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Most of us have likely met a person or two who don’t take things too seriously, be it health, relationships, or something way less important. However, sometimes even the seemingly insignificant things shouldn’t be played down too much.
Members of the ‘Ask Reddit’ community recently discussed things that many people take too lightly when they shouldn’t. While some emphasized the dangers of situations such as moving water or driving, for instance, others focused on social issues, like dehumanizing other people or holding individuals accountable for their actions, all of which some might consider not to be a big deal. Scroll down to find more of their answers on the list below, and make sure to upvote those you agree with the most.
Below you will also find Bored Panda’s interviews with two health experts, Professor in Social and Decision Sciences at Carnegie Mellon University, Dr. Gretchen Chapman, and Professor of Health and Human Sciences at Loyola Marymount University, Dr. Hawley Almstedt, who were kind enough to answer a few of our questions about why people shouldn’t take certain things lightly.
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#1
Y'all won't like this, but religion. As a Christian, it is sickening to see so many of my fellow "Christ Followers" treat others like s**t.
Even if you disagree with the way someone is living, keep your opinion to yourself and love on them like you would anyone. We're all broken and nobody is perfect, so unless you're attempting to help someone in good faith, your judgement only serves to harm others.
Alexia 3 months ago
As a former Christian, it was sickening to see how women/ girls are treated like second-hand human beings. Always expected to sacrifice their dreams and needs in favor of men, and to be permanently "ashamed". "Why should I be ashamed, I didn't do anything wrong?" "Because you are a woman, and a woman led Adam into temptation." Wtf?!
#2
Dental health! A bad tooth can put you six feet under.
ETA: it needs to be covered by insurance and considered a human right instead of being considered cosmetic.
DennyS (denzoren) 3 months ago
Also dental procedures are crazy expensive so it's best to maintain healthy teeth.
#3
Getting a pet. It requires work, that goes without saying. But what nobody talks about is the eventual loss. As I write this, I am looking at out ten year old puppy who is slated to be euthanized later today. They diagnosed him last week and scheduled this appointment. He's not in any pain outwardly but his demeanor speaks volumes. I broke down at work and left this morning after only a couple hours. He's never been nothing but a good companion and in my opinion deserves so much more than he has received. I've lost pets before, of course, but this hurts, for some reason like no other. They bring joy and if you've done your job right, they will bring a boatload of pain.
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 3 months ago
The pain is real, but so is the love. It will take time, but eventually you will remember the love first.
It’s clear that people tend to take all sorts of things more lightly than they should; but quite a few of them relate to their health, which can have serious negative consequences, if not now than later in life.
In a recent interview with Bored Panda, a professor in social and decision sciences at Carnegie Mellon University and an expert in health behavior, Dr. Gretchen Chapman, noted that there is even a concept known as ‘present bias’, which refers to the idea that people pay much more attention to outcomes happening here and now than they do to future outcomes, which can lead to them discounting the value of said future outcomes. “That concept explains why many of us don't worry about the cancer or heart disease that might be decades in the future,” she explained.
#4
Parenting. I can’t express enough how much of my adult life has been affected because of how I was raised. Take the time to explain things to your kids. Don’t scream at them over small mistakes they make. Don’t abuse spanking because you suck at managing your emotions. I could go on and on with this.
#5
Using medical or psychiatric diagnosis terms when they're not warranted.
Being detail-oriented (in and of itself) is not OCD.
Feeling restless or bored or impatient (in and of themselves) is not ADHD.
Feeling social different or awkward or uncomfortable (again....) is not ASD or "autism"
People throw around these words (e.g. "Oh, that picture wasn't hanging straight and I needed to fix it once I noticed. I'm so OCD.") very casually or self-diagnose, often based on one feature of condition, which greatly devalues the proper use of the terms.
similarly 3 months ago
While this is true, people also shouldn't assume that because symptoms APPEAR mild, that the person DOESN'T have OCD, ADHD or ASD. I have all of these, and you probably wouldn't know it because I'm VERY good ... okay, pretty good ... okay, marginally acceptable ... at covering it up. For example: OCD? I use routines. Zen philosophy helps! I balance. Besides, it doesn't matter to me, and is really none of my business whether or not someone else is "allowed" to use a psychiatric term. I'm not a psychiatrist, and even if I were, I'm not EVERYBODY'S psychiatrist. Point is: I would just let it go.
