Lifestyle
20 Unwritten Social Rules That Apparently Everyone Missed The Memo On, And I’m Starting To Think We Need Mandatory Life Skills Training
It’s recently come to my attention that some people weren’t taught basic social etiquette.
I was on an airplane, and the person next to me was watching a video on their phone at full volume. Since when did we stop using headphones?
It’s not just me who’s noticed this — recently, people in one Reddit thread shared the unspoken rules everyone should know but don’t follow, and I’m curious to see how many of them you agree with.
Ahead, I’ve rounded up 20 different rules:
1.“Cover your mouth when you cough and sneeze.”
–ajnabee1234
2.“Always pick up your dog’s poop when walking them in public places.”
–Twitterthedog2025
3.“If you borrow someone’s car, bring it back with a full tank of gas.”
–ikeepsitreel
4.“I dont care how friendly you say your dog is, dont let it run up on people without a leash.”
Alexei_tm / Getty Images
–chaoticrabbit
5.“An opinion, stated strongly and with many people agreeing with it, is still an opinion.”
–JetKeel
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6.“Have some spatial awareness. This is a bit broad, including stuff like not taking up the entire grocery aisle, staying in the right-hand lane if you’re going slowly (walking or driving), and stuff like that.”
–Puzzled-teach2389
7.“If someone offers to pay for your food, do NOT pick anything too expensive.”
–Informal_Mix4570
8.“Close your mouth when you chew.”
Yuliia Kaveshnikova / Getty Images
–TrivialBanal
9.“Say ‘thank you’ when a stranger holds a door for you.”
–Alarming-Setting-592
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10.“Flush. The. Toilet. Unless you’ve been specifically told otherwise. In North America, at least, flush it.”
–TripTrap24
11.“The Golden Rule: treat others as you would want to be treated.”
–ukexpat
12.“If you’re walking with your friends on a sidewalk and you meet someone going the other way, move over to share the sidewalk. Signed, the person who usually gets pushed into the grass.”
Mariia Vitkovska / Getty Images
–RainyDaysAreLovely
13.“Don’t comment on a pregnant person’s body.”
–kimtenisqueen
14.“Don’t cheat, just break up!”
–freezinpheonix
15.“Keep your feet off public seats and benches.”
–Competitive-Spring17
16.“If an invitation says X time to Y time, it’s come and go. Please do not come before X, then stay until after Y. If it just has a start time, then you should be there within minutes of that start time and leave when social cues dictate or the event is obviously over.”
–Jaynett
17.“Trash doesn’t cease to exist when it leaves your hand. Don’t litter.”
Maksim Safaniuk / Getty Images
–StewBrewingWeather
18.“When someone is performing an art, or giving a speech from the heart, SHUT UP.”
–the_moderate_me
19.“Do not cut off or interrupt someone while they’re speaking.”
–baras021
20.“Don’t stand in front of the elevator doors! Let other people off first. Stand to the sides.”
–isabelladangelo
Do you have a rule that belongs on this list? Let me know in the comments!
Note: Responses have been edited for length/clarity.
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