Join the Fun!

To learn more about social norms, we contacted Dr. Joseph E. Davis, research professor of sociology and chair of the Picturing the Human working group at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture at the University of Virginia.

"Social norms ... make society possible," he told Bored Panda. "We couldn’t have social interaction and order without them. We would simply have no idea what to do in each other’s presence."

"As the sociologist Robert Nisbet wrote in The Social Bond, they 'are solutions to recurring problems or situations.' Think of something as simple as turn-taking in a conversation. That’s a norm, and it’s not hard to see how, without it, a conversation would be impossible. Norms are also enforced by social sanctions, either positive, in the form of rewards for compliance, or negative, in the form of penalties for violations, such as disapproval, ridicule, or avoidance. We are likely to get annoyed by the person who talks too much, talks over us, or doesn’t say anything when we are trying to have a conversation."

Over the top weddings. What an incredible waste of money.

merc0526 replied:
It seems absolutely wild to me that people who may not have enough for a house deposit are okay with spending lots of money on a wedding. Hell, even if I owned a house, I’d rather spend the wedding money on traveling around the world.

Pithecanthropus88 , Denys Gromov Report

Final score:

161points

POST

Paula MV 1 month ago

Especially with a 50% divorce rate!

33points

Job adverts posted without information on the salary. Are we really pretending as if the money isn’t a big factor as to why I’m applying?

gummywormeater , Anna Shvets Report

Final score:

160points

POST

James016 1 month ago (edited)

Money is the biggest factor

44points

Author of Chemically Imbalanced: Everyday Suffering, Medication, and Our Troubled Quest for Self-Mastery, Davis said it's hard to talk about which people are better or worse at following social norms in a vacuum, but "some part certainly has to do with one’s upbringing. There are norms, like carrying yourself with ‘ease,’ that are better performed if you grow up learning how to do it. Or think of what used to be taught in ‘finishing school.’ Or how you are likely to perform better in school if your house is full of books."

"But many factors play a role in conformity—the rewards available, coercion, different personalities, role models, the nature of the social group, and so on. And we should remember that all normal social members adapt their behavior to others and even the ‘deviants’ are conforming to some consensus—delinquent group, gang, cliques—though it might be at odds with the dominant culture."

Scheduling workplace events outside of normal working hours. If you want me to attend, pay me for it.

DeathSpiral321 , Pavel Danilyuk Report

Final score:

144points

POST

Ace 1 month ago

Any event outside of working hours is optional. If you don't want to go, don't go.

39points

Humoring rude or pushy people.

If a stranger asks me weird questions or tries persistently to make small talk, I'm forced to make at least a couple of polite, inconspicuous attempts to extricate myself without calling them out, just to save THEIR face.

Dude, I nodded, smiled blandly, and turned away *twice*. I put earphones in. Why are you still trying to make eye contact and force me to take them out again by talking at me? Elderly people are very good at this. Sometimes better than pushy men.

I want permission to directly tell someone, "I don't want to talk" straight away, without being labeled rude and b****y.

bitterbirdy Report

Final score:

140points

POST

Jeolas1 1 month ago (edited)

I wish I could upvote this several times! This is so closely connected with the outrageous behaviour of bullies being tolerated endlessly, while the people who are consistently kind and polite are judged much more harshly for the tiniest imperfection or misstep. (This happens in all areas of live; family, school, work, POLITICS (cough cough US cough).

45points

According to Davis, there is no one answer to the question of when social norms die out, either. However, “technological changes are often implicated in the attenuation of shared customs and forms of life.”

“The great sociologist Emile Durkheim, for example, witnessing the effects of the Industrial Revolution, found that the rapid urbanization undermined the guidance of established norms and legal/moral guardrails that people living in rural areas had previously relied upon. It left them feeling unmoored and dissatisfied, a state of being he called ‘anomie,’ or normless.”

“When the ‘recurring problems or situations’ change, to use Nisbet’s words again, we need different ‘solutions.’ As we live in a time of profound and relentless social change, so many of the ‘folkways’ and moral norms of earlier times, in everything from etiquette to sexuality, have been heavily revised or eliminated,” Davis explained.

Not just letting kids be weird. My son used to wear the weirdest stuff and if we were going out I’d be like ‘Go for it! You’re six, live it up!” I do believe in making them behave, though.

