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Do you know the feeling when you can’t hear what someone said, even though they’ve repeated it four times already? Chances are, you won’t ask for the fifth one and simply nod, hoping that what they said didn’t require a more extensive answer.
Well, not understanding something people are talking about often evokes a similar feeling. So, instead of asking questions or saying that they don’t know much about something—which they might do under different circumstances—individuals choose to pretend that they know what's being spoken about.
A curious member of the ‘Ask Reddit’ community wanted to learn what makes people pretend to understand something when they actually don’t. They started a thread about it and in their answers, netizens covered nearly any topic there is, from computers and politics, to sleep, baking, and beyond. If you’re curious about what it is that they only pretend to understand, too, scroll down to find their answers on the list below, and feel free to upvote them, if they refer to something you don’t understand that well, either.
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#1
How some “fine art” is considered “fine art” when it looks like some s**t a 1st grader made.
#2
Wine tasting. You guys can taste chocolate, cigar smoke, nuts, fruits, etc., all I can taste is fermented grapes. I'm sure I can come up with a bunch of random words, and they'll buy the whole farm.
Traveling Lady Railfan 1 week ago
I've been to a ton of wine and food pairings in my local area which is a big wine producing place in the world. Definitely there seems to be a lot of phony baloney hype when it comes to describing the nose or the sensation on the palate or whatever, but it is true that a wine that is properly paired with the right food you take a smell, you take a little sip, and you go okay this is what the wine tastes like. And then you take a bite of whatever food it is, mmm that's pretty good... And then you go back to the wine again and all of a sudden you can taste the description that they were giving you and you go oh wow, that's neat. It tastes better now it tastes different, and occasionally, oh yuck, this tastes a lot worse. "Taste the season/sip and sizzle" used to be amazing to go to. Amazing. What a wonderful way for locals to go out and visit the various wineries and have a really good time. Giant thumbs down for changing completely how these events run now. Totally different 👎
#3
The love some people have for watching sports.
To edit/elaborate, I went to a Big 10 school. I honestly had no idea how much of a religion sports were to people when I first started; I was truly there for, well, my education. After 4 years of trying to pretend my way into understanding, I couldn't will myself to get into it.
Child of the Stars 1 week ago
I don't get it either. I'm not going to judge you if you're into it, but don't ask me to take part because frankly, idc if the home team wins.
#5
Sleep.
I’ve been doing it for over 30 years but I still for the life of me can’t figure out how it works.
One second I’m totally conscious on my bed with my eyes closed, and the next moment I’m awake.
Like wtf is going on.
#6
Space, time, and gravity, and their relationship with each other.
Also, gravitational lenses (I think?), where gravity of a massive or dense planet bends light around it so that the planet becomes a magnifying glass to see objects even further into space that would otherwise be blocked from line of sight by the massive planet.
#7
The Electoral College.
It's not even a real college!
#8
The capillary effect
So here's a narrow tube - ok
Here's water - ok
Water goes up against gravity - WHAT THE F**K IS THIS BLACK MAGIC FUCKERY
Edit: woah this blew up.
#9
My job, fake it till you make it. I didn't know over half of my job when I got hired. I researched most of it the weekend before and ask a lot of questions.
#11
Baking. I'm in my last semester of culinary school and I'm taking a baking class. I swear, it's like f*****g voodoo and witchcraft in there. I'm pretty sure we sacrificed a virgin the other day to make the foccacia proof properly. I'll stick to regular cooking.
#12
When people try to talk to me quietly and I don't want to make them repeat is for the 5th time.
Donald 1 week ago
After the second or third time someone mumbles to me I just respond with, "WHAT DID YOU SAY," in a loud but non-threatening tone. It usually gets the point across. I've been playing drums for over 20 years and my hearing is pretty bad as a result. People need to project their voice and annunciate syllables so I can understand them. If someone continues to mumble with their mush mouth I just ignore them. Usually, I will give strangers some grace and explain my hearing isn't great, but there are people I see almost daily who can't seem to grasp the concept.
#13
People are commending my wife and me on raising our kid (10 months now). Truth is we are totally winging it and she's just been really pleasant so far ... too pleasant.
Child of the Stars 1 week ago
The biggest parenting secret (and, if we're being honest, adulting in general) is that we're all just winging it. You can ask for and try advice from those more experienced, but honestly, it's only a 50/50 shot that it'll work 🤷♀️
#14
I just don't understand how people are happy to work 9-5 for decades for a mere 2 weeks off.
#15
My job. I'm a software developer but my true job title should be "Creative Googler".
Robert T 1 week ago
People don't realise just how broad software engineering is. There are so many langauges, packages and libraries to deal with that you can't possibly remember them all. I have a "working set" of stuff I am using and usually a quick google will help remind me of other stuff I have done in the past and vaguely remember.
#16
Cryptocurrency I know enough to get about 25% of the way there but then I just don't get it... Something about computers doing complicated math for ... something... or someone ... then that being a block... using that block to make money... that might not actually be money but it is money to someone so I guess that's what makes it money
**EDIT**
I got so much info from this comment maybe I should have said something about my research paper.
Ionescu Popa 1 week ago
because the rest might be conning. there is some mathematics ok, but nothing to do with the prosperity of the small "investor".