Prof. Chapman continued to point out that there are many recommended actions that don't address any immediate problem but reduce the risk of future threats. "Some examples include:
- preventive health behaviors such as getting flu or COVID vaccine or taking medication to reduce high blood pressure.
- Health screenings to detect conditions that aren't causing any current problems but could develop into something serious, for example, mammograms, pap tests, PSA tests.
- Insurance decisions such as purchasing disability insurance or homeowner’s or renter’s insurance to protect against future damage.
- Safety measures such as changing the batteries in smoke detectors or routine care maintenance.”
#6
Driving. It astonishes me how casually so many take operating a machine capable of causing a great deal of harm.
#7
People take the dangers of glitter way too lightly. That stuff is basically craft herpes. Once you get glitter on you, it spreads everywhere and never fully goes away. You find it on your clothes, in your hair, and somehow even in your food. A single encounter with glitter and you'll be finding those sparkly specks for years. It’s like a sparkly plague that never goes away and you keep finding between your toes and in other questionable places.
According to Dr. Chapman, when it comes to health, even the seemingly minor signs shouldn’t be overlooked. “Minor symptoms are sometimes an indicator of a serious underlying condition that could develop into something life-threatening,” she told Bored Panda. “An example could be a breast lump that prompts the person to seek a mammogram to check for cancer.”
Though, the expert added that a certain type of minor symptoms tend to resolve on their own and never turn into anything serious. “An example might be a respiratory virus that feels horrible for several days but resolves with time. It can be a difficult decision to figure out which minor symptoms should prompt medical attention. Health psychologists have a concept called the ‘worried well’ where healthy people get too worried about minor symptoms.”
#9
Dehumanizing people. Its a very slippery slope to justifying sanctioned violence.
Freya the Wanderer 3 months ago
From discrimination, to apartheid, to ethnic cleansing, to genocide. And it doesn't have to be a particular creed, race, etc. - the ones being dehumanized all too often are the homeless, whom far too many of us dismiss as "winos and junkies."
#10
Bullying in schools.
DennyS (denzoren) 3 months ago
And the school/parents/whoever is responsible letting it happen.
#11
Mental health.
Regina Holt 3 months ago
My exhusband didn't think therapy would help me or our marriage. He had a brother with schizophrenia who wouldn't take his meds. Not taking your meds meant therapy didn't help. So, they all just assumed therapy was useless. Yeah, tell that to someone who is severly depressed.
While it’s important to pay attention to the signals your body is sending that can be indicative of a certain illness or condition, it’s arguably even more important to take good care of yourself, so there is nothing—or at least fewer things—to signal.
According to Dr. Chapman, many deadly chronic conditions of old age can be caused in part by health behavior in younger years. “Examples include heart disease and diabetes that are linked to exercise and dietary habits established at a young age or lung cancer caused by a smoking addiction that was initiated as a teenager. Thus, even a young healthy person needs to take care of their health.”
#13
Water, more specifically flowing water with currents. So many people underestimate the power of a flow.
#14
Sleep! People often take sleep too lightly, thinking they can get by on just a few hours.
Dragons Exist 3 months ago
They problem is I like to stay up and wake up late, but society makes me wake up early and I can't fall asleep early enough to get enough sleep
Professor of Health and Human Sciences at Loyola Marymount University Dr. Hawley Almstedt seconded the idea that it’s crucial to look after your health, no matter how young you are.
“It is important to take good care of your health at all ages, even during youth. For example, weight-bearing exercise during the two years before and after puberty can have lifelong impact on bone health, allowing someone to avoid osteoporosis and hip fractures later in life.
“People should pay attention to recommended health screenings, too. The ACS now recommends beginning cancer screenings as early as 40 years old and the AHA advises adults 20 years and older to have blood cholesterol and cardiovascular risk factors checked every 4-6 years. Screenings and early detection allow for effective and optimal treatment.”