PlaysTheTriangle , Luna Lovegood Report

Final score:

135points

POST

Rocket Surgeon 1 month ago

The best kids in the grocery store are the ones in a dress over jeans and a unicorn hoodie.

70points

Posting your entire life online.

MizzyvonMuffling replied:
…plus airing dirty laundry/family feuds online.

Queenofswords_love , Ivan Samkov Report

Final score:

125points

POST

Vasana Phong 1 month ago

Like that lady that told everyone her cruise ship info

21points

Accomplished-Day-105 , Los Muertos Crew Report

Interestingly, a 2024 paper by UC Santa Cruz psychologists Phil Hammack and Adriana Manago summarizes decades of research showing how social media has also fueled an explosion of diversity in gender and sexuality in 21st-century America while enabling a cultural backlash at the same time.

The paper argues that platforms like Tumblr and TikTok have facilitated new cultural norms, enabling individuals to explore gender and sexuality more openly by removing geographic barriers and reversing the traditional flow of information. The authors suggest that existing diversity is now coming to light due to social media's promotion of authenticity. Social media has also helped normalize identities such as pansexuality, bisexuality, and asexuality by fostering acceptance of non-traditional relationships like consensual non-monogamy.

However, reactionary forces have also used social media to spread transphobic, homophobic, and misogynistic ideologies, such as "incel" culture.

Paying thousands for destination bachelorette/bachelor parties.

Final score:

119points

POST

DennyS (denzoren) 1 month ago

Wow, I didn't even know this was a thing. This is ridiculously wasteful.

31points

Dances28 , Jass (akajassd) Hernandez Report

Spending money to flex. Like why the f**k do I care if random people think I'm rich.

Nutzori replied:
'Why would I buy a $1,500 phone when my current phone does all the same things at 1/10th the price?' 'Broke talk, LMAO.' Bruh, no, I am specifically not broke because I have an extra $1,500 from not spending it on that dumb fucking phone, LOL.

Final score:

116points

POST

Lewis KR 1 month ago

'Most people don't want to be rich, most people just want to spend a lot of money'

25points

#10

Wearing brand name clothing. As long as you have nice clean clothes on I don’t care what brand they are.

Scuh Report

Final score:

115points

POST

GirlFriday 1 month ago

I am in a wedding in 3 weeks and I bought my bridesmaid dress at the dry cleaner's sale for $6. AND IT HAS POCKETS!!!!

95points

King_in_a_castle_84 , cottonbro studio Report

“Our dominant value system, individualism, is a social value system. That means that, despite the talk of ‘the only rule is that there are no rules,’ we live under a regime of social norms,” Davis added.

“Our new norms are more personalized, complex, and demanding, more oriented to the future and to personal possibilities than the old, more community-oriented norms. So woven into our very concept of freedom, we don’t think of values like expressing our unique self, setting our own priorities, overcoming obstacles, and making our mark as requirements.”

“These are desires we have for ourselves, routes to achievement and happiness. We think of them as facilitating selfhood, not making demands on it or mediating our social relationships. But counterintuitive as it might sound, our self-determination is not just a personal aspiration but also a normative responsibility.”

#11

Tipping. Thank God I live in Europe.

Final score:

109points

POST

Adam Chang 1 month ago (edited)

Worse is tipping on percentage. Why? Expensive food weighs more?

29points

#12

That the rich can be immune to the consequences of their actions.

manflesh1 Report

Final score:

109points

POST

doredde 1 month ago

They "are", because we let them.

32points

Mysterious_Silver381 Report

#13

Asking people when they're "finally going to have kids".

Final score:

108points

POST

Juliet Ware 1 month ago

100% agree. My husband and I never wanted kids. People always give us the ' I'm sorry' look when we say we don't have them. I now no longer feel an explanation is needed when asked though.

32points

“‘One might say,’ in the words of one social theorist, that ‘it is no longer allowed not to do the possible, not to live up to one’s potential, not to realize one’s true self.’ Everyone is obliged, says another, to ‘become themselves,’ ’personally flower,’ and be ‘exceptional.’ Now the key question is not ‘what am I allowed to do?’ but ‘what am I capable of?’”

