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30 Random Things Folks Thought Were Normal But Later Realized Weren’t, As Shared Online
We all have some things about ourselves that might seem weird to others. Maybe we have peculiar eating habits, and we see or do some things differently. And these things might seem like a norm to us. But what if one day you realize that what you thought to be a regular thing is actually a pretty rare occurrence for others? Reddit user @u/ComfortableMess3145 was curious to know what were some things that people thought to be normal until they realized that they aren't.
The question that received 1.3K answers got some interesting responses. A lot of people shared that for the longest time, they didn’t know they had a certain condition such as astigmatism, ADHD, or some kind of allergy. Other users revealed that their “not normal thing” usually came from their household. The examples included being expected to always ask for every little thing instead of just taking or doing it, or being used to big family fights.
Do you have something to add to this list? Don’t forget to leave your thoughts in the comments down below!
More Info: Reddit
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#1
Subconsciously adapting my speech patterns to whoever is around me. I'll start picking up their accent, words they use frequently, etc. Turns out, this is a common thing neurodiverse people, and it's more seen in women if I'm not mistaken. It could cause me issues, however. Thing is, I'm much more self conscious about this when I talk to black people, bc I'm white... And I swear I'm not trying to do a "blaccent" on purpose. It just... Kind of happens.
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#2
I have astigmatism so I see light in streaks. For the longest time I thought that was how everyone saw it.
#3
Not everyone struggles to concentrate on a task or have the mental energy to take care of things. Apparently I have ADD. I found out two years ago life didn’t have to be a daily struggle when I started taking a medication for a sleep problem and one of its off label uses is to treat ADD.
I was actually told repeatedly as a kid I had ADHD but they always told me it was my fault and treated it as if the issue was voluntary. So I grew up believing I was just a lazy day dreamer who gets overly stressed by having too many tasks. I’ve lived my life thinking everyone else was better than me because they can get things done. Nope, I’ve just need meds my entire life. Now I wonder how different my childhood would have been if I had been treated back then.
Lisa H 2 years ago
I need to get tested for this once and for all. My school failed me hard for this. They said that I'm "too smart to have a learning disability." How messed up is that? Not only are they implying that people with learning disabilities are dumb, but it's also like they wanted me to just tell them that I'm lazy even though I worked my a*s off and told them as much. Twenty years later and it still makes my blood boil.
#4
having a good relationship with your own parents. wasn’t until i made good friends that i realised how lucky my relationship is with my parents bc so many of my friends did not like family life.
#5
Having to hide when you’re parents are fighting, I only found out this was not normal when I went to a friends house and their parents had a argument that I expected to turn into a screaming fit just like it does with my parents. I got up expecting to have to hide with my friend before they started full on fighting. I was then informed by his concerned parents that it’s not normal to have to do that.
Dumpsterbaby 2 years ago
I lived my life like that also. I had a friend who told his parents to stop yelling. I thought, omg heads are going to roll, but they didn't. His parents stopped and apologized to him. I was floored.
#6
Hearing music play even when you aren’t listening to anything. And no I’m not talking about when you have a song stuck in your head and it’s just your thoughts singing the lyrics, I mean actually hearing music when nothing is there.
I use to think my house was haunted by a ghost that loved to play music. Later on as I got older I thought it just happens to everyone. Until I read about “Musical Hallucinations” online and found out how rare it actually is.
And no it’s not fun.
barn owls ️ 2 years ago
wait that isn’t normal? i thought everyone had that. another thing to add to the list of “things i might have to get tested for”
#7
The ability to make a roaring noise in my ears by tensing a muscle.
BubbaLouie 2 years ago (edited)
I can do this, and I can also do a really high pitched beep. (EDIT: I forgot, I can also click.) (Edit 2: I do the beep by... tensing up my jaw/chin? I don't know how it works.)
#8
Picturing things in your head. I have a friend with aphantasia and she was flabbergasted when she realized people could visualize things in their brain.
#9
I always thought when you try to talk to someone about something they do that bugs you or is just something that you feel the need to bring up because it effects you, that its normal for the person to get upset when you bring it up, and for them to disagree with you, resulting in yelling and fighting. I always thought this until I was talking with my friend about something they do that really pisses me off, and they just sat there, and thanked me for bringing it to there attention, and was completely chill about it, no yelling or argumenting. It was a weird feeling because I just kept waiting for the disagreeing and yelling to happen, and when it didn't I felt like something was missing? lol.
#10
Being able to blur and unblur your eyes on command 🙂
3 Owls In A Coat 2 years ago
Isn’t this just focusing and unfocusing your eyes?
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Mackenzie McLean 2 years ago
I think some people had to learn how to do it to see those pics. I know people that had a hard time figuring it out.
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Whitney Anderson 2 years ago
People with worse vision can do this easier and make it more blurry. If you have 20/20 vision you may still be able to do it just you cant make as blurry as people with worse vision. If you have glasses then you can tell when you take them off you can make it more blurry and when you put them on its a little harder and you cant make it quite as blurry. My dad is an eye doctor that is why i know this.
Luisa Madrigal 2 years ago
Wait this isn't normal? Guess i'll have to add it to my "Things I should get tested for" list
Telmo Belo 2 years ago
I also recently found out most people couldn't do it. We do it by relaxing a muscle in our eyes. I sometimes find myself too tired to flex that muscle and everything is blurry for a while until I rest a bit.
Proudtrans 2 years ago
Its something people can do but have to train themselves. You just ever so slightly cross your eyes. I can do it
olx 2 years ago
apparently its something to do with the muscles (?) controlling the lenses of your eye. so if you need glasses due to lens regulation issues it might not work for you!
