Our environment influences what we perceive as being normal.
But when we leave our bubble, the different circumstances we're not accustomed to can only be interpreted as the complete opposite of normal.
Take the act of tipping in America, for instance. Those in the service industry expect customers to tip them based on how well they did their job.
But considering how other countries pay their employees well enough not to have a tipping policy and incentivizing workers to do their job efficiently can seem "weird" to us American travelers.
Curious to explore other customs and behavior that may seem strange to us, Redditor Thiccbokuto asked:
"What’s something you find weird that is 100% normal?"
Some of our behaviors were never considered as strange...until these Redditors made it that way.
And The Crowd Goes Wild
"Cheering in a crowd. I just can't bring myself to woooooooo!"
– RedstoneRelic
LOL
"The entire concept of laughter. why does our face contort and our diaphragm spasm when certain things happen? and how do our brains decide what things are funny and what things aren’t?"
– TechnicallyNotRon_
Let The Music Move You
"Dancing. Like people flail around in weird and awkward ways to sounds."
– ScrotusMahotus
Communication
"Languages, or just talking in general. The fact that we’ve given meaning to a bunch of random sounds made by our vocal chords is bizarre when you think about it. Like, how did this even start? How were we able to decide what should be called what? For example, how did we decide that a rock is called a rock or that the sky is called the sky?"
– Vinny_Lam
Mwah!
"Kissing. I mean, I like it. It's nice. But honestly, who was the first person to say 'let's mash my mouth against your mouth and see what happens?'"
– Aceandmace
Some people thought animals and animal behavior were strange the more they thought about it.
Dairy
"The fact humans drink other animals milk. Like that liquid isn’t for us. People find the thought of drinking human milk gross but it’s especially formulated for us. It’s something that should be consumed for nutrients when we’re babies, not a regular drink."– zoeymadisonAnimal Co-habitation
"As a dog owner and cat owner I sometimes look at them and think, 'there is literally an animal living in my house whose ancestors ran free and hunted other animals and it is just laying upside down all cute on its bed beside me and also can't eat unless I give it food'. So I guess that."
– Tacticalbiscit
Sense Of Direction
"Birds having a built in GPS system. They can fly south for the winter, then fly back to the exact same tree up north."
– DeathSpiral321
We Are Family
"Literally every day my husband and I marvel at the weirdness of a different species of creature being part of our family. Like we care so much about this tiny fluffy non-human woodland critter and he cares about us too."
– shampoo_mohawk_
Scientific phenomena are wild the more you think about it.
The Force
"Gravity."
– Lurkwurst
"It's working against me"
– lu3go
Now Swallow This
"Our stomach naturally produces hydrochloric acid. It's corrosive and can burn through your skin and tissues. Bbuuuuutttr our stomach lining is covered in mucus to prevent us from eating inside out."
"Have you seen hydrochloric in a science experiment? That chemical reaction is insane! Makes sense as we eat meat, bones and catrilage sometimes. If not our poop is gonna be bony..."
– pleasegivemealife
It's Cheesy But It Saves Lives
"Some mold is edible. No matter how stinky it is."
– Mood_Kaonashi
"Even crazier is how mold has shaped modern medicine. The romans used to put moldy bread on wounds which then developed into modern day penicillin."
– Au_Uncirculated
The Web
"The internet. How it works, and also just the whole concept of it. Complete strangers on literally the other side of the planet can interact with me almost instantaneously."
– Wishyouamerry
What is normal, really, anyway?
We have been socialized to think certain things are either normal or utterly bizarre.
I always thought our mere existence as living, sentient, humans is a mind-blowing concept, and many of us take the gift of life for granted.
But maybe having a nonplussed attitude keeps us from completely freaking out about how truly weird it is to roam this planet for an unknown period of time.
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
@WhatTheHec_tor/X
@K Phillips7/X
@marthabrendel/X
@DefunctWebs/X