Davis pointed out that “there is much about our contemporary experience that will seem strange and contradictory” if we don’t understand that, paradoxically, “our autonomy is also a question of conformity to social standards.”

#14

Daylight Saving Time.

Sylvelva Report

Final score:

99points

POST

Kim Bailey 1 month ago

This is a very antiquated concept

25points

ThingsOfThatNaychah , RDNE Stock project Report

#15

Insurance companies thinking they know better than doctors about our health needs. I want to see that system crumble and disappear before the end of my life. Probably won't happen, but I still want it.

MissusNilesCrane replied:
Doctor: My patient needs prior authorization for X medication because generic isn't effective.
Pharmacy: The doctor says his patient needs name-brand medication for his patient.
Insurance: Does she really, though? Better check with the doctor.
The story of my life.

Final score:

93points

POST

Ace 1 month ago

Thank God I live in Europe. As someone else commented a couple of minutes ago on a different post.

33points

#16

Health insurance. You pay plenty for it. Yet you also pay a ridiculous amount if you have any sort of major health problem. What’s the point? The whole system is completely broken.

free-toe-pie Report

Final score:

88points

POST

Morten Jul Lægaard 1 month ago

Yes, it is broken. That is why it is only in USA.

44points

#17

Bridezillas and special “requests” for weddings. No one should be expected to give you thousands of dollars Susan just because you’re getting married.

Expensive vehicles- I’ll stick with my paid off Toyota- I hate car payments.

Everything being fake- fake fingernails, fake eyebrows, fake lashes, fake boobs, etcetera. I’m all for self care- but all the fake… why?

MD_Benellis-Mama Report

Final score:

85points

POST

Zoe's Mom 1 month ago

Press on nails. My own nails don't like me.

5points

#18

Crossing my arms means I’m closed off.
Actually I’m just really comfortable standing that way. I do it all the time.

Moominsean replied:
I agree. Just standing there with your arms hanging feels kind of awkward and not particularly comfortable.

It_is_me_Mike , Mikhail Nilov Report

Final score:

82points

POST

Lewis KR 1 month ago

7 million years walking upright and we still don't know what to do with the arms

56points

#19

Everyone walking around with phones in faces even at a gym where they need to have thing in hands to work out.

anon , Andrea Piacquadio Report

Final score:

78points

POST

DennyS (denzoren) 1 month ago

Cause it's not actually about working out, it's making sure everyone knows you go to the gym.

38points

badgersprite , Karolina Kaboompics Report

#20

The idea that there are specific “breakfast foods” was just marketing made up by cereal companies to sell more cereal

I will die on this hill.

ebobbumman replied:
Aside from bacon and eggs, all our breakfast food is dessert: pancakes, waffles, muffins, donuts? It isn't acceptable to eat cupcakes and ice cream for breakfast, but is a muffin or a waffle covered in whipped cream just fine? It's bizarre.

Final score:

76points

POST

arthbach 1 month ago

I've never understood the American way of eating sweet foods for breakfast. I've tried it, and been ravenously hungry by 10.30. If I eat a savory breakfast I'm fine until 1pm.

43points

See_You_Space_Coyote Report

#21

The idea that men who take good care of their appearance must be gay.

Final score:

76points

POST

madeleine f 1 month ago

Ps Plus f*****g nothing wrong with being gay either.

66points

#22

That you should slave your life away to rich a******s that don't care about you, and that if you don't, you're "lazy.".

Uimaajamma Report

Final score:

75points

POST

Corvus 1 month ago

I'm glad to say my job doesn't make anyone rich, since it's a state-owned educational institution.

11points

#23

Doctors and really all providers who schedule an appointment and are expected to be late while you are expected to be early and penalized for being late. Doctors, meetings, interviews, service appointments... and copays before I receive a service of any kind.

247Justice Report

Final score:

73points

POST

madeleine f 1 month ago

I think this has a lot to do with patients taking longer, being late or not turning up rather than the incompetence by doctors. Plus they probably overbook because of average 'no shows'. Most health care workers do their very best and I am always grateful when seeing them. Thank you everyone who works in the healthcare system.

32points

masturbator6942069 , Andrea Piacquadio Report

#24

Two weeks notice to quit a job. They can let you go without even a seconds warning but if you leave without giving a two week notice you’re the bad guy and filed under “not rehireable”.