#15
The effects trauma has on different developmental stages. Or mental health in general.
#16
Elections, especially at the local level.
Ripley 3 months ago (edited)
Although some people think it's the worst thing ever - in Australia voting is compulsory. It makes it much fairer, though. EVERYBODY gets to vote, and there are steep fines for any employer who doesn't allow employees time to vote. Polling places are everywhere, and most will have a sausage sizzle and/or cake stand. it becomes an almost festive occasion. Honestly, it's a much better system.
It’s no secret that one good way of taking care of yourself is exercising regularly. “Exercise is crucial to overall health, fitness, and mental wellness,” Prof. Almstedt told Bored Panda. “It can improve sleep, elevate mood, relieve stress as well as help lower blood cholesterol and blood pressure. I consider exercise to be a ‘polypill’ with the ability to improve health and lower risk for many of the top 10 leading causes of death for Americans.”
#18
Wearing a helmet.
Hawkmoon 3 months ago
...and a sturdy pair of boots, reinforced pants and jacket. I cringe every time I see a video of someone in sneakers, shorts and a t-shirt on a powerful bike. In the event of an impact, you end up at best with fractures everywhere, in the event of a slip like a piece of grated cheese.
#19
Rappers calling women b***hes.
David 3 months ago
Rap music in general is repulsive to me because most of it is about bragging and disrespecting other people. INB4 - no, not all, and there are a few rap songs I like. But if you just have a bunch of rap on shuffle and listen to one at random - usually bragging and disrespect and gratuitous swear words.
According to Dr. Almstedt, the American culture rewards those who are tough and ignore signs or symptoms of illness. “Unfortunately, our busy ‘to do’ list often takes priority over self-care,” she pointed out. “This causes us to be out of touch with what our body is trying to tell us. Many people could benefit from improving interoceptive awareness, which is the ability to notice internal sensations.”
#22
I notice no one holds doors for the person behind them, people don't let others off of an elevator before they barge in, people don't share the road or let others ahead when driving
.. So I make it a point to do all these things because it's.... polite and I am hoping people will see this and do it as well.. but, when i do these things, like holding a door open for someone, almost everyone will not say "thank you" and some people won't even try to catch the door or even pretend to notice. I've had so many times where the person in front of me slithers out after the person in from of them held the door for them and they do not catch the door and I get a door slammed in my face. Its crazy how much people do this. I started loudly saying ur welcome to people who don't say thank you , and I only (barely) heard one person say oh, thank you. This is In my lifetime BTW, over 30 years, Lol. Driving of course no one waves to say thank u. I do and I do it so they definitely can see lol.
I refuse to be an unkind person, and not hold doors open, or not let others through, not sharing the roads, like how i see majority of people doing. It's not in me to do it even once.
Do these people who do this think this is what those people are supposed to do for them? Or thanking that person is basic social etiquette and the gesture shows you appreciate their kindness and acknowledge it. No gesture makes u feel invisible and unappreciated as if it was some automatic door and that opened itself. Its disrespectful and sad that people don't know what an act of kindness looks like and thinks that's what they're entitled to.
I hope I'm not just old lol and it's getting phased out
Edit.... I came back on and saw notifications... I thought I was getting in trouble for something lol.. I'm so happy people see this and are thoughtful. It's so nice to know that!
David 3 months ago
I live in western USA and I still see a lot of this common kindness. Yes there are exceptions and those probably stand out more in our minds. You remember the 'rude a-hole' longer. But holding doors, or one car at a four way stop waving the other car through when you both arrive about the same time. Stopping for the person trying to cross the road. Things like that - I've seen in the past week. I'm not in elevators a lot but on my trip in January I routinely saw people waiting for others when using elevators. (that was some in US but more in Korea / PI).
#23
Work/Life balance. No matter where you work, you are replaceable within days. No matter what you do, someone else can do it, too. Spend time with your family, friends, and pets. Your job will not be there for you when you are dying, nor will it care that you are gone.
#24
Tourists will go right to the riptide, cliff edge, waterfall or volcano with a stupid smile on their face.
#25
Freshwater loss. Whole lakes are being drained and rivers diverted completely so they never reach the ocean. We're generally treating natural freshwater like it's an unlimited resource and it's not.
