lights without knowing if they were red or green. Obviously they were green or I wouldn't be posting this, but it's a bit scary.

On another note... I find that having a beard can up the respect level of some (read most) people. When I'm clean shaven I look like a kid and people will kind of brush me off in some situations, but now that I'm sporting the "Grizzly Adams" face coat, I get quite a bit of "Thank you sir"s and things of that nature. Especially in a work environment where I'm surrounded by welders, steel workers, and truckers.

I told that to a friend of mine, starting off with a "I did a bit of a social experiment..." and thats where his eyes glossed over and drool started dripping out of the corner of his mouth. Another example of human behavior.