Every person has a weird habit that they either don’t realize, are embarrassed to admit, or love sticking to it. Check out this list of 15 quirky habits to find out if you have any. You may be surprised that many people share your idiosyncrasy.
1. Doodling During Meetings and Phone Calls
Many people sketch emojis, sign their names in different styles, or scribble something random while attending in-person meetings or phone calls. Interestingly, doodling isn’t as mindless as one thinks. It keeps doodlers focused during the sessions and helps them retain information.
2. Repeating A Lucky Charm
Some people wear the same pair of socks or carry a particular coin to important events because they think it is lucky for them.
Take the case of basketball legend Michael Jordan. After he led his team, the North Carolina Tar Heels, to a big win in 1982, he wore his North Carolina shorts under his Chicago Bulls uniform for every game in his entire NBA career.
3. Talking To Yourself
People talk aloud to themselves, under their breath, or in their heads all the time. Self-talk or internal dialogue is a way to debate over something, cheer up oneself, or cope with loneliness.
Some people even talk to pets, plants, or inanimate objects. This trait is known as anthropomorphism.
4. Collecting Odd Things
People worldwide have a habit of collecting things you call crazy or peculiar. Coca-Cola cans, insects in a jar, water bottle labels, soaps, celebrity hair locks – you name it and people collect it.
Orlando’s Becky Martz has a collection of more than 24,000 banana labels. Neik Vermeulen from the Netherlands holds the Guinness Record for owning the world’s most extensive collection of barf bags.
5. Playing With Jewelry/Accessory
The habit of fidgeting with earrings, necklaces, bracelets, or watches is quite typical. Usually, this habit is a sign of nervousness or flirtatiousness.
6. Smelling Old Books
People who habitually sniff old books associate the scent with adjectives such as woody, chocolaty, smoky, nutty, etc. Various scientific studies have proven that while the smell from old books comes from decomposed volatile organic compounds (VOCs), it invokes long-forgotten or pleasurable memories.
7. Planning Escapes In A Building
The fear of getting stuck in a building during a fire, bomb explosion, or troublesome situation can trigger some people. As a result, they develop a habit of checking for exit routes or refuge areas the first thing they enter a building.
8. Opening Gifts Wrappers Carefully
Some like to rip the presents open out of excitement. Some take their own sweet time to keep the wrapper intact. Such people preserve the wrapper as memorabilia or reuse it later.
9. Sticking To Odd Or Even Numbers
Have you ever noticed someone adjusting the volume of radio and television or heating and cooling temperature to odd or even numbers? Well, they can’t help their habit. It is oddly satisfying for them.
10. Picking Ingrown Hair
Some people can’t resist plucking ingrown hair with their hands. They think their hands can do better than razors, waxing strips, or tweezers. Popping zits is another similar quirk.
11. Counting
People have a strange habit of counting everything: walking steps, stairs, power poles, vehicles passing by, floor tiles, etc. They do it for fun, to feel safe, or to release a negative emotion.
12. Covering Mirrors Before Bedtime
Some people drape the mirrors in their bedroom with a cloth before sleeping. The reason for this habit could be logic or superstition.
Logical thinkers believe that your reflection in the mirror can startle you when you wake up at midnight or in the morning. According to traditional healing practices such as Feng Shui, a mirror should be covered to ward off misfortune and evil spirits and protect from nightmares.
13. Cracking Joints
People with a habit of cracking their joints, such as knuckles or necks, can annoy others. However, it is their way of easing their emotional distress or nervousness.
14. Checking Behind Shower Curtain
This may sound childish, but people do this out of fear. They want to rule out any dead or alive creeper hiding behind the curtain. Some people check underneath their beds.
15. Claiming To Have Read An Entire Book
People can’t help but give up reading a book halfway. However, they look up for the gist or climax of the book to claim that they have read till the end.