According to communication researcher and social scientist Elizabeth Dorrance Hall, attributions are thoughts we have about people that help us make sense of why others do the things they do.
There are two types of attributions we make about others' behavior:
When we make situational attributions, we believe their behavior is due to something in their situation. For instance, our coworker might have been short with us, because he is tired or overworked.
Personality attributions are more about a person's character. When we make these attributions, we believe the behavior is due to the person's personality. Assuming that the same coworker who was short with us is impatient or unkind is making a personality attribution.
Focusing on the latter, Reddit user u/booja87 posted a question to the platform: "What's something you secretly judge people about?" And people answered it. Here are some of the most interesting replies.
#1
The way people treat animals. I'm an Indian I have seen my fair share of abuse of street dogs and other domestic animals. The way people care for their pets or in general any animal. If I have a pack of biscuits and I see a stray puppy that's looking at me, I'll always empty out the packet for it to eat. What I mean to say is, acts of compassion and kindness towards animals does tell a lot about the humanity of the person.Image credits: ChattyBot7
#2
People who have to try and dominate every discussion or have to one-up every other person who contributes to the discussion.Image credits: HealthHappy9890
#3
People who use their speakerphone for music or conversations in public places. I hate itImage credits: Billy_MacC
#4
How they treat servers, waitstaff, or hotel clerks. Nothing irritates me more than grown-ass adults who think service professionals are somehow beneath them or that they're somehow indentured servants. And how they treat janitors/custodial staff, and whether people leave more of a mess than they should because 'it’s their job to clean up after [them]Image credits: Linux4ever_Leo
#5
What part of their life are they posting on social media. Especially when they post every tiny problem in a relationship on social mediaImage credits: evilislive13
#6
Not washing hands after using the toiletImage credits: vvalkir
#7
When the kids boss the parents aroundImage credits: maddiewithgoals
#8
Leaving cigarette butts everywhere. Bonus judgement if it's still "fired up" and they don't care where it lands.Image credits: snikinail
#9
Not liking animals. It’s one thing not to want a pet — they’re a lot of time and money. But people who say, 'I don’t like animals' get a hard side-eye from me.Image credits: Sad-Outside-7260
#10
Not putting their shopping cart back. My first job was to collect carts and bag groceries. If I can put my cart away with two small children in tow, so can you!Image credits: eeznutz066
#11
How their kids behave and their parenting choices. When the parents think a tantrum is funny or cute. I was watching a little girl throw a huge fit at a store the other day, and the mom and grandma were both giggling about how 'sassy' she wasImage credits: mwalker324
#12
Cheating. Apparently this is an unpopular opinion in the world now, but I have a severe fear of being cheated on. I think it’s horrible. So whenever I hear one of my friends talk/almost brag about cheating on their partner, I automatically lose a lot of respect for them.Image credits: Sea_Cover7486
#13
People who gossip to me about other people. I always wonder what they say about me behind my back.Image credits: oskoMondaricci
#14
People who constantly film their kids at recitals and things like that. Take a few pictures, then put ur devices down and actually watch it. No point in filming a 20 minute video that you’re never gonna watch again.Also, people who go to firework shows…AND FILM THE FIREWORKS, for more than 4 seconds. That’s something you are REALLY never gonna watch again. Just live in the moment, take a couple pics, and move on
Image credits: junkymonkey123
#15
Craving for attention. As an introvert, people who do that are very easy to notice and very annoying.Image credits: hoscct
#16
People who litter. Scum of the earth#17
Volume of their voiceImage credits: sneakertotheizm
#18
What the inside of their car looks like.Image credits: bl0ckplane
#19
If I go to use the bathroom in their house and it's crusty, dusty, and covered in hair and God knows what else.Image credits: SquilliamFancySon95
#20
The background wallpaper on their phone. Especially when it's a picture of themselves. Who puts a photo of themselves as the background photo on their phone? Weird!Image credits: floralboi
#21
Not wearing masks properly. My job the last year has involved making sure people wear masks properly. I don’t understand people who wear it but under their nose or chin. Like what is the point?Image credits: Environmental-Bit177
#22
Men with unkept fingernails. If you intentionally have long nails that are manicured or styled that’s super chill. I’m talking about men who just do not cut their fingernails. It leads me to assumptions or st least questions about overall hygiene.Image credits: seeoharewhy13 ·
#23
When they talk badly about people they were acting nice towardsImage credits: InternationalFace457
#24
Spelling . You don't know how to write 'anaerobic'? No worries mate, it's a rare word and who needs to use it anyway? But if you're unable to use their/they're/there properly, which you have literally seen being used correctly a thousand times, then I can't guarantee I will ever consider you a bright person.Image credits: Dicska
#25
How they treat their coworkersImage credits: Seam0re
#26
I think antivax people dumb AF#27
How open they are to differing opinions. There are certain people who immediately get defensive or shut down the whole discussion when they disagree with something, instead of having an actual conversation about it.Image credits: crazy_cosmonaut
#28
Parents who try to convince me to let their kid in a ride when they’re not big enough. Even when I tell them it’s for their own safety and the restraints aren’t designed for smaller people. It’s like they don’t care if their kid gets majorly hurt.Also parents who force their kids on rides they don’t want to get on. Traumatizing them and making them fear rides in general, but also not realizing that kids OFTEN try to climb out if rides they’re scared of, which is very dangerous!