CakeandNintendo 2 years ago
That's strange because I can do it but definitely need glasses due to eyesight, can't read anything more than 5 ft away from me
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Axelcat 2 years ago
I thought this was normal until one of my teachers gave me a stern talking to for "looking at with those eyes".
Axelcat 2 years ago
It was a few years later when someone took a picture and I realized I looked drunk.
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Ashley Spurlock 2 years ago
I can do this and it's fun :D I can also shake my eyes to make it look like they're having a seizure-
Carla Olavarría 2 years ago
I thought everyone could do that, also the rumbling noise by tensing a muscle
Electra Smith 2 years ago
Me too, Stardust. Actually I like to do it to get a new perspective (for example, to relate to people with very poor eyesight, or to blend color mentally) And sometimes just for fun.
Jay Dresser 2 years ago
I can't quite do that but I can unconverge my eyes at will which makes it easy to see those SIRDS / stereograms, but that also involves making my eyes focus where they are not converged.
Marcellium 2 years ago
I can do this but it's because I have a lazy eye. Keeping things focused is sometimes effort for me!
Surfing Panda 2 years ago
Isn't that just focusing before or beyond what you are looking at? Like what you have to do to see the images in 3D albums?
Mel The Axolotl 2 years ago
Yea I can do this easily, in fact I stim by doing it a lot of the time. My favorite thing to do is to look at something up close and notice background things look double and then switch so the background looks normal and the foreground looks double. Also when I look at something reflective, like my phone screen rn, the words and stuff coming from inside the screen go double, but the stuff reflecting off the screen (I can see the light on the ceiling behind me) doesn't, which I think is cool. I wonder why that happens tho
AspieGirl88 2 years ago
I can do that … but I have to either squint my eyes or take my glasses off to do so! 🤣
Evi Grimes 2 years ago
Apparently I can do this and my husband can't. So I guess it's not something everyone can do, but I swore it was.
Michelle C 2 years ago
I’m surprised that isn’t normal!! I have no problem with it if I want to do that- at least I didn’t until fifth grade when I needed glasses!
Potater tot 2 years ago
I always do this. It’s basically like crossing your eyes. My brothers also do it.
Bananananananana 2 years ago (edited)
Yes I can do this, and when I do it hard enough it makes my eyes shake, like when Puss n’ Boots is begging
therealrose357 2 years ago
Do you mean like, becoming nearsighted on command or just crossing your eyes?
Phil Green 2 years ago
Very handy for looking at SIRDS. I thought everyone could do this, turns out not to be true!
Connie Marciniak 2 years ago
This came in handy as old age began to effect my vision since I was able to “correct” it until I needed glasses.
Th3_Narrat0r 2 years ago
I have this :D it actually a normal thing that everyone can do, it just takes practice. It's like wiggling your ears. Anyone can do it, you've just got to work the muscle
Nicole Tomme 2 years ago
Blur on. Blur off. Am.... am I the Blur? But seriously, maybe this is more common with people with poor eyesight? Mine is very poor and when your default state is blurry your eyes are constantly trying to adjust so maybe it is a muscle thing?
Quitethedilemma 2 years ago
I can do this and didn't think much of it until SO said mentioned his friend with adhd can do it and that isn't normal. I don't have vision issues just able to focus and unfocus when I want as well as being able to wobble my eyes.
DrGirlfriend 2 years ago
It's over stimulation to the eye muscle it's a strain, like wiggling your ears it's a muscle control some people do not have 😊
Cat Palmer 2 years ago
That's easy - take out my contact lenses and instant blur! (I can also do it for real, thanks to the 'magic eye' pictures which were a brief fad when I was a kid.)
AffenpinscherMom 2 years ago
Learned that from those books back in the day. The ones where you had go blur your eyes to see the 3D picture. What were they called again? I feel like I was looking at those around the same time as Where's Waldo.
Hypoxia Smurf 2 years ago
Merely changing focus. Quite normal. Look at your fingers on the keyboard, and anything beyond is a visual blur. But consider my step-bro who could make his eyeballs jitter up-and-down, fast. THAT is likely not normal.
Lantana Howell 2 years ago
How do people "see" the images in the 3D magic eye books.... you change the depth of your focus. I struggle to believe it is not that common since those books were wildly popular and there were multiple books in the series.
Benita Valdez 2 years ago
Really? I can do this too. I have really bad eyesight so I used to always mess with my eyes to see what they actually could do since seeing wasn't working so maybe they could do other things. I can blur and unblur and cross them as well as move each eye independently.
Booklover<3 2 years ago
Other people can't do this? I always focus and unfocus my eyes like I'm a camera.
#11
I always thought the after effect for eating fresh cherries was a scratchy throat, with this weird tight feeling. Mild though but it would last about 30 minutes.
After eating 2 cherries earlier this year I ended up having a severe allergic reaction and discovered that cherries aren't meant to do that and I've just been allergic to them this whole time. 😅
Michelle Reynolds 2 years ago
Pineapple, kiwi, cantaloupe, walnuts, pecans, bananas-they all do that to me but cherries are OK luckily,
#12
I was joking around with my friends in 8th grade History and we were trying to see how many pencils we could stick into my friend's afro (with his consent) and right as I was trying to lift my arm and put the pencil in his hair one of them cracked a joke that sent us into a fit of laughter. My arms went limp and when my friends started coaxing me to put it in I told them I couldn't.
They were noticably confused, so when I regained my composure I explained that everytime I laugh, my muscles go limp and I am not be able to move them. It ranges from droopy head and weak knees, to full body collapse.
Because of the term "roll over laughing" and portrayals of people in media falling over in laughter I thought this happened to everyone, and they were just better at controlling it. My friends all agreed that it in fact did not happen to them, and that I should get it checked with a doctor.
