As much as we wish life could be rainbows and butterflies all the time, we all know the truth. Some stuff drives us crazy.
Sadly, the most annoying things in life are usually small things that grate our nerves, but aren’t worth complaining about.
Well, we’re letting you complain.
The Most Annoying Things in Life
We scoured the internet to find the most annoying things in life so we can all commiserate about life’s tiny problems that we will probably never solve.
We hope you can relate to some of these everyday annoyances!
Slow Walkers
I get that everyone walks at a different pace, and that’s fine. I’m not really annoyed at slow walkers, but more so at their uncanny ability to take up an entire walkway.
Slow walkers usually move in herds, forming a single horizontal line across any path, preventing anyone from breaking through their barrier. When they’re by themselves, they tend to walk right down the center, swaying to and fro to block anyone who dares to pass.
I’m a naturally fast walker, so to me, this is life’s biggest annoyance.
Automated Phone Menus
As a millennial, I loathe talking on the phone. But even I admit that those automated phone menus are infinitely more frustrating than talking to a real person.
I don’t want to listen to five minutes of menu options – none of your menu options will solve my problem.
The ones that ask you to say what you want are even worse. You get stuck on an endless loop of “Sorry, I didn’t get that. Please tell me what you need.”
I need to speak to a real person, please.
Bad Train Etiquette
Public transportation has a certain etiquette. One user called out people’s refusal to follow it as one of life’s biggest frustrations, and we agree.
Why are people pushing their way onto the car before everyone gets off? Not only does it waste everyone’s time, but it’s also really rude.
Others agreed, but noted that the same thing happens whenever you have to wait, like in doorways and elevator lobbies. It’s annoying every time.
Bright Headlights
I get that people want to see when they’re driving, and bright headlights help. But somewhere along the way, we lost the plot.
Sure, we can see on deserted highways, but we’re also blinding every other driver in our vicinity.
Some folks can’t even drive at night anymore because of the influx of ultra-bright headlights.
“This one is awful, and I’ve really only noticed it in the last 4-5 years,” shared one user. “I drive a sedan. These trucks and SUVs that are elevated with their 8 million lumen bulbs are like staring into the damn sun sometimes.”
How many accidents do ultra-bright headlights have to cause before this transforms from an annoyance to a legitimate safety hazard?
Lazy Litterers
Pollution, in general, is awful and annoying, but it’s especially irritating to find trash sitting two feet from a perfectly good trash can. If you’re so close anyway, why not just throw it away?
A former custodian shared a tale about catching a colleague too lazy to throw out their trash.
“I saw an employee throw their banana at the trash can, miss, then start to walk away. As I was walking past him, I started a little small talk so he would focus on me. I then walked over to the banana, picked it up in front of him, and threw it into the trash can. Then I stared for 5 seconds, then continued the small talk as though nothing happened,” they said, adding, “I really can’t stand that type of person, and it was deliciously awkward for the guy.”
Watching someone carelessly toss litter on the ground is one of the most annoying things in life. We can’t do anything about it, but knowing they care so little about the environment drives us crazy.
Fake Close-Out “X” on Pop-Up Ads
All pop-up ads are terrible, but the worst ones have a fake “x,” that takes you to the spammy website instead of closing the ad.
“Fake “X” on ads,” responded one user plainly.
“This and when the X is so small you’d need a toothpick to press it,” replied another.
As a website owner, I understand the need to monetize. Ad clicks make big bucks.
But I’d rather my site offer a good user experience. I don’t think anyone would return if they rated Partners in Fire as one of the “most annoying things in life!”
I use a third party for ads, so I really hope they don’t do that. Please come back 🥺.
Speaker Phone
While I was sitting quietly in a doctor’s office, scrolling Reddit, an older gentleman nearby decided to blast right-wing TikTok videos on his phone.
He had absolutely no awareness that his obnoxious videos were annoying everyone within a 20-foot radius. Or, maybe he did know but didn’t care, which makes it worse.
With all the headphone options available, why do you feel the need to make everyone else listen to whatever you’re listening to?
One user said, “Speakerphone conversations/ TikTok videos on public transport” is incredibly annoying, and another added that it’s also irritating in restaurants and other public places.
And I do get it. I HATE wearing headphones. They hurt my ears. But guess what? Sometimes you have to make small sacrifices for other people. It’s called living in society and being respectful.
Bad Drivers
People often don’t consider that their vehicles are massive killing machines. They act like they own the road and nothing bad will happen.
Reddit users expressed frustration at the horrible and unsafe driving practices their fellow humans regularly exhibit.
One user said, “Drivers who pull out in front of you on the road when they clearly didn’t have enough time” are annoying, while another added that it’s worse when they do this, then go slower than you were initially going.
These folks are going to cause an accident.
Clickbait
As we nervously shift our eyes, we must admit that many people hate clickbait.
“I’m so {explitive} tired of seeing articles and videos with ridiculous titles & thumbnails. I don’t need to have my {explitive} mind blown to be convinced to watch a video about dovetail joints, okay? Just get to the {expletive} point. This obviously goes double for videos that are meant to be educational in some way,” ranted one user.
Unfortunately, clickbait works. But it’s even more annoying when the headline is misleading, and the article doesn’t promise what’s delivered.
“The new ‘clickbait’ thumbnails on YouTube that I’ve become absolutely enraged by are just flat-out lies as titles,” shared one user.
We admit that our titles get clickbaity (sorry, it’s annoying, but literally nobody clicks on straight, to-the-point headlines), but we do our best to deliver on the headline’s promises.
When People Stop in Movement Corridors
We’ve all seen people suddenly stop and look around after getting off an escalator or entering a doorway. These folks are seemingly oblivious to everyone else who needs to get around them.
“My mother does this whenever we walk into a restaurant. She gets through the threshold, forgets that there’s 5 people walking in behind her, and just stops dead,” commented one user.
“People love doing when getting off a plane. They get off, then stop to look around and/or call someone!” exclaimed another.
Pro tip: when everyone is moving, keep moving. Step to the side or find a less busy place to gather yourself and decide where you need to go.
Too Many Videos
We get that most people are visual and prefer watching a video to reading, but some folks would rather read information. These folks are getting left out as content shifts to video.
One user expressed annoyance “that nearly all help on the internet these days for the topics I’m interested in are in the form of videos instead of a simple faq. We’ll use a video game example. If I’m having trouble figuring out how to do something and Google it, I don’t get anything written down for how to solve it; I get 13-minute-long videos.”
“I feel this one in the core of my crotchety old man gamer soul,” responded another user.
“I get this ALL the time. I want to learn to do something in InDesign or Illustrator. Just tell me which tabs in the menu I need to go to, one step at a time. I don’t want to watch a video about it,” added a third.
I’m the same way. I can’t stand watching a video. I’d rather read the article.
People Not Reading the Article
Speaking of reading the article, so many people just…don’t.
Look, headlines are meant to be mysterious. The whole point is to entice people to read the article. People who read the headline then share the article like it’s some big gotcha create one of the most annoying things in life: misinformation.
One user said, “People reading a headline, making baseless assumptions about what they think the article is about, and then getting angry about those assumptions as if they are facts,” are super annoying.
Whether many news outlets take that too far is up for debate. One user said they’re more frustrated at the misleading title than at people who didn’t read the article.
I think both are annoying.
What Annoys You Most?
Can you relate to some of the frustrations Reddit Users shared? What realities of life annoy you the most?
Share in the comments!