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In today’s day and age, dating has almost become like a game. People have so many options at their fingertips that they (sometimes) come up with the silliest reasons to skip over a potential match. Who knows, maybe they have an excellent rationale behind doing so, or maybe not.

We put this list together with all the possible petty grounds why folks have rejected their dating prospects. It’s up to you to decide what reasons totally make sense, what’s really absurd, and how many of these you also do!

More info: Reddit

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#1

30 Petty And Insignificant Reasons People Turned Down Being In A Relationship With Someone He scolded his dog for doing normal dog things. Instant turn off.

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#2

30 Petty And Insignificant Reasons People Turned Down Being In A Relationship With Someone Not sure if this is petty but, if you dislike animals. Immediate red flag. I don't care if you look like Megan Fox lol.

ybazzer , Arina Krasnikova Report

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#3

30 Petty And Insignificant Reasons People Turned Down Being In A Relationship With Someone Doesn't say please or thank you to servers or anyone in a customer-service role. I feel the need to say please and thanks on their behalf and that's a job I just can't take on for life :-D.

SituationNorth , Andrea Piacquadio Report

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lenka
lenka
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is not a minor thing. It's a major red flag. A person you are dating will always treat YOU with care and respect because there is something in for them personally. How they treat others however says far more about what kind of person they are. Using manners, speaking kindly or with respect to servers and other people is a bare minimum requirement.

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Nobody wants to spend the rest of their life with a person whose behavior, beliefs, or actions grate on their nerves. Just imagine living out the next 50 years with someone who can stop themselves from devouring a whole plate of cookies. What a psychopath! 

Regardless of the reasons, nearly half of U.S. adults say that dating has become more difficult in the last ten years. Around 43% of people have trouble finding a person who actually meets all of their expectations. The only thing is, based on this list, you’ve got to wonder whether some people can’t find good matches or if they’re actually setting the bar way too high.

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#4

30 Petty And Insignificant Reasons People Turned Down Being In A Relationship With Someone Terrible texting/grammar.

If I receive this:

"Heyyy BB Wuts gud? U tryna hang out tonight??!!?"

I'm no longer interested and not replying.

michaelveee , Porapak Apichodilok Report

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DennyS (denzoren)
DennyS (denzoren)
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Nope. Shorthand sure, slang sure, I'm okay with that but just plain bad grammar, can't do it.

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#5

30 Petty And Insignificant Reasons People Turned Down Being In A Relationship With Someone I once received a topless picture from a guy I dated at the time. Below the picture he typed "this is called pure strength and force, kitty". I don't know what's worse, the way he flexed his muscles (was very cringy), the message he sent or the fact he called me kitty.

It's even worse in my first language.

RobberyStrawberry , mahmood sufiyan Report

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#6

30 Petty And Insignificant Reasons People Turned Down Being In A Relationship With Someone I won't date them if they don't use their turn signals... If you can't communicate on the road you can't communicate irl.

olive_orchid , Safi Erneste Report

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There are definitely some incredibly trivial dating pet peeves on this list that may not feel like such a big deal if you find the right person. What about the rest of the reasons that may actually make sense? 

To get an expert’s opinion on this matter, Bored Panda reached out to Christan Marashio, a trauma-recovery-certified dating expert, podcaster, and writer. She offers direct, no-nonsense dating advice that empowers women over 35 to prioritize themselves, embrace singlehood, and navigate modern relationships with clarity and confidence.

She told us that “one important distinction to make is between a preference and a bias. A preference is when you are attracted to multiple options but have one or two that you prioritize. Preference means you don't exclude the other options. A bias is when you exclusively choose only one of multiple options. These kinds of choices are rooted in a negative opinion of the other options.” 

“An example would be someone who only dated men over six feet tall or only dated women who were conventionally thin. In those cases, people need to examine that prejudice and determine why they exclude other options. That preference is actually a prejudice, the foundation of which is usually built on its perceived societal value,” Christan explained.

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#7

30 Petty And Insignificant Reasons People Turned Down Being In A Relationship With Someone When they’re glued to their phone 24/7…. I’m aware we’re in the age of smartphones but if they can’t ever just live fully in the moment once in a while or are on their phone every time we’re having a conversation it turns me away.