1 year later I was diagnosed Type 1 Narcolepsy: a sleep disorder characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness, and Cataplexy. Cataplexy happens when a trigger, such as strong emotions like laughter or fear, trigger a sudden loss of muscle tone, making it difficult to move, stand, or even breathe.
I was lucky to be diagnosed as early and quick as I was, since the condition is widely unknown outside of the context of Narcolepsy patients and specialists. The symptoms of Narcolepsy are so common, in both puberty where it starts to present more heavily, and other diagnoses such and depression and anxiety. Its estimated that around 1 in 2,000 people have this disorder, and the lucky few that actually get diagnosed usually only do so later in life after 5-10+ years of multiple tests and misdiagnoses.
The takeaway from this is that if you think that other people "deal with it better" or "suck it up" or "control it better" chances are that's not normal, and you should speak up about it.
#13
Having to deliberately learn all your social skills. I assumed other people just got more practice, because I didn't have many friends growing up. Years of work did help me a lot, but I only recently realized most people learn these things without thinking much about it.
I'ts like the difference between glancing at a sentence and immediately getting its meaning, vs. figuring out each word letter by letter.
#14
Apparently most people can't reach their entire back with their hands. I never knew backscratchers had an actual purpose.
Chucky Cheezburger 2 years ago
I can do this too. Apparently I'm a bit more flexible than most other folks. I can turn my feet around almost all the way backwards,put my feet behind my head and contort in a few odd ways. I thought everyone could do this.
#15
Not being able to watch Movies/Shows without Close Captions or subtitles. Also never understanding what they are sayin on the radio. Turns out, I have an Auditory Processing Disorder. If I don't see peoples lips moving my brain doesn't recognize they are words more than half the time
CelticElff 2 years ago
Sensory Processing Disorder (avoider) here. If two people talk to me at the same time (classical scenario: I'm on the phone but my toddler demands my attention) the voices overlap and become nonsensical noise. Drives. Me. Crazy.
#16
That most people aren't constantly aware of their heart beating, and dont get numb legs just from walking a few metres uphill, and don't lie in bed at night wondering whether they'll die in their sleep because their heart does funky things when they lay down.
Turns out I have a heart condition lol. I feel so at peace now that I'm on medication for it
#17
I thought it was normal for every friend group to have one person that everyone picked on for no reason. I don't mean light roasting, I mean legitimately bullying them and putting them down. My brother's friend group had one, with my brother being a primary instigator. I was the punching bag in my middle school friend group. It took until the end of high school/the beginning of college for me to actually be treated like a person and realize that friends aren't supposed to make you feel like s**t about yourself.
Stardust she/her 2 years ago
I feel this. I was constantly shunned and yelled at growing up untill recently when I made actual friends who treated me nicely
#18
I’ve played violin since I was 3 years old. So, I learned the letter names of each string and the finger numbers. And, whenever I heard a song, I always thought of a letter or number with each note. To me, it was plainly obvious what each letter and number was, and my brain even expanded the letter/number system to work with cello and the entire piano range.
Turns out, not every violinist has this, let alone absolute pitch (frequency in Western countries: 1 in 10 000). When I was 20, I discovered it was synesthesia, a harmless linking of senses/concepts in the brain.
That seemed to check out since people’s faces often have smells/tastes associated with them. Mine tastes like white sugar out of the packet. My brother’s is hard boiled egg. And whenever someone mentions a particular date on a particular year, I envision a giant number line.
Also, letters have emotions. E is happy, but lowercase e is even happier. Capital N is happy but lower case n is sad. And the months of the year go in a giant counter-clockwise circle, with my birthday in October being at the bottom. 2 is sad. 3 is happy.
#19
Having a whole complex of rooms in your head and about 16 people in there chilling and having convos with them
It’s all positive, they’re kinda my way of getting things out and processing thoughts and emotions
I do all sorts in my subconscious mind palace and it’s very entertaining but everyone else finds it kinda wierd.
Construction site Panda 2 years ago (edited)
I hate to reveal this secret but when I am under stress, to relax myself I make up all sorts of cringe stories in my mind but I dont write them down. But ik I will never get the most number of upvotes so my comment will be the last one in order so no one will know my secret hehe 😁
#20
When I’m on my period, I can numb my lower half of my body so I can’t feel cramps. After talking to my friend I realized she couldn’t do it and I was just confused as I have been doing it for years.
#21
Not everyone hears their own thoughts audibly. I only learned that last year after describing to my husband that when I’m thinking I literally hear my thoughts as if they’re being spoken outside of my body.
Rod McCabe 2 years ago
I routinely talk to myself. When you're alone for 54 years with not one at all in life talking to yourself is almost inevitable. No family, friends, work associates, no social media contacts... no one. well I've been talking to myself ever since I could talk. And yes, I answer myself as well. Its fun.
#22
Being able to give myself goosebumps on command.
I only realised last year (I’m in my 30s) when watching Taskmaster and one of the tasks was “Give yourself goosebumps, fastest wins”, and I wondered why they didn’t all just induce them like I do.
Turns out it’s a rare ability that only 1 in 1500 people have.
TheAquarius1978 2 years ago
That's easy, listen to a song from Eluveitie, that works everytime lol ( for those of you not in to folk metal, try " 2SFH " ( 2 steps from hell ) its Impossible to hear their músic and not getting goosebumps )
#23
"Man, I am having so much trouble finding out which colors to use for these letters!"
"Just... use the colors from your head."
"The what?"
"That's what I did! The head colors? Y'know?"
"N..o."
Anyways I have color-grapheme synesthesia and somehow, no one thought much of me saying that the days and months and letters and numbers all had colors.
