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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.

themajoritea Report

Final score:
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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

Final score:
76points
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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

Final score:
72points
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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

Final score:
70points
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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

Final score:
65points
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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

Final score:
61points
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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

Final score:
60points
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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

Final score:
59points
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C.O. Shea
C.O. Shea
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I once corrected a four-star general in front of an audience for saying... "I seen it."

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Barbara Panda
Barbara Panda
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I legit broke up with a guy because of this. I couldn't get over it and he said it all the time.

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

My Dad and I were on our way someplace when we saw one of my classmates walking along the road. He pulled over to ask her if her sister had picked up the loaner flute he had left for her to use while hers was being repaired. "Yeah, she gots it." He said thanks and drove on, then turned to me with an incredulous look and said "She GOTS it??" That's stuck in my memory for over forty years, because it felt like I was being accused of something just for being in the same class with someone with grammar that bad.

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

"I seen" can be completely changed by throwing "have" in the middle.

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

"I seen dat!" Like nails on chalkboard to me. A few others that get under my skin are "ain't it, or no?" and "What it is, is..."(then often starting with "is" AGAIN) It's very common in the rural area around me. (EDIT TO ADD:) Pronunciations put me off as well. Pronouncing the "w" in sword, "melee" as "mealy" and "meme" as "may-may" are a few I've heard amongst my friend group/dnd group. 😬

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

Melee is a word I still get wrong. I got to know it via gaming but that was all written text... So I say mu-lie. But I think that is not right? (Non English here)

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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

Final score:
56points
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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.

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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.
#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

Final score:
55points
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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

Final score:
53points
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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

Final score:
52points
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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.

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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

Final score:
51points
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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

Final score:
49points
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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

Final score:
49points
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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

Final score:
46points
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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

Final score:
45points
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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

Final score:
44points
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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

Final score:
44points
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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.

seashore39 , cottonbro studio Report

Final score:
43points
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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

Final score:
42points
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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

Final score:
41points
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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

Final score:
37points
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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

Final score:
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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

Final score:
35points
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#26

He actually called my dog ugly!

Best_Reflection_9499 Report

Final score:
33points
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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

Final score:
31points
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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

Final score:
31points
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#29

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

Efficient_Green8786 Report

Final score:
31points
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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

Final score:
24points
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#31

I dated a real cute lady in my early 20s, pretty much my type, super sweet, but she did this weird exhale/scoff thing consistently in conversation when she didn't like something and it became so noticable I was going to lose my f*****g mind. I finally was just like "yeah this isn't going to work."

Kind of a d**k move on my part, but it was too damn much.

shazamm20 Report

Final score:
18points
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#32

30 Petty And Insignificant Reasons People Turned Down Being In A Relationship With Someone If they have ugly feet. I'm not even into feet, but if your toes look like they're trying to speak sign language...I can't do it lol.

PoutyPrincess522 , Marianna Report

Final score:
16points
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#33

If he has a weak chin. I just can't do it. It's about as petty as it gets.

criminalcereal Report

Final score:
15points
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#34

30 Petty And Insignificant Reasons People Turned Down Being In A Relationship With Someone When she uses the word "infer" when she obviously means "imply"

I know some guys would put up with that kind of thing, but frankly I can't imagine why.

DIABLO258 , lookstudio Report

Final score:
15points
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#35

He wore sandals. His second toe was longer than the big toe. It hung over the end of the sandal! Couldn’t handle it. I would just stare at it.😦.

Szaborovich9 Report

Final score:
13points
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#36

They wear animal print clothes. I don’t care if it’s real or fake, I hate it.

BigBrothersVision Report

Final score:
13points
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#37

30 Petty And Insignificant Reasons People Turned Down Being In A Relationship With Someone This was years ago, but I would swipe left on any dude holding an iPhone w/o a case on it cause I didn't need that kind of stress in my life.

Cheap-Tig , JÉSHOOTS Report

Final score:
11points
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#38

30 Petty And Insignificant Reasons People Turned Down Being In A Relationship With Someone He had a Velcro wallet.

Commercial_Corgi_149 , Kaboompics.com Report

Final score:
11points
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#39

30 Petty And Insignificant Reasons People Turned Down Being In A Relationship With Someone I haven't dated in 22 years, but after my mother's divorce she once turned down a second date with a guy because he didn't order appetizers on their first date.

Update: I feel a little guilty now, like I threw my mom under the bus. I don’t think it had anything to do with money. She was raised in the 50s-60s and I think she was too shy/traditional to ask for her own damn appetizers, but she felt like it would have been polite for him to offer? It’s definitely petty and we make fun of her (and she laughs at herself about it now), but I see how it could make her sound like a princess.

Ok_Step_4324 , Fidel Hajj Report

Final score:
10points
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#40

30 Petty And Insignificant Reasons People Turned Down Being In A Relationship With Someone Allergies.
I love animals & im not going to date a man who might die if god forbid i kiss him after eating a peanut or shrimp.

SpaceUnicorn547 , cottonbro studio Report

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10points
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#41

30 Petty And Insignificant Reasons People Turned Down Being In A Relationship With Someone She ate her peas one at a time.

GamehendgeRanger , Pixabay Report

Final score:
8points
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