The entire idea behind the two week notice is so they could train your replacement but these days they often don’t really have anyone lined up for that. Then they ask you to stay on another week. Not your problem though.

Your employer is only as loyal to you as their bottom line allows. You’re just a number on a spreadsheet. Once you’re no longer useful, you’re out. So there’s no point to being loyal to your employer.

Final score:

71points

POST

Bernd Herbert 1 month ago

Again, very much American. I hate it when colleagues of mine are gone within days. Luckily I live in Europe

30points

#25

Having kids when you can’t even afford rent.

morningsunzzz , Greta Hoffman Report

Final score:

67points

POST

Noname 1 month ago

Sometimes, birth control methods (except abstinence) aren't effective, and abortion is still a very controversial and stigmatising method.

27points

#26

Having to hide a tampon or a pad when I go to the bathroom to change it because someone might find it embarrassing.

Rainbow-Mama Report

Final score:

67points

POST

arthbach 1 month ago

Nope, no hiding here. I'm not going to flourish a pad a tampon, but I'm not going to hide it either. If someone finds it embarrassing they need to mature a little bit more.

50points

#27

Dropping 3 month salary on a shiny rock that is just an agreement to another even larger payment in the form of a ceremony.

Start your union by working through a pile of debt.

Other_Log_1996 Report

Final score:

66points

POST

DennyS (denzoren) 1 month ago

I would much rather give a cheaper gem but with more meaning and quite frankly, much better looking...like there are so many. Also...if the worth of the marriage is based on the ring...I don't think it should be happening.

20points

Formal-Eye5548 , Karolina Kaboompics Report

#28

Having to be available 24/7.

I miss the days before mobile phones. I might use the social side of my mobile twice a day, and I get constant complains about it. I won't change. I don't need to.

Final score:

62points

POST

CanadianDimes 1 month ago

Teams keeps asking me if I want to put the app of on my phone. You mean my personal phone that I pay for? Nope.

31points

RefrigeratorOk5465 , Mikhail Nilov Report

#29

Bras and panties are taboo but swimwear isn’t. Literally the same s**t just water resistant material.

Final score:

62points

POST

Pencil McGovern 1 month ago

What I can't get over is how nearly all swimwear for women exposes part of the buttocks. Even workout shorts are high-cut and don't completely cover your cheeks. And the ones that do cover your butt go nearly down to your knees. When did we decide that it's practically mandatory for women to expose their asses or we have to dress like Puritans?

21points

TightLittleGyal , cottonbro studio Report

#30

I've never really understood why it's considered rude to put your elbows on the dinner table.

One_Lobster_7454 replied:
I'll one up you: I've always been told off for having my knife and fork in the wrong hands!

What f*****g difference does It make? If I was left-handed, it would be the right way round! I find it comfortable that way around.

It's got to a point where anyone mentioning it just gets the same phrase every time: 'I don't care.'

Final score:

61points

POST

arthbach 1 month ago

It was considered rude to put your elbows on the table, or to push down on the table when rising. This was because the tables were most often made from trestles with a board on top. If you put your elbows in the table it had a much higher chance of unbalancing it, and the board would topple over.

65points

Dutch Swimmer Goes Viral For Super Revealing Trunks During 2024 Olympics: “Is This Legal?”

See Also on Bored Panda

Thrill-Seeking Diver Jumps Down Extreme Waterslide, Ignoring The Strict Ban For Women

#31

Hustle culture in general is so f*****g annoying too. We are not defined by how much of our lives we spend grinding away, how hard we hustle nor by our income brackets.

BishlovesSquish Report

Final score:

59points

POST

Luke Branwen 1 month ago

Let's call it "huskle culture" instead because it leaves people as empty husks of human beings.

21points

broken_banana_spirit , Mateus Souza Report

#32

Being in a relationship.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s great to have a partner, but the amount of comments and single-shaming and false pity is so annoying.
I don’t need sympathy, I don’t need your unrequested help/ coupling in finding a partner, I don’t need unwarranted suggestions of what I need to change…

I am neither desperate, so please Mr. X stop hitting on me, a no is a no…
and nor do I need other women to think I am posing a threat to their relationship, so Miss Y, I don’t want your man, stop hating on me🙄.

