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32 Facts Folks Found "Normal" Until Reality Hit Them Like A Freight Train
According to legend, American athlete Robert Garrett didn't know how heavy the discus would be for the first Olympic Games in 1896, so he trained with a way heavier one, achieving less than mediocre results. Imagine Garrett's surprise when, upon arriving at the Olympics, he realized the real Olympic discus was several times lighter!
Does it need to be said that Garrett became an Olympic champion that day? Probably not. But what's worth mentioning is that many of us live for years with unique body or behavioral features, not even realizing that these traits aren't actually common. So, please welcome to this collection of stories, made for you by Bored Panda!
More info: Reddit
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#1
I was told I was "being a baby" because I would literally gag when I tasted raw tomato - even a little bit. Being in a toxic family, I was convinced this was the case until I actually (accidentally) ate it as an adult.
Turns out I'm *allergic* to raw tomato.
Ellinor she/they/elle 3 hours ago
I always thought that lemon/orange/acidic food gave me weird tingles in the throat and made my cheek/nose area slightly warm and sweaty but my mother told me it was normal to feel that. Turns out we're both allergic to acidic food ! (nothing too bad, I can still eat that type of food without putting my life at risk)
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#2
I thought it was totally normal for everyone to have alcohol every day until I moved out west and met a circle of people who didn’t care about drinking…I’m sober now and it feels pretty good.
#3
I wet the bed until I was 14. I had a very traumatic childhood that caused that but I didnt know the cause until I was like 18.
A few days ago, a thread appeared in the Casual Conversations community on Reddit, the author of which, the user u/CakeFortune2, asked people: "What's something about yourself that you thought was normal until someone told you it wasn't?" No, you can't say the thread went viral, but the stories told there were truly worth mentioning.
Strange behavioral quirks, the sheer strangeness of which people only realized years and decades later, some unexpected body features and personal traits... Please welcome to this informative, ironic, and sometimes even sad list of just over three dozen personal stories!
#4
I thought (and was told) procrastinating assignments was normal since I always did well on them anyway. I found out as an adult that it was severely untreated ADHD 💀.
Earonn - 4 hours ago
And after all the years of painfully learning stressful coping mechanisms they tell you that you won't get medication since you "can manage without". So could people who need crutches, but that's different, that's *physical*.
Lady Eowyn 1 hour ago
I was diagnosed with autism at age 69. I developed a lot of coping mechanisms. It would have been so much easier to know what was going on.
Load More Replies... #5
Overactive bladder. Apparently, it's not normal to have to go every half hour to an hour and *immediately*! The only time I was ever glad to see a commercial on tv telling me it was not normal and I might want to talk to my dr about a medicine.
Karl der Große 4 hours ago
I take diuretics. I think there might be a betting pool in my office as to how long it will be before I scamper down to the toilet.
WindySwede 51 minutes ago
Do you have any tips for great food? (Writing here cause I can't respond on your comment on the one about being able to taste whats in food) See that post below.
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Apatheist 4 hours ago
For a male, this might be a sign of prostate issues, especially if over 50.
WindySwede 1 hour ago
or Pyelonephritis, if it's with fever - see hospital quick.
Load More Replies... #6
Being honest. I wasn't taught to be honest - I just am. I don't think I'm on the spectrum or neurodivergent? I just assume that if someone is asking me a question then they expect the truth? Apparently, it's "impolite" and I'm supposed to say the opposite of what something is.
For instance - if someone screws up and they ask "did I mess up?", I'm supposed to say "youre fine. you're doing great"?
Michael Largey 4 hours ago
Edit yourself. Not every thought that pops into your head has to pop out of your mouth.
Rick Murray 4 hours ago
Why? If somebody doesn't want to know they're being a twonk, either stop being a twonk or don't ask "am I being a twonk?". It shouldn't be up to somebody else to edit their thoughts because being called on their twonkiness may upset them.
Load More Replies... Ellinor she/they/elle 3 hours ago
I am like that too and I have an ADHD diagnosis and I'm in the process of getting an ASD diagnosis. So, you never know.
UnclePanda 3 hours ago
"First day with the new feet?" Directed at me in HS, still using it, still funny.
UnclePanda 3 hours ago
I should note that the timing is crucial - you have to casually drop that line in that moment of stillness while all the decent people are still going "Oooh" with concern.
Load More Replies... Apatheist 4 hours ago
That's just being American. I hate it when I mess up on a game and it says "Great try!" even though I mucked up the first thing I did.
JB 2 hours ago
You could get your point across without the first sentence. Just sayin’
Load More Replies...Many of the stories told here are connected to people who had long-standing family traditions that they later, even as adults, actually took for granted. Only later, faced, for example, with others' surprise at this tradition, did they realize that this wasn't actually the case.
