You do you. Enjoy what you like, and spend your free time however you please.
Although we don’t like to judge others for the things they enjoy, there are certain hobbies and pastimes that people engage in which leave others scratching their heads. “Why do you enjoy that?” we wonder, baffled that anyone can genuinely like this odd pastime.
While scrolling through my favorite Reddit community, R/askreddit, I found a fun question asking users to share things the weird things others seem to enjoy.
Here are the tops thing people enjoy that others just can’t understand.
Obnoxiously Loud Videos
Some YouTubers and content creators make a name for themselves by being obnoxious, and many can’t understand how they got famous.
“Videos of people being obnoxiously loud in a pathetic attempt at being funny. Loud is not funny,” responded one user.
“Dane Cook made a fortune off this many years ago,” quipped another.
Some users shared that it’s not the loudness that’s funny, but being loud can be an essential part of the punchline. “Loud is not inherently funny. There’s certainly times where being loud sells the joke. Particularly if the joke is “who would be loud and so obtuse about this thing?” they replied.
Reality TV
One user said they couldn’t understand why people enjoy trash television like The Bachelor, and another responded that they don’t understand the appeal of reality TV in general.
“Yeah, this one is weird,” responded one user, adding, “I understood the appeal of shows like Jerry Springer because the host was trash, the guests were trash, the audience was trash, and the viewers were trash. But shows like the Bachelor are different–the people on the show are obviously trash, but I know a lot of otherwise intelligent people that seem to actually enjoy this. It’s baffling.”
Others defended the love of reality television.
“It makes perfect sense why very intelligent people with heavily mentally stimulating jobs enjoy it – it’s something they can put on that doesn’t need hardly any brain power to watch, lets them have a light laugh and decompress from the exhaustion of work. It’s the entertainment equivalent of a frozen pizza when you’re too tired to cook.”
We wouldn’t love trashy reality tv so much if we had the time and energy to do things in our free time.
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ASMR
Some people love the sound of others whispering, but the appeal confuses others.
“When I first heard about ASMR, I thought it was like recreational anger because mouth and eating sounds were used as the example,” shared one user.
“ASMR sounds, nearly all of them, make me wanna gag,” said another.
Others mentioned they like certain types of ASMR, like animals eating or food cooking, but hate others, like lip smacking and humans eating.
To each their own.
Child Beauty Pageants
Child beauty pageants are a confusing spectacle. People take their toddler children, make them up like little adults, and parade them around a stage for others to gawk at.
“Children’s beauty pageants are an American tradition, but not a proud one,” quipped one user.
Reddit users don’t understand the appeal and don’t think highly of pageant parents.
“Even worse, how any parent could ever think putting this child through this is ok. It’s clearly all about and all for the parents. It’s sick and should be banned,” exclaimed one user.
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Cave Diving
Some Redditors expressed bewilderment that anyone would enjoy extreme, dangerous sports like cave diving.
“So much claustrophobia plus a limited oxygen tank,” said one user, expressing why they’d never consider cave diving.
Others tried to explain why they love it. “It’s the closest I’ll ever get to visiting an alien planet or being an explorer. It’s meditative, it involves lots of planning and technology, and it’s great for my ADHD hyperfocus brain to be in a place where I can just be present and focus on nothing but the task at hand,” shared one.
Mean Videos
Some YouTubers gain notoriety through meanness. Prank videos, where creators purposefully torment, annoy, and prank unsuspecting bystanders, have spiked in popularity, but many Redditors don’t understand the appeal.
“I don’t understand the mindset of enjoying a situation that just left the victims stressed out and upset. It just makes the world worse, and more often than not, the guys making these videos just seem like bullies to me,” stated one user.
“If the people you’re pulling the prank on can’t laugh about it, it’s not a prank; it’s harassment,” replied another.
The trend of being mean for views needs to end.
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Getting Black Out Drunk
There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a few tasty cocktails in moderation, but some folks think drinking is an extreme sport.
One user said they don’t understand why people would enjoy drinking so much you black out. Many of the respondents shared that alcoholism is a disease, and many of those who drink that much don’t actually want to.
“Nobody really enjoys blackout drinking. I just like drinking to euphoria, and sometimes that leads to drinking too much because alcohol is super moreish once you’ve had a few, and I lack self-control,” replied one user.
The Kardashians
The Kardashians give ordinary people a glimpse into the lives of the rich and famous, and some folks can’t look away. Others don’t understand the appeal.
“My girlfriend watches the show, and I find it interesting. It’s a way to live vicariously into this opulent lifestyle. We don’t have a lot of money right now, and it is kinda fun to 2nd hand experience the billionaire lifestyle,” shared one user, explaining why they enjoy it.
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Celebrity Worship
Some people love celebrities and politicians so much that it morphs from a healthy outlet to a scary obsession. Folks will shower stars with cash, buy anything they promote, and make liking that celebrity their entire personality.
One user shared they’ll never understand “worshipping and giving money to celebrities and politicians.”
Others agreed, saying people treat politicians like sports teams and that they don’t understand why anyone would donate money to “help” a celebrity become a billionaire.
Working Out
One Redditor said they don’t understand why people enjoy exercise. “I’ll do it for my health, but I never understood why people enjoy it,” they admitted.
Others jumped in to defend exercise, telling the user they need to find a physical activity they enjoy and sharing options for making it fun.
“I find working out in the gym very boring. But going out for a hike to a trail with awesome views can be a lot of fun, and it’s a good exercise,” shared one.
“I love being at the gym,” replied another. “I can just shut my brain off for two hours without any guilt. It has become a very therapeutic place for me.”
Whether you understand the appeal of working out or not, we can all agree it’s vital for a long healthy life.
What Popular Pastimes Confuse You?
Everyone is different, so it’s okay to enjoy things others can’t understand.
Do you agree with Reddit users that these popular pastimes are confusing, or did you see some you enjoy on the list?
Either way, life is for living, so enjoy yourself and your weird hobbies and don’t worry if others can’t understand the appeal!