Full-Divide6026 , https://www.pexels.com/photo/couple-hugging-and-using-smartphone-near-sea-on-sunset-4555321/ Report

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JSD
JSD
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is part of the reason why people are becoming more and more rude. There's less interaction. Like people are losing basic courtesy and respect as a result.

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#8

30 Petty And Insignificant Reasons People Turned Down Being In A Relationship With Someone When they use the phrase “ I seen it”.

Mermaidlife97 , Trinity Kubassek Report

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Manic Mama
Manic Mama
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh thank goodness you said this. I thought it was just me who hated this.

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#9

30 Petty And Insignificant Reasons People Turned Down Being In A Relationship With Someone I went on a breakfast date with man one time. He spread ketchup across his entire plate and then chopped all the food into one big pile. Pancakes were involved. In that moment, I knew I could never see him again.

herfreespirit1976 , Jack Baghel Report

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There is so much more to relationships than the biases we give so much importance to. “A truly solid relationship is built on much deeper foundations like trust, respect, communication, and shared values,” said Amie, the relationship coach we contacted.

Amie Leadingham is a Master-certified relationship coach, published author, wife, and mother of two amazing pugs. Her mission is to help singles find lasting love through ‘conscious dating’ and empower them to heal past programming, build self-confidence, and find a loving, genuine connection. That’s why she has been named one of LA’s “best dating coaches.”

Amie told us that “compatibility concerns may play a big part in why people judge each other on these trivial matters. While these are not deal-breakers, the preferences can hint at a difference in lifestyle that might cause conflict down the road.”

“Trivial matters like chewing sounds, hairstyle, or what kind of phone someone uses are not solid indicators of a relationship's strength. [However,] persistent body odor can create a significant barrier to intimacy and affect attraction levels in a relationship. While it's important not to fixate on minor quirks, addressing hygiene concerns can be essential for maintaining physical and emotional intimacy in a relationship,” she explained.

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#10

30 Petty And Insignificant Reasons People Turned Down Being In A Relationship With Someone Not me, but the pettiest thing I've seen people do is not date someone with an Android when they use an iPhone. They see that green text and it's immediately an issue for them. That's about as petty as you can get.

-SilverCrest- , Lisa Fotios Report

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#11

30 Petty And Insignificant Reasons People Turned Down Being In A Relationship With Someone Certain peoples voices and the way they sound can irritate the hell out of me.

Big_Imagination3038 , Anna Pou Report

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#12

30 Petty And Insignificant Reasons People Turned Down Being In A Relationship With Someone If a guy has a big truck, but doesn't really need one, it's a no for me. If he needs one for work purposes or he has to haul something that's ok.

TheBunny4444 , Tiwi Riders Report

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Jack and Coke
Jack and Coke
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I use my truck to haul wood and other stuff and plow my driveway. Plus, I love the fact it's high and I can see above the cars ahead of me. I'm a woman, btw.

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The problem with skipping over someone because of their bad texting skills or how they chew with their mouth open is that you might miss out on someone who is perfect for you in a lot of other ways. 

Experts say that being picky might save you from wasting your time on relationships that aren’t a good fit, but it may also severely narrow your dating pool. It’s really important to find a balance between both so that you aren’t left to endlessly swipe through a laundry list of dating apps.

“Relationships and attraction aren't black and white,” explained Anthony Recenello, the social and relationship coach we also reached out to. He’s been working since 2005 to help people start amazing relationships by learning to find their tribe and embrace their individuality.

Anthony told us that “if someone has sensory issues, chewing sounds can be a dealbreaker. If someone has a natural odor, that can be cultural. It's not the petty things, it's about seeing someone as a human vs. an asset. I think it's obvious which is damaging to a relationship.”
#13

30 Petty And Insignificant Reasons People Turned Down Being In A Relationship With Someone Someone that takes FOREVER to get ready to go literally anywhere. I once dated a girl and it literally took her 40 minutes to get ready to walk the dog for 15 minutes with me (mind you this was not a phobia and for the record she didn’t wear any makeup nor did she wear anything special that might explain the sloth 🦥 pace) just basically talking my ears off and spending an eternity tying her shoelaces. It even left me with a small existential crisis wondering if I would even be cut out for children, but choosing a life like this with an adult… I have way too little patience for that sorry 😅.

