New York is like no other city in the world. Where else can you see Central Park, a rat stealing a slice of pizza, the Empire State Building, the Met, and eat the most delicious bagel you’ve ever had in your life? This concrete jungle is full of opportunities, nearly 19 million people and, of course, billions of conversations that are worth overhearing. So if you haven’t yet been able to take a trip to New York yourself, you’re in luck! You can get the full experience by reading through Overheard New York on Instagram.

This account, which has amassed a whopping 1.6 million followers, details what it’s like to stroll down the streets of New York. Well, I guess the locals don’t stroll, they power walk. And if you really want to nail the ambiance, play some loud, taxi honking sounds in the background as you scroll through this list. And if NYC isn't your scene, don't fret. Overheard HQ has eavesdroppers all over the place. So if you live in New York, LA, San Francisco, Austin or London, be careful what you say in public! 

Have you ever done that thing where you heard someone walking by say something ridiculous or obnoxious and immediately (once they were out of earshot) you repeated what they said? I have done this countless times, perfectly in sync with one of my brothers or my partner, and it never gets old. The joy of overhearing something bizarre or something you don’t think you should have heard in the first place is so palpable. But why is that?

Well, when it comes to why we love eavesdropping so much, scientists say that sometimes, we actually just can’t resist. Apparently, when we hear one side of a conversation in particular, such as when someone is speaking on the phone in public, we are drawn to listening to them out of curiosity. Who’s on the other line? What are they saying? We want to fill in the gaps, and trying to figure out how juicy the conversation is is much more exciting than simply hearing both sides.   

To learn more about what it’s like to live in a city of eavesdroppers, we reached out to travel blogger and resident of New York, Adam Groffman. “I've overheard some truly bizarre and head-turning conversations in NYC,” Adam told Bored Panda. “I've submitted a handful [to Overheard NYC], usually right in the moment when I've heard it.”

Adam also says fellow New Yorkers have definitely caught him saying things that could have easily been posted on Overheard NYC. “Half the reason I follow the account is because I'm interested in knowing what other New Yorkers are talking about in private, and the other half is because I'm worried someone heard something I said,” the blogger admitted.

“I know eavesdropping and listening in on other people's conversations might seem weird, but in NYC, it's just a way of life,” Adam explained. “We're naturally curious - we ask questions and have no shame in enquiring what other people are doing or thinking. Consider the fact that we passed this NYC salary transparency law - our curiosity in how much people make has literally made it into law.”

Adam also hypothesizes that the reason New Yorkers love eavesdropping is because they live in such a crowded city. “Our apartment windows look into each other’s; I can hear my neighbors through the walls. Our sidewalks are full of tourists and locals and Citi Bike riders and delivery drivers and postal workers and couriers,” he told Bored Panda. “We're on top of each other, so of course we're going to hear (and listen in) on what everyone's saying.”

If you’d like to learn more about Adam or keep up with his adventures in NYC, be sure to visit Travels of Adam!

Eavesdropping may seem rude at times, but according to Alison Jane Martingano, PhD, the habit might actually come with surprising benefits. Martingano wrote a piece for Psychology Today explaining how one experiment, featuring a diverse group of 86 New Yorkers, found that eavesdropping can be great for our theory of mind skills. “Eavesdroppers outperformed the interlocutors on both ToM measures,” Martingano writes. “Eavesdroppers were able to identify more emotions from the pictures of eyes correctly and were more likely to understand what Richard was thinking compared to interlocutors. These results suggest that eavesdropping can indeed be beneficial for social cognition.”

“As our world becomes more interconnected, understanding and empathizing with others is more crucial than ever,” Martingano continued. “Enhancing our ToM abilities through listening can help forge stronger social connections, promote cooperation, and foster a more empathetic world. So next time you find yourself eavesdropping, remember—you might just be exercising your hidden superpower.”

We hope you’re enjoying these juicy and hilarious snippets from the lives of New Yorkers, pandas. Keep upvoting all of your favorites, and feel free to share any other silly conversations you’ve overheard in NY or your own city in the comments below. Then, if you’re interested in checking out another Bored Panda article featuring Overheard New York, you can find our previous editions here, here and here!