TribbleThinking 3 months ago
Yes. The Soviets drained the Aral Sea to grow cotton. https://www.columbia.edu/~tmt2120/introduction.htm
#26
Seat belts. "I read about this guy who was ejected from his car which then caught on fire - if he had been wearing his seatbelt he'd have been killed, so I don't wear one." Yep, one in a million accidents, a seat belt does more harm than good, but to me, this is outweighed by the other 999,999 where it helps.
Also "my car has airbags, so I don't need a seat belt". If you've never had the pleasure of being in a car when the airbag deployed, I suggest you find some videos of people doing silly things like setting a barrel over one in a junkyard and then triggering it with a battery, launching the barrel into orbit. Please believe me when I tell you, an airbag deployment is an INCREDIBLY violent thing to happen inside the confined space of a car, and you do NOT want your face (or any other body parts you prefer not to injure) anywhere NEAR a deploying airbag.
Gavin Johnson 3 months ago
Your car is designed as a complete, integrated safety system, from crumple zones to anti-submarine seatbelts and airbags to soft interior fittings they are all working in conjunction to save your stupid, squidgy organic mass from getting pulverised. If you remove an element by not wearing a seatbelt or bodging the welding on your sills then you weaken the system significantly, why would you do that? It’s there, use it and save your own life. PS I got t-boned by a big Merc, my tiny Honda took it like a champ, written off but side airbags and decent design meant I climbed out of the window and was well enough to be pissed off at the guy who hit me instead of needing an ambulance.
#27
Hearing protection in clubs and concerts.
Ripley 3 months ago
I went to see a lot of live music in the late 80s and early 90s. I have pretty significant industrial deafness now - my hearing is still really good when it's relatively quiet, but if there's a lot of background noise (pubs, bars, restaurants, etc) everything becomes white noise. Still worth it - I had a lot of fun seeing all that live music!
#28
Women hitting men.
David Paterson 3 months ago
And women hitting women. Lesbian relationships are not immune to domestic violence. As my daughter found out.
#29
Blood pressure. In the past few years I've learned that a number of people in my life just walk around day-to-day close to stroking-out and don't bother going to the doctor about it.
#30
Holding friends and family accountable for their words and actions. A lot of people like to think they would act reasonably and morally when their close relationships do terrible things, but they often don't. Usually they create excuses for the behavior and learn to adapt around it.
#31
Having kids.
DennyS (denzoren) 3 months ago
Kids are such a huge investment in life. I really wish more people who consider it before just having kids just because.
#32
Heat stroke. It can really sneak up on a person, and even be counterintuitive, esp. in young children.
#33
Antibiotic resistance.
Gavin Johnson 3 months ago
I’ve been lucky to avoid serious infections and only had antibiotics as a child, this year I got a very painful infection in my testicles that scared the living daylights out of me, one ultrasound later (and yes that was an experience I don’t wish to repeat) and a short course of antibiotics and it was dealt with very swiftly. I implore people to ONLY use antibiotics when they are essential, we have good immune systems, keep them in tip top condition by ensuring you are filling up on decent vitamins and minerals! Be kind to your body and it’ll be kind back!
#34
Honestly? R*pists and child m*****tors. Yeah sure everyone talks about how awful they are, but here in the USA many are released back into society and reoffend continuously. I’ve read tons of cases where serial r*pists were released only to escalate to m***ering their victims. It’s more common than you’d think, unfortunately.
Also the victim blaming mindset. If the offender is charismatic enough or is part of someone’s political party, sports team, church leadership, school administration, family, etc. the people who think “r*pe and child m****tation is awful” will turn and tear apart victims even if there is undeniable physical evidence to prove the accused did the crime. Apparently all sex offenders have to do is join and become involved in our close circles and we’ll sit and turn a blind eye to everything they do.
Rahul Pawa 3 months ago
The number of women AND men who were sexually abused as kids is absolutely horrifying. The statistics that are known are scary, plus I definitely believe the majority of victims never say a word so the true numbers must be much higher.