Final score:

58points

POST

Ellinor 1 month ago

I'm Aromantic (few or no romantic attraction, in my case none) and I'm really tired of the pressure to be in a relationship. When you're a kid, every movie end with a couple or with a wedding. When you're a teen everyone ask if you have crushes all the time, and when you're an adult people ask you when will you be in couple. It's really tiring to know you're never going to be in what's considered "one of the most important and fulfilling thing in life" and still having to justify yourself.

30points

#33

Not having bra straps show, who cares.

mothermedusa Report

Final score:

58points

POST

Hans Georg 1 month ago

Yeah, who cares. I rather see bra straps on women than underpants of dudes who can't pull up their trousers.

55points

Woman Put A Water Fountain With A Camera In Her Yard, Here Are 24 Photos Of Regular Visitors (New Pics)

See Also on Bored Panda

“Ma’am I Live Here”: Woman Refuses To Back Out Of Driveway, Learns A Lesson The Hard Way

#34

Having to say bye to every person when leaving an event.

humming-bird5 , Nicole Michalou Report

Final score:

57points

POST

SCP 4666 1 month ago

Do it like in Germany, slap your hands on your thighs, say "So!" stand up and leave

33points

Wonderful-Neat-5341 , Mikhail Nilov Report

#35

Pretending to like small talk when all you really want is to skip to the part where you can comfortably ignore each other.

Final score:

53points

POST

Makenzie McNeal 1 month ago

It's like no I don't hate you it's just I want to sit in silence in your presence and be comfortable we don't always need to talk.

9points

#36

Parents giving their kids expensive vehicles.

You see a high school douchebag driving a lifted 250 with chrome wheels. Hauling literally nothing but clearly worth the $100,000.

Is it any wonder why the economy’s in shambles, repossessions are up, and entitlement is through the roof?

Just get them a basic 10+ year old Camry or Civic.

SuperMeh2 Report

Final score:

51points

POST

CanadianDimes 1 month ago

When I was living in the US, I met a psychologist who made a *really* big deal about the fact that I didn't have a car when I was a teenager because I'd missed out on an important cultural rite of passage, according to him. No amount of me explaining that I was from another country and that wasn't a thing where I grew up would dissuade him. In his eyes, I had been wronged. It was surreal, especially since I did own a car when I met him and really didn't want to. One of the happiest days of my life was when I sold it because I moved somewhere with extensive public transit.

11points

#37

Funerals. Horrible use of resources and environmentally harmful. Also, it puts the grieving through so much unnecessary nonsense. My late husband had some serious forethought and refused to allow us to have a funeral. At first I was taken aback but in the end, it was so much easier on me and my kids. He wanted to be cremated and we spread his ashes in a small ceremony with close family when I was ready to let him go.

MycoFemme Report

Final score:

50points

POST

Bat cat in a hat 1 month ago

Funerals are for the living, the deceased doesn't care

30points

50 Of The Most Incredible Shots That Were Submitted To The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

See Also on Bored Panda

French Diver’s “Jewels” In Tight Swimming Trunks Become Talk Of The Town At Olympics

#38

Obsessing over celebrities or anyone in the media while neglecting your own present life and social circle.

Gino-Bartali replied:
Important to note that professional athletes are, without question, celebrities.
I follow the NBA to a minor extent, but I'm not tuned into it all hours of the day, nor do I let it make me start gambling because, apparently, we decided to regress a bit as a collective.
People who know every trade and every life story of every player are also sometimes likely to talk down on Swifties like they are any different.

THom_took_Jonnys_H , Jovan Vasiljević Report

Final score:

49points

POST

Richard Ross 1 month ago

Obsessing over celebrities. BP maybe 🤔🤔

14points

Mother_Ad5653 , RDNE Stock project Report

#39

Being nice to a person but secretly gossiping or judging behind their back, why not to tell them the truth in the face?

Final score:

45points

POST

Gizmo 1 month ago

Because those people doing the gossiping, etc. are cowards. They're the same as the keyboard warriors that talk sh!t online but would never say that to someone's face.

15points

Klutzy-Guidance-7078 Report

#40

Bachelor and bachelorette parties where the point is to live it up one more night as an unmarried person, last chance to enjoy all the vices. Wtf?