#17
Magnets. I mean, day to day I walk around in my lab coat with a clip board, pretending I know all sorts of things. Yet, for all my scientific know-how one question continues to plague me: *Magnets; how do they work?*.
#18
How air conditioning works.
Every time I try and research it, I get a lot of smug answers about "you know it doesnt actually MAKE cold, it just PULLS heat from the air..."
OK great. How does it do that?
#19
I got near perfect scores in my physics classes for engineering and literally nothing about our universe makes sense to me. I just treat it like a religion and have faith in it. I'm just an engineer and not a scientist so it should work out, I think.
keyboardtek 1 week ago
People who are science majors in college are actually doing all the major experiments the famous first scientists did. It proves the science to the student and becomes the building blocks of understanding science. It has nothing to do with faith or belief. You actually do the experiments and prove stuff to yourself.
#20
Confidence. I don't know how the f**k you become confident but I pretend like I am and it seems to work.
#21
3D printers. Like, I can't even wrap my head around the concept, but then I'm just over here like, if it works why can't we just 3D print everything??
#22
Anyone who says they understand quantum mechanics are liars.
#23
When people talk for to long I pretend like I understand what they're saying but in reality I wasn't paying attention.
keyboardtek 1 week ago
I always wondered how people fail to know they are talking too long or dominating a conversation. Do they fail to see people's attention fading away?
#24
Having children. I have two stepkids and so far I just don't think the time, money and stress is worth "it". Then I think what is "It". I've asked several people why they had kids and mostly they say to continue their line. ??? I still don't get it.
Marianne 1 week ago
I wanted to have a child, because I have always felt loved by my family of origin and I wanted to give that love forward to my own child. As a family, I feel part of a unit of love and that's fantastic! Also I'm a caring person and I loved the idea of caring for a child that is my own and help that child to develop into a person and be happy. It's a delight to see them grow and learn everyday and it makes me proud beyond measure. Also I wanted to experience pregnancy, because it's a super power. To be able to grow a person in my body, give birth to them and nourish them with my mother milk was a very empowering experience that I'm very glad I was able to make.
#25
Computers and software. Plot twist - I am a software developer.
#27
My job. I’m very new there; my co-workers tell me to not hesitate to ask questions. When I do, they’re b****y. When I figure it out on my own and end up doing something wrong they jump down my throat “Why did you do this that way!?”, “Why would you do that!?”. I’m damned if I do and I’m damned if I don’t. Whatever.
#28
SEO. My company is at the top of nearly every search involving one of the keywords that should direct you to it. I spend like $10 a day on AdWords and everyone thinks I'm a god-tier advertising hacker. I have no idea how or why things have worked so well in my favor.
The Scout 1 week ago
I can totally understand that. SEO and SEA manager here. I do not really understand what I am doing most of the time, but develop a sense of what works and what does not... Just some worshipping and kneeling before the allmighty algorhythms that no human being will ever be able to understand.
#29
The Monty Hall problem. I'm convinced I'm a lost cause so there's not really any point trying to explain further. I've heard the "think of it as a hundred doors" or "a million doors" thing dozens of times.
I've sometimes felt like I'm on the very brink of an epiphany in understanding but when it comes down to it I can't avoid the idea that if Monty was an alien and the car was a speedboat and the goat was a centaur and there were 3017 doors to begin with and Monty only opened a door ever 4.6 hours and it's in Mozambique and I don't know, whatever the f**k happened *before your choice*... when you have the two doors in front of you and one is the prize and one is the bogey, 'sticking' is just choosing door A and 'changing' is just choosing door B. There's a 50/50 chance.
I 'know' (perhaps 'believe' is the word) it isn't 50/50 because greater mathematical minds (obviously) than mine have proven that it's more beneficial to 'swap' doors. In the real gameshow scenario I would swap in the knowledge that clever people say that I should... But I just don't get why it's not 50/50. Regardless of what happened before, there are two doors to choose from, one is a prize, one isn't. 50/50.
I just pretend I understand because 1. I trust that it's true. 2. I hear the same "imagine it's 100 doors" every time someone tries to explain and it never gets through.
I take some small solace in the fact that the very *reason* it's famous is because it's so incredibly counter-intuitive.
Donkey boi 1 week ago
My Gramps always said 'Everything is 50/50, because it either is/will or isn't/won't.' That app that says 60% chance of rain? Nah, it either will rain or it won't. 3 doors, one with a prize, pick a door, it either is the prize or isn't. He even used it when he was diagnosed with cancer. I like the simplistic approach, but I also like better odds.
#30
That unerring sense of rightness in their actions.
There are so many people who just **do** things without taking time to properly scare themselves out of it by thinking of all the anxiety-inducing repercussions. Look for another job? I'll need to change my morning routine, my commute, no more lunch hour at home, all these new people to deal with, getting as depressed in the new job as at the old job. I just thought myself into inaction.
Yet, I've seen people who just take that leap and I don't know how to do it without feeling like I'll fail or interpreting the landing as a failure and not a stepping stone.
You never learned proper fear and shame and self-loathing!
I hear what you're saying, the only way to get over it is to continue failing. To embrace it, revel in it, become the failure before exiting, triumphant, at the end! I guess I just don't *get* it or understand how I *haven't* been doing that but most of the advice says I have to keep trying until I get it so I will continue persevering.
Have you ever pretended to understand a conversation to avoid feeling embarrassed?
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