#24
Normal is just the running average of weird.
3 Owls In A Coat 2 years ago
I like this. We’re all weird, “normal” is just whatever weird thing most of us are doing.
#25
Ringing in the ears. I dont have a conscious memory of not having it. When i was about 5 years old I asked my grandma " what song does your head play?"
Sky Render 2 years ago
I've had tinnitus my entire life. Most of the time I just wilfully ignore it.
#26
I have a few medications I need to take for my mental health, some I need to take at night some in the morning. I've gotten into the habit of rather than reading the label for which ones I need, I will shake the bottle and know which ones to take based off of the sounds the pills make when they rattle.
Let me say I was shocked when I was informed this is not normal.
Rod McCabe 2 years ago
Thats definitely what t I do, I can just hear my pharmaceutical savior, xanax, as a beautiful music in the mornings. Panic attacks SUCK for 30 minutes and without a benzodiazapine I get attacks a couple of times a day. They're particularly insidious because you have to stop what you're doing and give your entire life (existence) to the attack. Work or home. You don't have a choice. I call anxiety and panic "cancer of the mind". Panic attacks are horrendous and completely debilitating. Not fun. Hearing that rattle in the morning is like all of the beautiful music or nature thrown into a couple of seconds of shaking.
#27
Visual snow. My whole life, my field of vision has always been covered by shifting multicolored dots of light. Similar to light snow on an old TV transmission, hence the name. I see it all of the time, I never don't see it, though it is worse in the dark, or if staring at the sky. In the dark or when I close my eyes, it is all I see. I thought everyone had this until my early 20s.
#28
for YEARS i thought everyone got sick at the feeling of certain textures, kinda like seeing big bugs and stuff, like the same feeling that gives you, later learned i have a psychiatrist and therapist trying to figure out if i have adhd, or if im on the autism spectrum
#29
Two OREO limit. That was always the serving size in our house growing up. My first binge in college was a whole sleeve of OREOs.
Bouche Clay 2 years ago
I wish I could do that. Although I often say it as a joke, for me, it's pretty much true that whatever is in the wrapper is one serving.
#30
Lice. Growing up I had lice almost every summer, I thought everyone got lice growing up. I thought lice was just a summer bug that we kids got! When I got with my ex and talked to him about my childhood and how we always got lice, he was SHOOK. It was apparently not normal for children to get lice on a regular basis.
What do you think ?
Sardonyx_3 2 years ago
I have a CONSTANT inner monologue. It means I can't stop thinking. Yes, I've tried listening to ~calming music~ but it doesn't help. No, it doesn't mean I describe things in third-person. I just CAN'T. STOP. THINKING. Help?
Booklover<3 2 years ago
This happens to me too. I didn't know that people could stop thinking!! What?!?
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BonnyDK 2 years ago
I dream full length mostly movies with complete dialogue, scenes, and other characters. Sometimes they start right before I fall asleep so I consciously know they are beginning. Seconds before. If you wake me up in the middle of the night I can tell you everything going on and who said what. In the morning I only remember bits and pieces. They are shows I have never seen before anywhere. Sometimes they repeat themselves. There was one inside a dark mansion with lots of hallways upstairs that repeated for months. I walked quickly trying to get out but never finding a way. Another that repeated was a soldier standing at the foot of my bed as if he was guarding me. He wore a WWll uniform. So strange.
Omiyaru 2 years ago (edited)
Had that occur Wirth some dream about an dystopian anime with an antro-wolf, basically escaping a slave trade, one scene Involved a high class train (fully furnished with velvet seat cushions, wood tables, upholstery the works) one scene involved the wolf being forced to serve nude, leading the wolf stabbing one pug guard in the eye with a shrimp fork. The intro to that "series" was all bright and cheerful. Had its own theme song, the wolf character lounge across title. It was seriously messed up, and bloody as hell. But definitely went a full 360, going from suspense to action in 3 seconds
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Peppermallow 2 years ago
I’ve never known how complete strangers can start clapping in synch with each other when music comes on. A television ad came on one day for a Bruno Mars album. There were people in monkey suits moving in time to each other, I commented how much practice it must have taken to synch up their movements so perfectly. My wife said “they are in time to the music”. I had no idea. To me there is no connection between dancing and music. Sometimes called Beat Deafness, I found out I have Amusia, which is sort of like a musical equivalent of dyslexia
Lisa T 2 years ago
Sneezing at the sun! It was only a few years ago (I’m 51) that I found most people don’t sneeze at the sun
Huddo's sister 2 years ago
Autosomal Dominant Compelling Helioopthalmic Outburst (ACHOO) Syndrome
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Axelcat 2 years ago
I can relate to about 40 of these things. I thought these were normal things.
Yay Pandas! 2 years ago
It's good you found out, isn't it? Some of these problems can be fixed with meds.
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Waite Forit 2 years ago
When I was a child, I thought all people could use their toes like fingers because my sister and I could do that. Then I found out that the neighbor kids could not do this. Actually, I still have this ability.
Pizzagirl 91 2 years ago
Yeah, that comes in real "handy" when you're pregnant and can't bend down. I can pick up a button or sth. with my toes and "hand" it to my hand.
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Izzi C 2 years ago
I have a serious question to ask. I brought it up to my brother and he completely dismissed it. I get triggered by noises. Chewing, teeth grinding, tapping, snaps, and pen clicks. It’s gotten really bad lately. I have no idea what it is or how to bring it up to my parents.
wowbagger 2 years ago
It could be misophonia. Your triggers sound like pretty common ones: https://misophoniainstitute.org/misophonia-triggers/
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Jeff Gabrisl 2 years ago
For the longest time, I just assumed that people got headaches all the time. It wasn't until I started getting constant vertigo and a visual aura that I was diagnosed with chronic migraine. Luckily the meds they prescribed work 95% of the time, but I wish my parents would have taken me to the doctor about it when I was little, instead of telling me that I "was reading to much" or playing too many video games.