Final score:

45points

POST

Luke Branwen 1 month ago

Where I live, it's called something like "Goodbye to freedom party" and like...if a marriage with a person rids you of your freedom, or you see it like that, then just PERHAPS you shouldn't marry that person at all.

25points

Woman Moves Out Of Parents' Home After They Asked Her To Give Her Space To Brother, They Freak Out

See Also on Bored Panda

Mom Leaves $250k Inheritance To Son, Throws A Fit When Daughter Stops Looking After Her

#41

You're expected to accept someone's request on social media to be polite, and you're expected to stay social media "friends" with them even if you're not friends in real life.

I always get c**p about not wanting acquaintances and colleagues on social media....like I've hurt their feelings. Sometimes it's nothing personal.

Kind-Ad-3479 , Timothy Hales Bennett Report

Final score:

40points

POST

Morten Jul Lægaard 1 month ago

I have never had an account on any social media and have never missed it

16points

#42

Eating a food that you've previously expressed a dislike for to be courteous.

Like, if I say I like shepherds pie, someone makes it for me, and it tastes bad... I'm going to fake it to be polite. But if I tell people I dislike peanut butter and they make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for me, I'm not eating it. I won't be rude about it, I'll politely remind them and thank them for the effort! But yeah, no.

PM_Me_Right_Tits Report

Final score:

40points

POST

Lara Verne 1 month ago

Yeah, my relatives were super offended, when they invited me for lunch and I didn't eat their soup. What's wrong with saying "No, thank you."

10points

#43

"What's your dream job?"

I think it's weird to dream about work.

Blenderhead36 Report

Final score:

39points

POST

Igor914624 1 month ago

My dream job is to win a huge lottery and never have a job again.

31points

Woman Refuses To Chip In For Babysitting Because She Doesn’t Even Have Kids, Asks If She’s A Jerk

See Also on Bored Panda

“This Breaks My Heart”: People Stunned—And Angry—After Woman Buys Lost Luggage From Airport

#44

Having to buy a card for every occasion - like, why do I need to pay $5 to say "Happy Birthday" when I’m already getting you a gift?

Loud-Ad4097 , RDNE Stock project Report

Final score:

34points

POST

Rocket Surgeon 1 month ago

My wife and I go the grocery store together on Valentines day, each pick out a card for the other, trade them, read them, and then put them back because F that they're like $8 now.

39points

UncleJohn3000 1 month ago

My sisters and I realized we were just giving each other gift cards in like amounts but to businesses none of us shopped at, so now we spend that amount on ourselves and compliment the siblings on their outstanding taste!

5points

CanadianDimes 1 month ago

I love this!

4points

Pencil McGovern 1 month ago

I love that.

2points

chrnh@metrocast.net 1 month ago

I saved b'day , Christmas, Valentine's, anniversary cards for years and my husband and I would go through them whenever an event came up and use those cards. We did this for years.

2points

Charles McChristy 1 month ago

Here's a secret... You don't have to buy the card. I never have.

5points

doredde 1 month ago

I always make them myself. Fitting with the colours of the birthday table, the persons likes and the occasion. Much more appreciated either. You just need a printer, some coloured cardboard and some ideas.

5points

Zoe's Mom 1 month ago

Dollar store carries HALLMARK.

4points

Deborah B 1 month ago

I just....don't. I have a stack of blank cards that I buy from individual artists at craftshows. Same price or cheaper, but the artist is getting the profit. If I want to send a card, I don't need the occasion pre-printed on it.

2points

Kim Bailey 1 month ago

I started making my own with my cricket :)

2points

Castles 1 month ago

I don’t buy cards anymore except for my son and my mum (my mums always said she’d prefer a card over a gift any day). Also stopped buying gift tags at Xmas… everyone has their own colour gift wrap. Stopped buying Xmas cards years ago

1point

EM 1 month ago

I just dont give cards.Simple.

1point

Vasana Phong 1 month ago

Those are very pricey, dollar stores or there should be section for budget cards, it’s also what you write in the card

1point

Shadowthetherian 1 month ago

I don’t exactly get this one. I mean, you’re getting them a gift but writing a card too just shows them that you care enough to take the time and energy out of your day to write a nice note to them on their birthday or Christmas

0points

Huddo's sister 1 month ago

I rarely give cards, which is why I till have a bag of blank ones I made 15 years ago

0points

Data1001 1 month ago

Just make your own. Those are more special, anyway. You can even spend some time cutting out images or text from magazines if you wanna get creative. Otherwise just grab some construction paper, crayons or colored markers, and have at it! My sister has been making her own greeting cards for decades now, and we all cherish them so much more than any purchased card. Heck, I probably cherish them more than many of the presents they came with, lol.