#35
Subscription service models for existing items...(think the BMW heated seat shenanigans and things like ceiling fans or other devices that require an app to function)
Battle passes...
Pre-order bonuses...
Always online requirements for ANYTHING...
#36
Obesity. Especially U.S. Nearly half of everyone I see in my day is overweight to obese. Never a healthy weight range. It's sad how everyone treats their one body like absolute s**t and then wonder why when they hit 40, they have all these medical issues that will give huge financial loss and pain for the rest of their life. Take care of yourself, your body does so much to keep you alive, the least you can do is make it easier, show it some love and it'll love you back in your later years.
#37
Driving. Anytime you get in there, might be your last.
Julius Zuke 3 months ago
Road rage needs to be aggressively addressed. The roads are the new wild wesr.
#38
When your government lies to you over and over and over.
#39
Condoms, a friend of ours is promiscuous. But she thinks that birth control and being somewhat picky about the guys you sleep with will prevent STI’s. She says she only uses them the first few times. I fear for her future.
#40
The importance of flossing.
TribbleThinking 3 months ago (edited)
This song agrees with you 😄https://www.google.com/search?q=baz+luhrmann+always+wear+sunscreen+lyrics
#41
Being a decent human.
Regina Holt 3 months ago
I was late to therapy one time because I helped a trucker find where he was supposed to go. A county road was closed, with no nearby detour route. The trucker was new to the area, so wasn't sure how to get to their destination. I told him to follow me, and I would get him there. I got to therapy late, and apologized for being late. I told my therapist why I was late, he said "you didn't have to do that". Well, why wouldn't I help someone that was easy enough to help, and that wouldn't take me too much time.
#42
Speeding. People drive around at 10-15 over the speed limit then act like it's the cops fault that they got a ticket. Yea, you save 3 minutes on your drive but you also drastically increased your stress levels as well as your chance of a car accident. Speed limits are set with local traffic, pedestrian frequency, and road design. Ignoring that is just begging for an accident.
CanadianDimes 3 months ago (edited)
I had two colleagues who got enough speeding tickets each they had to go to remedial drivers’ training and would bìtch about it. Well, if you don’t speed, that won’t happen. The time you “saved” speeding likely doesn’t add up to the time you spent in remedial training either!
#43
Posture/sitting. Sitting is going to be the next cig killer because of health issues. And posture is already doing it as so many issues are due to bad posture(bad wrist? Prob posture or sitting, headache at the back of your neck? Posture. Trouble breathing/chest tightness? Try to adjust your posture. I bet a good chance it goes away(fun fact this can cause anxiety). It's insane how we've just accepted text neck, hunching, rolled shoulders, and other stuff as normal.
Stardust she/her 3 months ago
I find it really difficult to maintain any kind of posture these days without some or the other support. I do try but it’s hard
#44
Their words, they have weight. A lot of people act like they’re invisible so they go hurt others for attention without knowing it has impact.
TribbleThinking 3 months ago
I've met a few who do it precisely BECAUSE the know it has impact. A couple of them did it for attention and power. A third one actively enjoyed it like a zingy topping to food that was otherwise flavourless.
#45
Covid, for sure. It's not just the flu or a cold, people. It's not even just a respiratory disease. It can damage your heart, brain, kidneys, arteries, and more. And every time you get it, even if you're asymptomatic, your risk for long Covid or just cumulative damage to your vital organs goes up.
And the fun part is it's causing literal brain damage, so like the longer we wait to address it the less mentally agile we'll be as a country to design and implement counter measures.
#46
Saving money for rainy days or retirement. People are living beyond their means and they don't even know it. When you factor in the fact that you're going to have to depend on what you saved up it becomes even clearer.
CanadianDimes 3 months ago
People are living beyond their means because that’s often the only way to live now. Not by choice, but by necessity. It’s hard to put money away when all of it goes to necessities. Of course, if we regulated prices in a way that favours most people, the billionaires would be inconvenienced and it would be “communism”.
#48
Eating junk.
David Paterson 3 months ago
If by "junk" you mean things that are foraged or are usually deemed inedible, then yes everything can go very bad very fast. Perforated digestive system, poison, bacterial and viral disease.