Anna 2 years ago
You are lucky meds work. I've been a migraine sufferer since I was 13 years old, (that's 30 years of pain now) I get the so called "suicide" migraines and they are triggered by hormones, being a woman that's impossible to avoid, birth control and hormone therapy makes them worse. Nothing stops it once it has started. They have gotten worse these past few years. Can't wait for menopause to see if they improve because the only time I got zero migraines was during my pregnancy (I have a 16 month old)
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Reviewer UK01 2 years ago
I recently found out that many of the foods I thought I didn't like were in fact because my mum has no truc with expiry dates, food storage or cooking instructions. I've always thought I hated butter, it just isn't that nice when it's gone off. Sausages should not have a thick coating of burned while frozen inside. Making Indian food shouldn't start with burning some spices until the acrid smoke burns your lungs. Thankfully she usually gave us sandwiches and cooked only for my dad (also seems weird now) but no idea how the man hasn't died of food poisoning.
love u 2 years ago
i have double jointed shoulders, thought that was completely normal until about 11 when we had to stretch before my practice. Also i can absolutely not stand the sound of corduroy getting scratched, not a mild dislike, it makes me feel physically uncomfy
Bubbles and sparks 2 years ago
I can actually feel strong emotions in colors... like anger, joy, feeling overwhelmed it crowded... But the most fantastic colors I see when I have a really great orga*m, that's like fireworks ;)
John Brown 2 years ago
I found out while I was in the Navy I could hear better than almost anyone. At 1500 yards, I can hear and understand two people having a conversation. As well, I learned I was an absolute GOD when it came to analyzing other ships courses and speed when ownship was coming into or exiting port. I had only to look at a ship for tens of seconds and could relay its course, speed and closest point of approach, although I had trouble with time. I also do not need a clock or watch. I can go days without seeing a timepiece and know the time to within 15 minutes. But the real kicker: I dream everyday stuff in real time. I have dreams that seem to be taken out of other people’s lives. I have dreamt I was a businessman, an attorney in a rather mundane property dispute, or even a used car salesman. I have never had these kinds of jobs. Also, the locale affects me. If the weather is cold in the dream, I wake up cold. Likewise if I am in the desert at high noon in the dream, I wake sweating. Crazy!!
Erik Ivan 2 years ago
When I read a book, I don't see words. I see a movie - a virtual reality where I go around, looking over the persons shoulders. It was a big surprise when I realised not everyone experience reading like that.
leah 2 years ago
Me, too. Sometimes I read a book and I swear I'd just seen a movie. What's weird is that I can't picture things in my head. If someone tells me to picture an ice cream cone in my head I don't see it. I describe it with words but never actually see it.
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Local foodie 2 years ago
I used to think everyone had these little movies they made up in their head and spent hours in. Some stories I’ve spent years on. Turns out that isn’t normal
Pandalea 2 years ago
Not abnormal, either. I do, too. It helped à lot when I was an insomniac kid with anxiety. There are
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Ada Hunter 2 years ago
i always thought i just got startled way way to easy. and i thought when you got startled you threw things from it and stuff like that. nope, i have an incredibly rare disorder called the jumping frenchman of maine. it’s stupid.
devilicious 2 years ago
I need to know if someone else has this. When I sit on the toilet for too long I stop feeling my legs then they start "tingling" when I try to walk. But then I don't want to move because it's like a "being stabbed by millions knives but with no pain" sensation all over my legs
LB 2 years ago (edited)
Growing up, I thought I had a pretty standard non-regional US accent. I heard no significant difference between how I spoke and how national newscasters spoke. I moved just one state over for college and was shocked to discover that I have a very thick regional accent, to the point that others comment on it and occasionally cannot understand some things I say. My mom, who has always lived in the same place, still has trouble believing this is true.
EvilNob 2 years ago
My only special ability is that I fall asleep usually under a minute. I tried to do meditation where you have to count back from 60. I changed it after many failed attempts to 20. I never reached 0...
Wren Hard 2 years ago
My dad can do this. Literally just lie down and fall asleep on command. the rest of my family and myself are the exact opposite
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Marcus Lynch 2 years ago
After multiple concussions as a kid, one of my eyes sees color more intensely than the other. Same colors for both but one eye sees normal and the other is in Technicolor.
My True Form, Apparently 2 years ago
Not sure if this is weird, but when I dream I can’t hear anything, but I still know what is being said.
Lee Banks 2 years ago
I was born without a stomach valve. Thought it was just a neat trick that I could regurgitate whole food, on command. Had a Nissan fundoplication at 13. I haven't been able to vomit, since. Food poisoning is the worst, and I constantly have the hiccups. Cool scars, though :)
Kevin Garren 2 years ago
Up until sometime in my teens, I thought everybody's back would hurt if they ate something too hot. I get this weird sensation that travels all the way down my back like lava after I swallow... well one time I ate something that burned my mouth/throat at school and I did this thing where I kind of throw my shoulders back, almost like how you see somebody get hit in the back in movies or something, and my friends were like "....what's going on right now?!" and then I realized that not everybody has lava back burn lol And whenever I clean my ears with a cotton swab, (not all the way in, just near the opening like after a shower to get the water out and any earwax that's building up) it makes my throat tingle and itch.