0points

Becca not Becky 1 month ago

I always made cards. Much more fun and inexpensive

0points

Des Williams 1 month ago

I recently stopped buying cards. I hate getting them, why give them? It's such a waste of money!

0points

Zoe's Mom 1 month ago

I understand this but I love getting something in the mail other than junk mail. I also send out cards and everyone enjoys them for the same reason, Peace

1point

Mitchell 1 month ago

I haven’t bought a card for 30 years. No-one I know buys cards. Just stop doing it, it’s liberating and you may find others will follow suit.

0points

ZuriLovesYou 1 month ago

No one says you HAVE to. Fụck off.

0points

Regina Holt 1 month ago

There is no need to be rude, ZuriLovesYou

1point

Kelly Scott 1 month ago

OMG - my grandmother. Had to buy her a card for Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween, Easter, Summer Solstice, and every other occasion in between or you'd never hear the end of it. Seriously, when she died, my first thought was I'd be saving a fortune in not having to buy any more cards.

0points

Heras buddy 1 month ago

Try a simple little note of love. Your words will mean more than a card.

0points

XanthippeⓐWulf🇨🇦️️🇬🇧 1 month ago

I didn't even realize people still bought cards. I thought perhaps it was "office culture" ("sign this card for Bert's retirement") keeping it alive. TIL cards are still a thing.

0points

Boo 1 month ago

I would love to stop sending out Xmas cards. My hubs,, on the other hand, wants to make sure his surviving aunties, uncles and cousins receive them. If he wants his side to get them, the man better write them out, address them and post them. I've been doing it for over 27 years...and I'm done. Hell, I don't even send them to my family overseas.

0points

Regina Holt 1 month ago

The family that used to live nextdoor to me would just send out a list of all of their wishes for averyone and a list of what went on for them during the year. Just a regular sheet of paper that they made a bunch of copies of.

0points

Ariom Dahl 1 month ago

I sometimes buy a 'proper' card but always with an eye on the price. I also send e-cards and my annual fee for the English site that provides them (I'm presuming I may not name it here) enables me to send as many as I wish (within reason).

0points

#45

I secretly find ridiculous is the expectation to always respond with "I'm fine" or "I'm good" when someone asks how you're doing, even when you're clearly not. It's as if we're all part of an unspoken agreement to avoid genuine emotional exchanges in casual interactions, reducing a potentially meaningful conversation to mere pleasantries. It feels like a missed opportunity to connect on a deeper level, yet it's so ingrained that we all just go along with it.

Armin Rimoldi Report

Final score:

34points

POST

Rocket Surgeon 1 month ago

"I'm fine" is code for "I don't want to get into it."

29points

Expensive-Twist8865 Report

Continue reading with Bored Panda Premium

Unlimited content

Ad-free browsing

Dark mode

#46

Excessive consumption of alcohol.

Final score:

22points

POST

Cee Cee 1 month ago

Excessive consumption period.

16points

#47

That men aren't allowed any emotion other than anger.

Anxious-Load4600 Report

Final score:

21points

POST

Ace 1 month ago

The 1960s are calling and would like their attitude back please.

15points

"I Didn't Start The Dryer": Karen Gets Taught A Lesson After Throwing Out Neighbor's Wet Clothes

See Also on Bored Panda

Guy Divorced 3 Years Ago Drops Off 3 Y.O. With His Ex-Wife Completely Out Of The Blue

#48

Not taking people at face value. If only everyone would just take responsibility for their words and actions and expect the same form others.

Let's stop trying to find secret meaning, especially to people who are pretty straightforward. So much drama would be avoided.

classified_straw Report

Final score:

19points

POST

Faramir10 1 month ago

So true.

4points

Local-Concern-4791 Report

#49

Playing “hard to get” otherwise if you show interest that’s apparently desperate??