Cute_Lunatic , PNW Production Report

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#14

30 Petty And Insignificant Reasons People Turned Down Being In A Relationship With Someone I swipe left on every duckface photo. Also, instagram cat filters.

fyrie , Vinicius Wiesehofer Report

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TheBlueBitterfly
TheBlueBitterfly
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Filters in general, unless being used to be silly. Every picture looks exactly the same, and nothing like the actual person.

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#15

30 Petty And Insignificant Reasons People Turned Down Being In A Relationship With Someone Doesn't smell right. I don't mean lack of hygiene, just, if I don't like their natural scent, it's not going to work long term. (I'm not sure this is actually petty, though.)

Gets mad when driving. Adult emotional regulation is a must, and I don't want to be the spectator some someone's temper.

Tylikcat , freepik Report

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lenka
lenka
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1 month ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Smell is so important. I love my husband's natural scent. It's one of the reasons I knew he was my one. I will happily bury my face in his armpit just to smell him. It's gross and weird but it makes me happy and he not so secretly loves that I am addicted to his smell. lol

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You learn a lot about yourself when you meet, pick, and date a potential romantic partner. Some of our “petty reasons” may also stem from things we don’t like about ourselves or even underlying feelings that we haven’t yet dealt with.

Christan Marashio explained that “preferences need to be reconsidered when they become too limiting. When that preference causes someone to reject otherwise compatible potential partners, there's typically more going on beneath the surface. If it becomes a pattern, people need to ask themselves if they're truly emotionally available or just going through the motions.

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#16

30 Petty And Insignificant Reasons People Turned Down Being In A Relationship With Someone Sports people. 


Not people who go out & play things, just people who watch sports and that's their whole "personality". Same with the gymbros.

Exhausted_Biscuit , Victor Freitas Report

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Peter Korsten
Peter Korsten
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4 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My wife watches A LOT of fashion/make-up/jewellery videos on YouTube. Fashion etc is something that she finds very important. Just because you couldn't care less, doesn't mean that it should be a turn-off.

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#17

30 Petty And Insignificant Reasons People Turned Down Being In A Relationship With Someone This girl was beautiful, driven, intelligent; we got along well. She was perfect, except that she would snap her fingers whenever someone would say something she liked. Every conversation, peppered with snaps. She'd do it instead of applauding at concerts too.

Eventually, I realized that this couldn't be my life.

Small_Hat8049 , Alexander Grey Report

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#18

30 Petty And Insignificant Reasons People Turned Down Being In A Relationship With Someone Honestly, if they breathe or eat/swallow too loud I can’t handle it. It’s petty, I know. But I can’t do the rest of my life listening to someone breathe like a 70 year old man asleep on a chair, or chew/swallow like a cow.

obligingsquid3 , Yan Krukau Report

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DennyS (denzoren)
DennyS (denzoren)
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I can hear this really well too and gosh, that'll be hard to deal with.

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If you struggle with rejecting people for extremely petty reasons, psychologists say that you can:

  1. Write down your honest feelings and thoughts about what’s exactly stopping you from moving forward with dates and actually getting into a relationship.
  2. Ask your friends to pay attention and pinpoint the exact moments when you find fault with a prospective partner. 
  3. Make a rule to go on at least 2-3 dates with a person before making a decision about taking things ahead.

Rather than giving up on dating altogether, it may help to try out some of these suggestions and see if that does the trick.
#19

30 Petty And Insignificant Reasons People Turned Down Being In A Relationship With Someone I asked them how they were doing, and they said #blessed.

MaddieClaire87 , freepik Report

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DennyS (denzoren)
DennyS (denzoren)
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Did they say...hashtag blessed? Run...far away. Also, for anyone under 25...that used to be the pound sign.

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#20

30 Petty And Insignificant Reasons People Turned Down Being In A Relationship With Someone They chew w their mouth open.

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GenuineJen
GenuineJen
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My Misophonia won't allow it. This really is a "it's me, not you" situation.

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#21

30 Petty And Insignificant Reasons People Turned Down Being In A Relationship With Someone He was from Italy, we live in eastern Canada. Completed the last 4ish years of school together.