Naomi Thompson 2 years ago
If I’m walking on a pavement with a close friend and there is a lamppost ahead, I must pass the lamppost the same side as my friend, or I feel anxious like FOMO 😳
R. H. 2 years ago
ASMR, I spent decades thinking I was a freak because all sorts of stimuli made me numb and tingly and at times stir my gonads. It's a bit confusing when the sound of tearing paper makes you erect
Ivy la Sangrienta 2 years ago
ASMR usually makes me nauseous. Really creeps me out.
Load More Replies...
Proudtrans 2 years ago
I have this weird thing were my pinky fingers can bend all the way back and touch the back of my hand. I was stretching my hand back and my pinky did “the thing” and my friend asked me if that happened to me normally. I thought it was normal so I was puzzled when she said it wasnt
PandaForLife 2 years ago
Honestly, every time i touch a rough surface i stab my nails into my palms at least 2 times.. what is it??
Wolf Queen 2 years ago
I just learned some people don't... Hear colors? I can't rly describe it, but when you listen to music do you think, crimson, flame orange, beige, ect. I also don't hear blue, I hear cerulean ect.
Stephanie Paich 2 years ago
I have really complicated dreams. Sounds, colors, details such as names of people and prices on items in a store. And they're long, a lot happens in them. I dream whole houses, hotels, malls, or supermarkets into existence, there's a layout and I can walk around and even go back to places I was before.
KC T. 2 years ago
I thought it was normal to only breathe either through your mouth or your nose. I thought it was impossible and thought anyone saying otherwise was just joking around. Well, after a septoplasty, I realized I haven't been able to breathe normally my entire life. It was a fantastic and eye opening moment to experience smells and taste at the same time.
Tami_DE 2 years ago
Wait... People can breath through their nose and mouth at the same time? How exactly does one do that?
Load More Replies...
Jasmine Hufflepuff Henderson 2 years ago
With me it was a fast heart rate and going over every bad thing that could happen. I was shocked when I realized that's not normal and I'm now diagnosed with panic disorder and severe anxiety.
Jasam Nitko 2 years ago
I'm allergic to stress. No joke. Stress makes me break out in hives from top to toe. I take antihistamine daily to be able to do normal everyday tasks.
Caleb Su 2 years ago
I have note to color synesthesia… c is green or bluish, d is orange, e is yellow, f is green, g is orange, a is red, b is red orange… the accidentals are all yellow green but I can tell them apart… I don’t exactly see the colors but I end up kind of ascribing perceptions of the colors to do perceptions of the music, like songs I’m f are bright and usually happy, songs in a are really intense, songs in b and e are sharp…
Justme 2 years ago (edited)
Once every couple of weeks I get an overwhelming sense of deja vu. Heart pounding, nauseated, hot, dizzy, etc but the strongest sensation is deja vu. I have to stop everything I’m doing and get some fresh air. No obvious trigger for it and It passes in just a few minutes but it’s really overwhelming.
Sora Desu 2 years ago
I don’t have an inner monologue. For years I thought everyone just saw pictures in their head like a movie reel. I honestly never knew people have a voice in their head and that sometimes that voice is what contributes to anxiety and poor self esteem. Sounds great to not have that except I do have a lot of trauma and that trauma often plays in vivid detail and I have to make a conscious effort to turn off the images. It also makes talking hard bc I don’t think before I say, when I talk the words are coming out the moment they come to me. Also reading is hard bc I am visualizing each word to understand them
LillieMean 2 years ago
I have hyperphantasia. That's why I read very little literature because I've scarred and traumatized myself forever. Fortunately, I prefer non-fiction like zoology and psychology. I also hear music as colors and different styles of music create beautiful patterns.
Sky Render 2 years ago
Here's a weird one I doubt many can relate to: being able to urinate without the slightest bit of trouble with an erection. The only delay is from the time it takes for the urine to get out of the bladder, and it's a perfectly normal stream (in fact, it's usually much more powerful than when not erect!). This is but one of the fun side-effects of being born without a prostatic utricle.
Dizz2K7 Gaming 2 years ago
Not what I expected... I should have seen it coming. Basically a lot people needing some attention rather than people with super powers or interesting disorders.
Sardonyx_3 2 years ago
I have a CONSTANT inner monologue. It means I can't stop thinking. Yes, I've tried listening to ~calming music~ but it doesn't help. No, it doesn't mean I describe things in third-person. I just CAN'T. STOP. THINKING. Help?
Booklover<3 2 years ago
This happens to me too. I didn't know that people could stop thinking!! What?!?
Load More Replies... BonnyDK 2 years ago
I dream full length mostly movies with complete dialogue, scenes, and other characters. Sometimes they start right before I fall asleep so I consciously know they are beginning. Seconds before. If you wake me up in the middle of the night I can tell you everything going on and who said what. In the morning I only remember bits and pieces. They are shows I have never seen before anywhere. Sometimes they repeat themselves. There was one inside a dark mansion with lots of hallways upstairs that repeated for months. I walked quickly trying to get out but never finding a way. Another that repeated was a soldier standing at the foot of my bed as if he was guarding me. He wore a WWll uniform. So strange.
Omiyaru 2 years ago (edited)
Had that occur Wirth some dream about an dystopian anime with an antro-wolf, basically escaping a slave trade, one scene Involved a high class train (fully furnished with velvet seat cushions, wood tables, upholstery the works) one scene involved the wolf being forced to serve nude, leading the wolf stabbing one pug guard in the eye with a shrimp fork. The intro to that "series" was all bright and cheerful. Had its own theme song, the wolf character lounge across title. It was seriously messed up, and bloody as hell. But definitely went a full 360, going from suspense to action in 3 seconds
Load More Replies... Peppermallow 2 years ago
I’ve never known how complete strangers can start clapping in synch with each other when music comes on. A television ad came on one day for a Bruno Mars album. There were people in monkey suits moving in time to each other, I commented how much practice it must have taken to synch up their movements so perfectly. My wife said “they are in time to the music”. I had no idea. To me there is no connection between dancing and music. Sometimes called Beat Deafness, I found out I have Amusia, which is sort of like a musical equivalent of dyslexia
Lisa T 2 years ago
Sneezing at the sun! It was only a few years ago (I’m 51) that I found most people don’t sneeze at the sun
Huddo's sister 2 years ago
Autosomal Dominant Compelling Helioopthalmic Outburst (ACHOO) Syndrome
Load More Replies... Axelcat 2 years ago
I can relate to about 40 of these things. I thought these were normal things.