Image credits: mpmwrites
#29
If you have a new phone or fancy nails and your kid has worn out shoes, I will judge the crap out of you.#30
I have an acquaintance who posts things about herself In the third person via inspirational memes. For example ( one of ten a week): “ She weathered the storm and trudged through the lightening because the electricity of the pain only ignited her fuel to accomplish more” ( I made that up but you get the picture). I judge this. I think it’s pathetic.#31
Bad table manners. If I’ve ever shared a meal with you and you chewed with your mouth open or made food noises, I promise that during the entire meal, I’ve fantasized about your death.#32
What they say about their kids in social media. I get that being a parent is hard, and it’s okay to talk/vent/be real about that online, but sometimes people cross the line and talk about their kids as if they’re not real people, just because they’re not grown and don’t have a Facebook account. People should imagine what their kids would think if they were all grown up and reading your internet history. If you think they would be hurt by what you said, don’t post itImage credits: adamislolz
#33
How snobbish a person is about someone else's situation (information about wage, job, family situation, living situation, etc., and making a comment on it). They should try working on their feet for 10 hours in a hot, greasy kitchen before criticizing someone for 'flipping burgers#34
What they name their kids.Image credits: harperthehomemaker
#35
How often they complainImage credits: Mister_Citrus
#36
If you speed up to block someone with their turn signal on, you will be judged.#37
How you prioritize your money. Not how you spend it as I couldn’t care less if you can afford it, but if you’re the type of person who’s tight on money and spending it willy nilly or spending out of your means and justifying it, then your ceiling for being a bright person drops significantly. One of my exes said they had $40 in their bank account during the peak of the pandemic. She had no job and she thought she earned going to get a manicure and blowing even more than what she could afford since I think she needed to borrow money to make up for the cost. I told her that was a stupid purchase and she kept trying to justify it by saying it’s been too long and that she felt like she earned herself a treat. No. If you have $40, your treat could potentially be a McFlurry from the drive thru. Not a manicureI want to clarify again it’s not like getting a manicure is bad, but prioritizing it when you have $40 to your name is freaking moronic
#38
The behavior of their dog. There are of course allowances for dogs that were adopted/rescued that weren’t trained for a period of their lives, and some dogs have reactive behavior that’s difficult to overcome even with diligent work. However, if the only reason your dog is a little shit is because you don’t care enough to train them right, I’m sitting here in judgment.#39
Wearing sunglasses insideImage credits: daddyshakespear
#40
Taking video/FaceTime calls walking around the grocery store. Generally any public speaker phone/broadcast of their private sh*t like conversations and music. What the f**k have we come to with the combo of disregard for others and the narcissism?#41
People who are involved with MLMs I think they are untrustworthy or somewhat dumb.Image credits: newstart3385
#42
People who can’t get another person’s name right in an email conversation. It’s literally right there in my signature; there’s no excuse for calling me by the wrong name. Drives me crazy. I can sign off with my first name and have it in my signature, and people still reply, 'Hi, [Surname.]' [Screw] those guys. It’s not even a surname that could be mistaken for a first name. It just looks a wee bit foreign, so their brain stops working#43
Their driving#44
I’ve come to realize that I find negative comments about personal appearance vulgar (joking about a person’s weight, face, how old they look, etc.).Anybody who thinks it’s funny to repeatedly joke about how ugly so-and-so is, or how fat, or how bald? UGH. It really makes the commenter seem mean and unsophisticated to me.
#45
When they curse at their children or pets. I curse a whole lot but never at children or animals.#46
If they used to drink and then stop and then cant shut up about how evil alcohol is#47
People who act like the "anti-hero" in their own story. It seems more people I see these days dont want to be the hero in their own lives but want to be the "complex dark villain with a tragic past and stone cold appearance, but have a heart of gold" it's like no. Dave with your 4 bedroom 2 story house that your parents helped buy after you graduated university, and you now live in with your 2 kids and loving wife, are not an anti-hero and posting things like, "I'm a calm man but mess with me and I will break your bones" does not make you cool or complex.#48
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