#49
Jokes
Everything is so f*****g serious and argumentative these days it's exhausting
Can we not just have the craic.
similarly 3 months ago
I think we need to allow a degree of latitude in jokes, but I remember movies in the 80s that had jokes that just make me cringe now that I'm old enough to see the hostility these "jokes" masked. I think we have to make sure that "It's just a joke" isn't just a cover for bullying.
#50
This is gonna be niche but safety in westen riding/rodeo sports. Especially with kids.
I watch the videos online of 10 year olds almost being thrown from horses 20 times their weight before doing their barrel racing run wearing a hat only and I can't believe this is where we are still at. Concussions ans TBIs are not taken anywhere seriously enough in these circles purely for the sake of looking "tough."
I understand the culture behind the hat and I understand why some safety precautions aren't practical in a working farm/ranch setting, but this is a sport involving live animals, high speeds and crazy maneuvers.
I grew up riding western and absolutely loved barrel racing and rodeo but I saw (and experienced) FAR too many concussions where the immediate treatment was encouragement to "get back up on the horse" to show you were ok and not wimpy.
My last concussion was WITH my helmet. There was a rule at our barn (which was a common rule at many other barns) that you only had to wear a helmet IF you lost/forgot your hat and it was mostly to shame you for forgetting or losing your hat. I was thrown and landed head first on the ground. Imagine if I had just been wearing my hat.
I could understand not forcing adults to wear helmets since it's their choice but to put small kids into these sports with absolutely nothing protecting their heads is straight up insanity.
What do you think ?
David Paterson 3 months ago
Something that people take too lightly - the dangers of sport. Not just football and basketball, but skiing and almost every other type of sport as well.
Verena 3 months ago
Well, with that election system the US operates, I would be frustrated, too. Our wall filling party and candidates sheet you have to choose from might look overwhelming, but at least every vote has direct influence on the result. And we do percentages, so the parliament is an actual mirror of the diverse opinions of the people.
DowntownStevieB 3 months ago
I have a couple from the medical profession!! I can't tell you how many patient's don't know their allergies or believe the hospital records. IF IT'S ON THERE, IT'S THERE FOR A REASON! You may have had an issue as a child or something, and it stays on your chart for LIFE! Just go with it. Could save your life. The other is how amazing that so many people, mainly men, don't know their medications! Write it down, keep it in your wallet or phone. This too can save your life. Shouldn't always rely on your spouse or the accuracy of the office that isn't your primary care. You should know this beyond "it's a round red pill."
SkippityBoppityBoo 3 months ago (edited)
When I was in the physiotherapy hospital just after having Covid etc? The nurses were fantastic, basically we had to memorise our medications, the times we had to take them etc. When it was time for them? We had to had to, without cheating! Recite what we had to take. "Thiamine, Iron, Coleslaw, Pixie!" was mine!
Load More Replies... David Paterson 3 months ago
Something that people take too lightly - the dangers of sport. Not just football and basketball, but skiing and almost every other type of sport as well.
Verena 3 months ago
Well, with that election system the US operates, I would be frustrated, too. Our wall filling party and candidates sheet you have to choose from might look overwhelming, but at least every vote has direct influence on the result. And we do percentages, so the parliament is an actual mirror of the diverse opinions of the people.
DowntownStevieB 3 months ago
I have a couple from the medical profession!! I can't tell you how many patient's don't know their allergies or believe the hospital records. IF IT'S ON THERE, IT'S THERE FOR A REASON! You may have had an issue as a child or something, and it stays on your chart for LIFE! Just go with it. Could save your life. The other is how amazing that so many people, mainly men, don't know their medications! Write it down, keep it in your wallet or phone. This too can save your life. Shouldn't always rely on your spouse or the accuracy of the office that isn't your primary care. You should know this beyond "it's a round red pill."
SkippityBoppityBoo 3 months ago (edited)
When I was in the physiotherapy hospital just after having Covid etc? The nurses were fantastic, basically we had to memorise our medications, the times we had to take them etc. When it was time for them? We had to had to, without cheating! Recite what we had to take. "Thiamine, Iron, Coleslaw, Pixie!" was mine!
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