Yay Pandas! 2 years ago
It's good you found out, isn't it? Some of these problems can be fixed with meds.
Load More Replies... Waite Forit 2 years ago
When I was a child, I thought all people could use their toes like fingers because my sister and I could do that. Then I found out that the neighbor kids could not do this. Actually, I still have this ability.
Pizzagirl 91 2 years ago
Yeah, that comes in real "handy" when you're pregnant and can't bend down. I can pick up a button or sth. with my toes and "hand" it to my hand.
Load More Replies... Izzi C 2 years ago
I have a serious question to ask. I brought it up to my brother and he completely dismissed it. I get triggered by noises. Chewing, teeth grinding, tapping, snaps, and pen clicks. It’s gotten really bad lately. I have no idea what it is or how to bring it up to my parents.
wowbagger 2 years ago
It could be misophonia. Your triggers sound like pretty common ones: https://misophoniainstitute.org/misophonia-triggers/
Load More Replies... Jeff Gabrisl 2 years ago
For the longest time, I just assumed that people got headaches all the time. It wasn't until I started getting constant vertigo and a visual aura that I was diagnosed with chronic migraine. Luckily the meds they prescribed work 95% of the time, but I wish my parents would have taken me to the doctor about it when I was little, instead of telling me that I "was reading to much" or playing too many video games.
Anna 2 years ago
You are lucky meds work. I've been a migraine sufferer since I was 13 years old, (that's 30 years of pain now) I get the so called "suicide" migraines and they are triggered by hormones, being a woman that's impossible to avoid, birth control and hormone therapy makes them worse. Nothing stops it once it has started. They have gotten worse these past few years. Can't wait for menopause to see if they improve because the only time I got zero migraines was during my pregnancy (I have a 16 month old)
Load More Replies... Reviewer UK01 2 years ago
I recently found out that many of the foods I thought I didn't like were in fact because my mum has no truc with expiry dates, food storage or cooking instructions. I've always thought I hated butter, it just isn't that nice when it's gone off. Sausages should not have a thick coating of burned while frozen inside. Making Indian food shouldn't start with burning some spices until the acrid smoke burns your lungs. Thankfully she usually gave us sandwiches and cooked only for my dad (also seems weird now) but no idea how the man hasn't died of food poisoning.
love u 2 years ago
i have double jointed shoulders, thought that was completely normal until about 11 when we had to stretch before my practice. Also i can absolutely not stand the sound of corduroy getting scratched, not a mild dislike, it makes me feel physically uncomfy
Bubbles and sparks 2 years ago
I can actually feel strong emotions in colors... like anger, joy, feeling overwhelmed it crowded... But the most fantastic colors I see when I have a really great orga*m, that's like fireworks ;)
John Brown 2 years ago
I found out while I was in the Navy I could hear better than almost anyone. At 1500 yards, I can hear and understand two people having a conversation. As well, I learned I was an absolute GOD when it came to analyzing other ships courses and speed when ownship was coming into or exiting port. I had only to look at a ship for tens of seconds and could relay its course, speed and closest point of approach, although I had trouble with time. I also do not need a clock or watch. I can go days without seeing a timepiece and know the time to within 15 minutes. But the real kicker: I dream everyday stuff in real time. I have dreams that seem to be taken out of other people’s lives. I have dreamt I was a businessman, an attorney in a rather mundane property dispute, or even a used car salesman. I have never had these kinds of jobs. Also, the locale affects me. If the weather is cold in the dream, I wake up cold. Likewise if I am in the desert at high noon in the dream, I wake sweating. Crazy!!
Erik Ivan 2 years ago
When I read a book, I don't see words. I see a movie - a virtual reality where I go around, looking over the persons shoulders. It was a big surprise when I realised not everyone experience reading like that.
leah 2 years ago
Me, too. Sometimes I read a book and I swear I'd just seen a movie. What's weird is that I can't picture things in my head. If someone tells me to picture an ice cream cone in my head I don't see it. I describe it with words but never actually see it.
Load More Replies... Local foodie 2 years ago
I used to think everyone had these little movies they made up in their head and spent hours in. Some stories I’ve spent years on. Turns out that isn’t normal
Pandalea 2 years ago
Not abnormal, either. I do, too. It helped à lot when I was an insomniac kid with anxiety. There are
Load More Replies... Ada Hunter 2 years ago
i always thought i just got startled way way to easy. and i thought when you got startled you threw things from it and stuff like that. nope, i have an incredibly rare disorder called the jumping frenchman of maine. it’s stupid.
devilicious 2 years ago
I need to know if someone else has this. When I sit on the toilet for too long I stop feeling my legs then they start "tingling" when I try to walk. But then I don't want to move because it's like a "being stabbed by millions knives but with no pain" sensation all over my legs
LB 2 years ago (edited)
Growing up, I thought I had a pretty standard non-regional US accent. I heard no significant difference between how I spoke and how national newscasters spoke. I moved just one state over for college and was shocked to discover that I have a very thick regional accent, to the point that others comment on it and occasionally cannot understand some things I say. My mom, who has always lived in the same place, still has trouble believing this is true.
