Hobbies make us unique. They’re the things that keep us going when everything else sucks, the pastimes that fill our free time, and the activities we’d gladly hand over hard-earned cash to enjoy.
But some hobbies have bad reputations. You may love filling your free time with fingernail clippings, but you’ll earn questionable side glances if you share that passion with potential friends. Sharing your love of the most hated hobbies will make your new friend remember they need to be anywhere else.
The Most Hated Hobbies
We scoured the internet to find the hobbies that wave the biggest red flags. Some are weird activities most people would balk at, while others highlight problems with society rather than a particular hobby (*cough* misogyny! *cough*).
Discover the most hated hobbies you should avoid (or at least not talk about!) if you want a thriving social life.
Although the red flags are often just stereotypes, some folks may give you the side eye if you admit to engaging in any of these hobbies.
Pranking People
Is your favorite hobby being mean to other people? Not to sound harsh, but you don’t actually deserve friends.
Pranking people tops the list of the most hated hobbies. It’s humiliating and downright cruel. Why would anyone want to be friends with someone who behaves this way?
Some users mentioned another humiliating video trend that they referred to as “let’s see what we can get poor people to do for money,” which is also dehumanizing and not okay.
Harming people for the “lols,” or money, or whatever reason is never okay.
Reddit Mods
We found a lot of great responses on Reddit, and of course, platform users would band together to disparage the sea of volunteers who make it useful.
Reddit mods are unpaid users who moderate specific subreddits. Unfortunately, some let the slight taste of power get to their heads. They set arbitrary rules for subs and delete comments seemingly at a whim.
It’s a hated hobby because it represents the worst aspects of the internet, as people assume Reddit mods are chronically online and power-tripping.
Collecting Nail Clippings
What started as a joke about an anime character quickly turned sour when we realized that some people really do collect nail clippings.
“Dead serious, I knew someone whose roommate did this. She even showed me the JAR THAT THE ROOMMATE KEPT THEM IN,” exclaimed one user.
Another told on themselves, saying, “I was in an art museum exhibition because I collected my nail clippings lol. (looks in the mirror) Yeah, you’re probably right,” they said, admitting it was a strange thing to collect.
Teeth Collections
One Redditor said collecting teeth was a weird hobby, but others jumped in to defend their collections.
“My wife has a box of teeth. Should I be concerned? They did belong to our children,” said one. “I wouldn’t say I’m a red flag, but I do have some of my old baby teeth,” admitted another.
Apparently, people like to keep teeth from pets and relatives as keepsakes. I guess it’s not that weird if the teeth have sentimental value, but I wouldn’t lead with that when trying to make new friends.
Empty Alcohol Containers
Once you leave the frat house, beer can collections are no longer cool. “Had a buddy who called theirs ‘beer mountain,’” said one user.
“You mean that doesn’t count as interior design?” questioned another.
We hope they’re still young. We’re going to assume that anyone over the age of 25 who still has their college beer collection is living a Peter Pan fantasy life and refuses to grow up.
Any Questionable Collection
We’ve talked specifically about a few weird collections, but we could create an entire list hundreds of pages long featuring people’s off-putting hoards.
Maybe they’re not all technically “the most hated hobbies,” because they are so rare, but any odd curation could earn you some disdain.
Most people will be terrified of your serial killer memorabilia collection, weapons cache, used gum wall, and belly button lint treasure trove.
Child Beauty Pageants
We get it, you think your child is the cutest child who has ever lived, and you want to share that with the world. But child beauty pageants aren’t the way.
One user thought child beauty pageants should be illegal. “The parents who make their kids go through this whole circuit and create this super high-stress environment for them, emphasizing superficial beauty and fakeness as the highest virtues, deserve to be tarred and feathered,” they said.
“I always find parents who partake in or force their kids to do beauty pageants as terrible,” stated one user. “Those things are raw degeneracy, egocentrism and leave a —— time bomb inside the child’s mind,” said another.
If you’re life revolves around parading your child around to the detriment of their well being for money, most people aren’t going to like you.
Gambling
Gambling is fun every once in a while, like on a trip to Vegas. But it quickly becomes one of the most hated hobbies if it’s your favorite pastime.
Your potential friends aren’t going to want to watch you blow all your money on dopamine hits.
If you love gambling so much that you spend all your free time at the casino, you might have a gambling problem. Seek professional help, and make some friends who spend time outside the casino.