Ultimately, there's no universal, unified view of what's right and what's wrong. So, if, for example, entire generations in your family have done something unconventionally, that doesn't mean they all did it wrong. It just means you did it the way that's not generally accepted, and nothing more.
#7
I told so many people that I liked to "eat so much cheese that my face sweat" before one of them told me there shouldn't be any volume of cheese that does that.
Mel in Georgia 4 hours ago
Huh, never knew this was a thing! Cheek sweating when eating cheese, called gustatory sweating, happens because cheese triggers nerves, releasing volatile compounds that activate sweat glands, often due to genetic factors or minor nerve miswiring, though it can sometimes signal underlying issues like diabetic nerve damage (autonomic neuropathy) or inflammation, so see a doctor if it's excessive or new.
Fat Harry (Oi / You) 3 hours ago
This is also called Frey's Syndrome. I know this because I have it :)
Load More Replies... #8
As a kid, I thought everyone at Easter broke the eggs over each other's heads to spread good luck and confetti everywhere. At 14, I was horrified to learn my friends' families were eating the eggs they painted and hid for hours.
Turned out, we're just Mexican. Who knew.
#9
I thought everyone had music playing in their head 24/7. Learning otherwise was the gateway to my autism diagnosis.
UnclePanda 3 hours ago
I go to bed and wake up with the same song, sometimes for days on end. Good god, the Manilow era was an excruciating period.
Rick Murray 4 hours ago
Ummm... Mine seems to gravitate to "stuff from the 80s". It's nice when I'm doing something mind-numbing at work to (internally) sing along to Belinda Carlisle about a person getting their teeth filled using a jackhammer and no anaesthesia...because I can't remember the words of that song so I just make up whatever fits (and sometimes even rhymes), the weirder the better. 😉
Rick Murray 4 hours ago
Though, not so great when you're trying to get to sleep and a song you detest pops into your head. Allow me to mess yours up too: But don't tell my heart, my achy-breaky heart I just don't think he'd understand, and if you tell my heart, my achy-breaky heart, he might blow up and unalive-with-extreme-prejudice this man, ooooh!
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For example, here's a story from personal experience. A friend of mine once told me that in her family, they always cooked sausages by cutting off both ends. Her mom and grandma did the same, as did everyone else in their extended family. She did the same thing herself, and only after moving in with her boyfriend, did her future husband wonder why she did it.
Neither of them could find any logical or, for example, religious reasons for doing so, and my friend discovered that no one else outside their family did it. The couple turned out to be inquisitive folks, so they conducted a thorough historical investigation until they traced her great-grandma, who was still alive at the time.
And so it turned out that the old lady, in her youth, just had one very small saucepan that couldn't fit regular-sized sausages, so she always had to cut off the ends. And then, over time, this simply became a habit, which grew into a family tradition over many decades.
#10
Being in physical pain when i heard certain sounds.
Rick Murray 4 hours ago (edited)
Depends upon the sound. I once had the misfortune of being dragged to a nightclub in Camberley in the late '90s and I swear I could *feel* the sound blasting right through me. Two minutes of that and I felt physically ill and I was either going to p.oop or scream, or both. [note: I'm an introvert, I like quiet] I noped out of there so fast the people that invited me weren't able to keep up.
Lukas (he/him, it/its) 3 hours ago
I hate deep bass noise with certain songs, or when cars drive by and you can't hear the music, just the bass. It hurts my head and I can feel it in my whole body.
#11
I thought everyone's feet started feeling super uncomfortable right when they were gonna go to sleep. I wanted to bind my feet because my toes felt so uncomfortable. Turns out it was restless leg syndrome.
#12
I thought everyone was supposed to be scared of their dad 🤷♀️.
With unique or simply rare body features, things are fairly simple - people still understand, one way or another, that they have something unusual. As for mental traits, things are much more interesting. How many people have lived their entire lives with the absolute conviction that they're doing everything the only right way?
However, literally everything in our lives can be questioned - it depends on the angle from which we view a given phenomenon. For example, the author of this dedicated post, the teacher Adam Mastroianni, offers this thought experiment regarding career choices for students.
Do you want to be a surgeon? = Do you want to perform the same procedure 15 times a week for the next 35 years? Do you want to be an actor? = Do you want your career to depend on having the right cheekbones? Do you want to be a wedding photographer? = Do you want to spend every Saturday night as the only sober person in a hotel ballroom?
Almost no one will answer "Yes" to the second of these pairs of questions, yet there are countless surgeons, actors, and wedding photographers around the world who proudly pursue their passions and have never questioned the wisdom of their choices. In other words, any oddity depends on the angle from which we look at it.
#13
I thought everyone saw those weird lines that come off lights. Turns out it was astigmatism.