EvilNob 2 years ago
My only special ability is that I fall asleep usually under a minute. I tried to do meditation where you have to count back from 60. I changed it after many failed attempts to 20. I never reached 0...
Wren Hard 2 years ago
My dad can do this. Literally just lie down and fall asleep on command. the rest of my family and myself are the exact opposite
Load More Replies... Marcus Lynch 2 years ago
After multiple concussions as a kid, one of my eyes sees color more intensely than the other. Same colors for both but one eye sees normal and the other is in Technicolor.
My True Form, Apparently 2 years ago
Not sure if this is weird, but when I dream I can’t hear anything, but I still know what is being said.
Lee Banks 2 years ago
I was born without a stomach valve. Thought it was just a neat trick that I could regurgitate whole food, on command. Had a Nissan fundoplication at 13. I haven't been able to vomit, since. Food poisoning is the worst, and I constantly have the hiccups. Cool scars, though :)
Kevin Garren 2 years ago
Up until sometime in my teens, I thought everybody's back would hurt if they ate something too hot. I get this weird sensation that travels all the way down my back like lava after I swallow... well one time I ate something that burned my mouth/throat at school and I did this thing where I kind of throw my shoulders back, almost like how you see somebody get hit in the back in movies or something, and my friends were like "....what's going on right now?!" and then I realized that not everybody has lava back burn lol And whenever I clean my ears with a cotton swab, (not all the way in, just near the opening like after a shower to get the water out and any earwax that's building up) it makes my throat tingle and itch.
Naomi Thompson 2 years ago
If I’m walking on a pavement with a close friend and there is a lamppost ahead, I must pass the lamppost the same side as my friend, or I feel anxious like FOMO 😳
R. H. 2 years ago
ASMR, I spent decades thinking I was a freak because all sorts of stimuli made me numb and tingly and at times stir my gonads. It's a bit confusing when the sound of tearing paper makes you erect
Ivy la Sangrienta 2 years ago
ASMR usually makes me nauseous. Really creeps me out.
Load More Replies... Proudtrans 2 years ago
I have this weird thing were my pinky fingers can bend all the way back and touch the back of my hand. I was stretching my hand back and my pinky did “the thing” and my friend asked me if that happened to me normally. I thought it was normal so I was puzzled when she said it wasnt
PandaForLife 2 years ago
Honestly, every time i touch a rough surface i stab my nails into my palms at least 2 times.. what is it??
Wolf Queen 2 years ago
I just learned some people don't... Hear colors? I can't rly describe it, but when you listen to music do you think, crimson, flame orange, beige, ect. I also don't hear blue, I hear cerulean ect.
Stephanie Paich 2 years ago
I have really complicated dreams. Sounds, colors, details such as names of people and prices on items in a store. And they're long, a lot happens in them. I dream whole houses, hotels, malls, or supermarkets into existence, there's a layout and I can walk around and even go back to places I was before.
KC T. 2 years ago
I thought it was normal to only breathe either through your mouth or your nose. I thought it was impossible and thought anyone saying otherwise was just joking around. Well, after a septoplasty, I realized I haven't been able to breathe normally my entire life. It was a fantastic and eye opening moment to experience smells and taste at the same time.
Tami_DE 2 years ago
Wait... People can breath through their nose and mouth at the same time? How exactly does one do that?
Load More Replies... Jasmine Hufflepuff Henderson 2 years ago
With me it was a fast heart rate and going over every bad thing that could happen. I was shocked when I realized that's not normal and I'm now diagnosed with panic disorder and severe anxiety.
Jasam Nitko 2 years ago
I'm allergic to stress. No joke. Stress makes me break out in hives from top to toe. I take antihistamine daily to be able to do normal everyday tasks.
Caleb Su 2 years ago
I have note to color synesthesia… c is green or bluish, d is orange, e is yellow, f is green, g is orange, a is red, b is red orange… the accidentals are all yellow green but I can tell them apart… I don’t exactly see the colors but I end up kind of ascribing perceptions of the colors to do perceptions of the music, like songs I’m f are bright and usually happy, songs in a are really intense, songs in b and e are sharp…
Justme 2 years ago (edited)
Once every couple of weeks I get an overwhelming sense of deja vu. Heart pounding, nauseated, hot, dizzy, etc but the strongest sensation is deja vu. I have to stop everything I’m doing and get some fresh air. No obvious trigger for it and It passes in just a few minutes but it’s really overwhelming.
Sora Desu 2 years ago
I don’t have an inner monologue. For years I thought everyone just saw pictures in their head like a movie reel. I honestly never knew people have a voice in their head and that sometimes that voice is what contributes to anxiety and poor self esteem. Sounds great to not have that except I do have a lot of trauma and that trauma often plays in vivid detail and I have to make a conscious effort to turn off the images. It also makes talking hard bc I don’t think before I say, when I talk the words are coming out the moment they come to me. Also reading is hard bc I am visualizing each word to understand them
LillieMean 2 years ago
I have hyperphantasia. That's why I read very little literature because I've scarred and traumatized myself forever. Fortunately, I prefer non-fiction like zoology and psychology. I also hear music as colors and different styles of music create beautiful patterns.
Sky Render 2 years ago
Here's a weird one I doubt many can relate to: being able to urinate without the slightest bit of trouble with an erection. The only delay is from the time it takes for the urine to get out of the bladder, and it's a perfectly normal stream (in fact, it's usually much more powerful than when not erect!). This is but one of the fun side-effects of being born without a prostatic utricle.
Dizz2K7 Gaming 2 years ago
Not what I expected... I should have seen it coming. Basically a lot people needing some attention rather than people with super powers or interesting disorders.
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