Think You’re Being Nice?

Habits That Actually Annoy the Hell Out of Everyone

Even the most polite people in the world have bad habits. While you may be acutely aware of some of them, there are countless others you don’t realize you’re doing—and worse yet, you may be seriously annoying other people by participating in them. From workplace habits that are ticking your coworkers off to frustrating behaviors you’re doing in public, these are the most annoying things you’re doing on a daily basis.

Using your phone while talking to someone.

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Sure, it may seem like a minor thing to you, but if you’re pulling out your phone while talking to someone, you’re almost certainly getting on their nerves by doing so. According to a survey conducted by late academic PM Forni, co-founder of the Johns Hopkins Civility Project, and the University of Baltimore’s Jacob France Institute, using a cell phone mid-conversation was named among the top 10 rudest behaviors by survey respondents. And if you want to curb those bad habits, Almost Half of Americans Won’t Date Someone Who Does This.

Not muting your background noise during meetings

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It may not bother you, but that noise you’re letting your whole workplace hear during online meetings is definitely annoying to everyone else. According to an April 2020 survey conducted by answering service company Moneypenny, among 800 full-time office workers polled, not muting during meetings was identified as the most annoying habit their coworkers engaged in.

Wearing too much perfume or cologne

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You may like the scent of that new fragrance, but that doesn’t mean everyone around you does. According to a survey conducted by Stratus Building Solutions, 51 percent of individuals polled said they’d found themselves olfactorily offended by a coworker’s fragrance, making it the most annoying or distracting behavior among those polled. However, not all bad behaviors are entirely your fault: You May Have Your In-Laws to Blame For This Bad Habit, Study Says.

Using all caps

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Of course, you want to get your point across, but using all capital letters isn’t the way to do it—and doing so is definitely annoying other people. According to a 2020 study from HR tech company Perkbox, 67 percent of respondents said that getting an email with all caps in it was annoying to them.

Humblebragging

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We all have days when we’re eager to share a personal victory, but don’t know how to bring it up without sounding like we’re patting ourselves on the back. Unfortunately, in many cases, what comes out is worse: the humblebrag, or “backdoor brag,” a way of boasting without outright saying what you’re proud of. For instance: “I had to hire a housekeeper because my new house is just too big for me to take care of alone.”

Not holding the door for the person behind you

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If someone holds the door for you, it’s your job to grab it and hold it for the next person. Unfortunately, when we’re in a rush, many of us forget about this crucial etiquette rule, leaving the person who held the door for us initially to play de facto doorman for another 10 people before getting a break.

However, you also don’t want to hold the door open for someone who’s too far away, forcing that person to speed up to receive your kind gesture.

Talking ad nauseam about how busy you are

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No matter what your job, your family situation, or your list of hobbies is, chances are, you consider yourself a pretty busy person. If you’re constantly talking about how busy you are, however, it comes across as the most annoying kind of humblebrag.

Tapping your feet

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Why is it that people in offices forget their manners with such shocking frequency? Tapping your foot under your desk does more than create distracting noise; it also has a tendency to shake whatever’s on your coworkers’ desks.

Parking too close to the line in a parking lot

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We’ve all been there: You’re in a hurry to get into the store before it closes and you wind up parking your car a little too close to the line in the parking lot—or, worse yet, over it. Unfortunately, when you do this, you might just be the one who pays the price, in dings or scratches on your precious ride.

Do these habits annoy you? Maybe its time to do some self reflection and think of our fellow man.