Let’s be honest — humans are weird.
We’ve all got our quirks and oddities, but some habits are so ubiquitous that we don’t even question them anymore. They’ve become part of the fabric of society, even if they’re objectively strange when you stop and think about it. From the gross to the illogical to the just plain bizarre, here are 16 habits that are considered normal but are actually kind of weird when you really examine them.
1. Wearing shoes inside the house
Think about all the nasty stuff you step in on a daily basis — gum, spit, mystery liquids. Now imagine tracking all that gunk onto your clean floors and carpets. It’s pretty gross when you really consider it. In many cultures, leaving your shoes at the door is a sign of respect and hygiene. But in others, we tromp around our homes in the same shoes we wear outside, essentially making our living spaces an extension of the street. It might be convenient, but it’s also kind of nasty.
2. Drinking milk from another species
We’re the only species on the planet that regularly consumes the milk of another animal, and we do it well into adulthood. When you really think about it, it’s pretty strange. We’ve normalised the idea of drinking the breast milk of cows, but if someone suggested drinking the milk of a cat or a horse, we’d be grossed out. Milk is perfectly designed to nourish the young of its own species, not be a dietary staple for adult humans. But we’ve made it a cultural norm, even though it’s a bit odd when you step back and look at it objectively.
3. Spending hours a day staring at screens
If you went back in time even just a few decades and described how much time we spend glued to screens each day, people would think you were describing a dystopian sci-fi scenario. We stare at screens for work, for entertainment, for communication, for education — it’s become so normal that we hardly even notice it anymore. But when you think about it, it’s a bit eerie. We’re essentially training our brains to rely on constant digital stimulation, to the point where being alone with our thoughts can feel uncomfortable or boring. It’s a weird way to live.
4. Dirtying perfectly clean water
Source: Unsplash Flush toilets are a marvel of modern sanitation, but they’re also a bit absurd when you really think about it. We take clean, drinkable water — a precious resource that much of the world lacks access to — and sully it with our waste. Then we flush it away, never to be seen again. In a world where water scarcity is a growing problem, it’s a bit bizarre that we’ve normalized this habit. There are more eco-friendly alternatives, like composting toilets, but they’re considered weird or gross. Meanwhile, letting it all go in pristine water is considered totally normal.
5. Renting storage units for our excess stuff
Many of us have so much stuff that we can’t even fit it all in our homes. Rather than downsizing or donating, we pay money to store it somewhere else. We essentially maintain housing for our possessions, even though we might not even remember what’s in those boxes. It’s a strange by-product of consumer culture — we’re convinced that we need all these things, even if we don’t have space for them. Storage unit facilities are a booming business, but when you think about it, it’s a bit absurd.
6. Eating animals but keeping other animals as beloved pets
Source: Unsplash We have an odd relationship with animals. Some, like dogs and cats, we cherish as family members. We snuggle with them on the couch, buy them toys and treats, and mourn them when they die. But other equally intelligent and sensitive animals, like pigs and cows, we eat without a second thought. The line between pet and food animal is arbitrary and culturally determined. In some cultures, eating dogs is considered normal. In ours, eating pigs is normal, but eating dogs is abhorrent. It’s a weird double standard.
7. Believing that expensive diamonds are a symbol of love
Diamonds are a relatively recent invention as a symbol of eternal love and commitment. The idea that an engagement ring should cost several months’ salary is a product of clever marketing by the diamond industry. In reality, diamonds are not actually that rare or inherently valuable. They’re priced artificially high through market control and manipulation. But we’ve bought into the hype and made these sparkly rocks an essential part of our love rituals. It’s a bit strange when you really examine it — love shouldn’t require a certain price tag.
8. Shaking hands as a greeting
When you really think about it, clasping hands with a relative stranger is a bit odd. Hands are full of germs, and you never know where someone else’s hand has been. But we’ve normalised this practice as a polite way to greet someone or seal a deal. In some cultures, shaking hands is not the norm — people may bow, nod, or place a hand over their heart instead. But in Western culture, we’ve decided that briefly holding hands is the appropriate way to say hello. It’s a bit arbitrary.
9. Sitting all day as part of our job
Our bodies were made to move, but many modern jobs involve sitting in a chair for eight or more hours a day. We then sit in our cars to commute home, where we sit some more while eating dinner and watching TV. All this sitting is terrible for our physical health, increasing the risk of obesity, heart disease, and other chronic conditions. But we’ve designed our work and leisure lives around the convenience of sitting. It’s become so normal that standing desks and walking meetings are seen as unusual. But really, it’s the excessive sitting that’s weird.
10. Paying money to do unpaid labour at a gym
Source: Unsplash We pay money to work out in a gym, but when you think about it, what we’re doing is a form of labour. We lift heavy weights, run in place on machines, and contort ourselves into uncomfortable yoga poses. If we did these same activities in a different context, like helping a friend move or working on a construction site, we might get paid. But when we go to the gym, we’re essentially volunteering to do manual labour and paying for the privilege. It’s a strange arrangement when you really examine it.
11. Cremating our dead and keeping their ashes
Many cultures have death rituals that seem strange or even barbaric to outsiders. But our own practice of cremation, when you really think about it, is a bit odd. We burn the bodies of our loved ones until they’re reduced to ashes, then keep those ashes in an urn on the mantel or scatter them in a meaningful place. When you describe it like that, it sounds pretty bizarre. But it’s become a completely normal way to dispose of human remains in our society.
12. Bringing dead plants into our homes as decorations
We love filling our homes with bouquets of flowers and wreaths made from dried leaves. However, when you really think about it, these are the corpses of once-living things. We’re essentially decorating with plant remains. If someone made a wreath out of dead animal parts, we’d be horrified. But dead plants are considered totally normal and even beautiful. It’s a bit odd when you look at it from a different angle. We’re surrounding ourselves with colourful reminders of mortality.
13. Expecting a glass of liquid courage on a first date
First dates are awkward. There’s no getting around it. But our solution to this discomfort is often to consume a substance that impairs our judgment, lowers our inhibitions, and makes us less aware of our surroundings. Alcohol is so entwined with dating culture that suggesting a sober first date can seem radical or uncomfortable. But when you think about it, it’s weird that we need to be a little buzzed to get to know a potential romantic partner. It says something strange about our social norms.
14. Celebrating being born with social media posts
Source: Unsplash Birthdays are a lovely tradition — a chance to celebrate another year of life and reflect on how far we’ve come. But the way we mark birthdays has changed in the social media age. Now, many people feel obligated to make a big deal about their birthday on Facebook or Instagram, posting selfies and waiting for the likes and comments to roll in. It’s become a weird form of validation-seeking. We’re tying our self-worth to how much attention we get on our birthday. It’s a strange cultural shift.
15. Rushing through our days in a constant state of busyness
Being busy has become a status symbol. We wear our packed schedules like badges of honour, as if having no free time is something to aspire to. We rush from one thing to the next, always rushing, always multitasking. But when you really think about it, it’s a bit absurd. We’re trading our precious time and presence for a sense of importance and productivity. We’re missing out on the simple joys of just being. It’s a weird way to live when you really examine it.
16. Valuing romantic love above all other kinds of love
Our culture is obsessed with romantic love. We’re bombarded with messages that finding a partner is the key to happiness and fulfilment. We’re expected to prioritise our romantic relationships over all other bonds — friendships, family ties, community connections. But when you really think about it, this hierarchy of love is a bit strange. Platonic love can be just as deep and meaningful as romantic love. Chosen family can be just as vital as blood relatives. But we’ve elevated romantic love to the top of the heap, and it’s a bit weird when you step back and look at it objectively.