Final score:

18points

POST

Noname 1 month ago

As a woman, I have no problem showing my interest in getting to know someone better, especially romantically, however, many men assume my interest in them means I want to have sex with them. It seems that most men can't handle being friends with a woman first, or at all, without there being the possibility of having sex involved.

12points

Liberty_Minded_Mick , Antoni Shkraba Report

#50

Hair dressers required to always small talk with the clients even tho how weird some may be, i do feel for them and give them credit for the job they do doing it every hair cut.

Final score:

17points

POST

Zoe's Mom 1 month ago

Right before I sit, I let the hairdresser know I'm not a talker. Easy, peasy solution.

17points

#51

Feeling obligated to bring a gift to a wedding when you’re already spending a fortune just to be there.

Away-Carrot-9501 Report

Final score:

17points

POST

Cee Cee 1 month ago

A wedding I was invited to asked for donations to Water Aid charity. Nice.

17points

“All Three Shot Out Pink”: Triplets' Baby Shower Turns Sour, Pregnant Wife Wants A Divorce

See Also on Bored Panda

College Student Does Exactly As Told After Roommates Demand They Keep Their Stuff In Their Room

#52

I don’t think it’s so much a thing anymore but back in the 200s-2010s people put so much stock in the whole “never show up on time fir a party/social event on time” thing. It was so stupid and inconvenient and there was no reason for it.

LionofZion1997 , RDNE Stock project Report

Final score:

16points

POST

Gizmo 1 month ago

I was always raised to be early. If your on time, you're late. As a result, I still tend to be one of the first to arrive at an event and get anxiety if I'm not out the door early enough.

8points

#53

Hugs to greet people. Don’t f*****g touch me.

Dannysan5677 Report

Final score:

15points

POST

Kim Bailey 1 month ago

I feel like since Covid I don't see this as much in my circles...which is fine by me! I'm happy with a smile and a hello!

5points

Good-Communication83 Report

#54

Retail and fast food/dining workers being required to have forced small talk with strangers who are also fully aware that the small talk is forced as a part of the job.

Final score:

14points

POST

Damned_Cat 1 month ago

How about making customer service reps apologize profusely for even the smallest issue? "I'm so sorry for your experience" "Again, I apologize that we failed to meet your expectations", "thank you for the opportunity to correct this failure on our part". Dude, all I said was that the shirt was a little too small. Exchange it for the larger size, and we're all good. I feel so sorry for those folks.

2points

#55

Small talk before getting to the point in a business meeting. We are all experiencing the weather and probably agree, I don't want to talk about my family or trips, etc. I just want to cover the topic and get back to what I was doing before I walked into the office.

Frau-Pfau Report

Final score:

14points

POST

arthbach 1 month ago

My husband was telling me about a series of meetings he's been in. Someone commented to the colour of Sarah's wall, and she explained she painted it at the weekend. Now the 'small talk' section of the meeting is all interior decoration.

2points

#56

In the U.S.?

We have a f*****g healthcare system where an inordinate amount of money goes to healthcare premiums.

Health is important. Yes! So, those premiums covering healthcare are acceptable....

...in an ideal world.

INSTEAD, people spend all those premiums IN HOPE that they never f*****g have to go to a doctor!!

2020IsANightmare Report

Final score:

13points

POST

Kim Bailey 1 month ago

Yes! It's not a flex that you go 20 years without seeing a doctor!!!

2points

EasternBeautiful4705 Report

#57

Saying "bless you" when someone sneezes. We don't say it when someone coughs or anything else. Most of the time a sneeze is just random anyway, not due to sickness.

Final score:

11points

POST

GirlFriday 1 month ago

One of my nieces will yell, "Godzilla" when someone sneezes (she is 2). We don't know she misheard God Bless You, or if is a combination of God Bless You and Gesundheit. I now say, Godzilla when someone sneezes and will do so until the day I die.

15points

#58

Not wearing a hat in the house or any of the other super subjective things that older people view as being “polite”. Someone else said elbows on the table. Same thing. Useless gestures that have zero meaning other than what people say they do. I get being respectful of culture and I would conform to any norms in a house or society of which I am a guest. But in my house, I want people laughing and comfortable. I want my loved ones to be at home with me and in my space.

MycoFemme Report

Final score:

9points

POST

James016 1 month ago

You can wear a hat in my house but you must take your shoes off.

20points