We started talking a few years after we both graduated and all he could talk about was his Italian heritage but not like in an interesting way. More like I would ask him what’s up and he would say “making pasta, ya know why?” And the answer is because he’s Italian.

But this would happen every single day.

So he was just too Italian for me I guess.

jrjoy , cottonbro studio Report

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Beak Hookage
Beak Hookage
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I wouldn't want to hang around with someone who has no personality either.

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Everyone wants to find the person who fits like a puzzle piece in their life, but the reality is people aren’t as perfect as puzzle pieces. We’ve all got jagged and weird edges, so maybe the best thing you can do is find a person whose odd edges you’re willing to put up with. 

We’d love to hear if you’ve got any petty reasons for rejecting a potential partner! Don’t be embarrassed, bare your soul in the comments.
#22

30 Petty And Insignificant Reasons People Turned Down Being In A Relationship With Someone I went on a first date with a guy to a coffee shop. I got there before him and was sitting at a table waiting. He walked up, and instead of approaching and saying “Excuse me, are you [my name]?” he very loudly yelled “[MY NAME]?!?!” and everyone around turned and looked at him while I Homered back into the bushes. It was over then and there. I think he thought he was being like manly and dominant or something but I’m a private/introverted person and that made my skin CRAWL.

Slicely_Thinned , Drazen Zigic Report

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#23

30 Petty And Insignificant Reasons People Turned Down Being In A Relationship With Someone Ear wax that I can see when I'm standing next to you.

sakumm3 , master1305 Report

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#24

30 Petty And Insignificant Reasons People Turned Down Being In A Relationship With Someone When I was dating, I hated loud talkers. The world doesn't need to know about your ingrown toenail, James.

TurboChargedDipsh*t , RDNE Stock project Report

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Jane Jayne Jain Jeign Jein
Jane Jayne Jain Jeign Jein
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

For me it's people who get so hung up on the trivial details that they ruin all interest in what they're saying. "Last Tuesday, or was it Wednesday, no it must have been Tuesday because..." IDGAF!

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#25

30 Petty And Insignificant Reasons People Turned Down Being In A Relationship With Someone Oh god, my time to shine. ✨ I was dating this sweet sweet boy, and he was like “I do an amazing Beavis impression” (from Beavis and Butthead) and he was right, he did! He was so spot on that I realized he looked JUST like Beavis. Blonde, kinda squinted, a little overbite. After that I was done.

I felt guilty about it and told him it was my grandmother’s fault.

Edit: since this has gotten a lot more traction than I thought 😮‍💨 If you’re about 50 years old and this sounds familiar, just know that I am very sorry.

Straight-Kick5824 , freepik Report

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*raspberry sound
*raspberry sound
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I once dated an amazing man; kind, sweet, intelligent, funny, fun, etc. I could NOT make myself get intimate with him because he had hands and arms like my brother. Exactly like my brother's. Couldn't get over it, broke it off.

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GalPalAl
GalPalAl
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's hard to unsee things that can be unsettling and can create dealbreakers

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#26

He actually called my dog ugly!

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#27

30 Petty And Insignificant Reasons People Turned Down Being In A Relationship With Someone How they conduct themselves at the store when they have issues, or on the road.

Nothing cuter than someone who has a meltdown capable of causing physical harm or death over a trivial inconvenience. Lol.

Probablyawerewolf , freepik Report

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#28

30 Petty And Insignificant Reasons People Turned Down Being In A Relationship With Someone I don't date people who aren't active readers.

Calico_Cuttlefish , artursafronovvvv Report

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Donald
Donald
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Love me a good audiobook but reading is just too frustrating with dyslexia. I don't have the patience to read the same sentence over and over just to lose place of where I am in the story while someone else would already be 4 pages ahead.

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#29

Getting around in a noisy vehicle. I just assume the selfishness will spread into other areas.

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#30

30 Petty And Insignificant Reasons People Turned Down Being In A Relationship With Someone I once had a girl interested in me. She was very attractive, athletic body and all that jazz. Problem was, she had the exact same name as my best friend (guy). Couldn't do it.

shartnado3 , Matthias Cooper Report

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TribbleThinking
TribbleThinking
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

OK. This is sad, but also funny. Kudos for the honesty! 🤣

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