Influencers
Some “hated hobbies” are only hated when women enjoy them, highlighting the internet’s (and society’s) blatant misogyny.
One user said, “Any girl that calls herself an influencer,” and another added, “Any girl who calls herself an influencer anywhere in the world is a red flag.”
Funny how men trying to make a living via social media and online presence are celebrated as entrepreneurs, while women doing the same thing get labeled as “influencers” and red flags.
Horseback Riding
Another misogynist comment claimed that women who are into horses would drain your bank account.
“Correct, never get involved with a horse girl,” said another.
While it’s true that horses are expensive, singling out women who enjoy horses and claiming they will take all your money is a much bigger red flag than the women who enjoy the hobby.
It’s fascinating how some hobbies, like horseback riding, become a hated hobby when women participate.
Celebrity Worship
It’s one thing to enjoy a certain fandom or follow a certain celebrity, but it’s a red flag when the hobby becomes obsessive.
If all your decisions are based on what a certain celebrity says, you may want to rethink your hobbies (and life choices).
Excessive Social Media Use
Everyone loves social media, but it can be problematic when posting is your only hobby.
“Posting everything, everything, everything on social media,” said one user. “spamming on social media,” commented another.
One user said he had a friend who posted every thought that entered their head. “I had to turn off seeing his posts,” they said.
People may be wary of you if you post your entire life online. They don’t want to be caught up in the drama.
Warhammer
What’s supposed to be a fun game morphed into a soul-consuming pastime.
People who casually plan and collect are fine, but those who let it seep into every aspect of their life get scary.
Warhammer also gets really expensive, so if you get into it, we doubt you have money to do anything else.
Gym Rats
People whose hobby is going to the gym to take pictures of themselves at the gym are insufferable. It’s one of the most hated hobbies because all of your potential friends know you will only ever be able to talk about the gym.
Some users say the most popular influencers in the niche are the most dangerous because many likely use performance-enhancing drugs but will never admit it. They share photos of themselves under false pretenses, claiming their workout routine will help you achieve success while hiding their drug use.
Polo Players
One user said they live near a polo field, and every player is a giant jerk. They also claimed the horses seemed scared, which makes the sport even worse.
Polo is a rich people’s sport that most of us can’t afford, so we can imagine some of those wealthy players would look down their noses at us commoners.
Proselytizing
Religious? That’s great! Believe what you want.
However, if you’re favorite hobby is trying to get others to convert to your religion, you may struggle to make real friends outside that religion.
Genuine friends don’t mind discussing deep topics like faith and spirituality, but they don’t want to be preached at.
Streaming
Streaming a business is one thing. Some people dedicate a lot of time and energy to building an online presence around gaming, and those folks are legit.
However, dudes who call themselves “streamers” but refuse to do the work necessary to build the business are typically lazy jerks.
They use “streaming” as an excuse to sit around playing games all day. It may not turn off friends who also like gaming, but it’s definitely an unattractive hobby that will turn off potential dates.
Politics is Life
It’s one thing to be politically active. We should all engage in making our communities better. However, some make their political views their entire personality.
It doesn’t matter what side you’re on. If you make everything about politics, people won’t like you.
Vehicle Mods
We don’t even have to meet folks with modded vehicles to hate them. The obnoxiously loud modifications do the job for us.
Of course, we’re not talking about people who restore and show classic cars. That’s a legitimate hobby lots of people enjoy. We’re specifically talking about people who make their cars unbearable for everyone in a five-block radius.
Any Hobby that Becomes an Obsession
Most hobbies are fine, in moderation. But any hobby that becomes your entire life can be a red flag.
Any hobby can be problematic when people take it so seriously that they can’t engage with anything else.
The most hated hobbies aren’t hated because of the hobby itself, but because of the way people act when they become obsessed.
Enjoy your hobbies, don’t obsess over them.
No Hobby
Lacking a hobby is also a red flag. Hobbies make us interesting. If you don’t have anything you enjoy, people might think you’re dull.
If you don’t have a hobby yet, don’t despair! There’s a whole world of wonderful hobby opportunities waiting to be enjoyed.
Check out our list of creative hobbies to get your imagination going, cheap hobbies if you need a new pastime on a budget, and unique hobbies if none of the normal stuff inspires you.
Just don’t get obsessed with one of the most hated hobbies, and you’ll do fine!