Ellinor she/they/elle 3 hours ago (edited)
But it makes driving without glasses at night a very dangerous thing. One day I ended up having to ask for help just to cross the road because I didn't had my glasses and couldn't see anything because of all the lights;
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#14
I can taste the composition/ingredients used in foods, as in which herbs and spices were used specifically to create a sauce or dip. So I can very easily reverse-engineer everything I taste. Also tasting feels like a picture or chart to me, where I can easily identify the "postion" or "colour" of the singular tastes and tell where "gaps" are than require to be filled to enhance the composition of a dish.
I always considered this to be normal or that people could at least make this connection if they learn about it?
WindySwede 54 minutes ago
@Karl der Große: Do you have any tips for great food? (Writing here cause I can't respond on your comment)
#15
As a kid I thought everyone tasted blood when they ran and that legs falling asleep anytime you sat cross legged was normal. Turns out I had a massive hole between the upper two chambers of my heart. Wasn’t found until I was 18.
In any case, we're almost certain you've also had interesting moments where you or someone in your near or far circle realized they were unique in one context or another. So why not share these experiences in the comments here - but only after reading all the stories we've cited for you? After all, they're all interesting and worth your time reading.
#16
I thought it was normal to always put my feet up (in cars, trains, planes, at home on the couch or in the office.) turns out I was just avoiding discomfort from my legs not touching the ground when I sit because im short!!
Turns out taller people can sit without putting their feet up and they're actually comfortable!! 😭.
Mel in Georgia 4 hours ago
This is a very uncomfortable situation for me and it seems like everything you sit on nowadays is designed for giants - airline seats, car seats, furniture ... headrests push my head forward, long seats keep my back from touching the back of seats and seat height keeps me from touching the floor. Need cushions for everything!
JB 3 hours ago (edited)
Decided to search for “what height is the world designed for?” The AI results start with “Standard Western Design: Most everyday items (kitchen counters, car seats, clothing) are built for people between 5'2" (157cm) and 6'2" (188cm), as this covers a large portion of the population, with specific points like door handles often set for taller individuals (around 6 ft/183cm) for convenience.” Simple logic says that’s utter bōllox. The world is actually built for people averaging around 5’9”, which is deemed not too uncomfortable for the min to max ends of the range. Totally relate to where you are coming from, I’m 5’1”. But I think my good friend has it worse: he’s 6’8” in bare feet.
Load More Replies... Earonn - 4 hours ago
Same here. Either I put my feet flat on the floor in the bus and my thighs are at a slope (making bags and books slide down, so I have to hold them up), or I put my knees against the seat in front of me - a 55 year old sitting like a 15 year old. Thing is, I'm not THAT small, I'm 1,65m,not far from the average.
Lady Eowyn 1 hour ago
I'm 4'10". I tend to perch at the edge of chair seats so my feet touch the ground. I keep a footstool under my desk so that I can sit back in my chair and not have my feet just dangle.
#17
All of my fingers can bend backwards at the knuckle. I honestly didn’t even realize that I did it until someone one time freaked out about how I was holding my phone and thought I had broken a finger 😅.
#18
I have very vivid dreams, some that I remember from years ago. I can also control what I do in my dreams. On the other hand my husband hardly dreams at all! Too bad my memory doesn’t work as well when I’m awake 😅.
Ellinor she/they/elle 3 hours ago
Every important locations of my real life and its people end up in a weird "country" in my dreams. I can travel through the "country" alone of with people and time is linear. If I dream about my High-School on Monday but then not until Sunday, people there will say to me "Oh hi, haven't seen you since Monday !". I really enjoy having dreams who work like that, it's always fun ! Also in my dreams my grandmother is still alive, so there is that too.
Rick Murray 3 hours ago
Many of mine are connected. Like, I'm in a place and it goes to another place and I'm like "oh, I've been here before" or "so this is how these places are connected". It's like exploring a new town. I don't have much ability to control what happens in dreams (and, note, I am rarely *me*) but my brain will wake me up if it thinks the plot is dumb or wants to pass judgement like "really? second law of thermodynamics means *nothing* to you?". 🤷
#19
When I see or hear about something that looks/sounds painful my legs hurt. I thought it was normal until my sister was telling me about ripping her fingernail off and I replied with ‘ugh that made my legs hurt’ My mom is the only person I’ve found that knows what I’m talking about.
#20
Thought oranges were supposed to burn, like jalapeños. Turns out they do not. Spent years with burned lips and gums before I learned you can be allergic to citrus.
#21
My family's way of communication which included condescension, blame, and frequent raised voices, was totally normal like how all people live and grow up. Apparently people have families where they act healthy and nice to each other and I didn't know that until an adult.
#22
Not being able to stand up straight while being on your period and feeling like you're about to pass out. Parents did not care stage 3 endometriosis thanks a lot.
#23
Having “brain zaps” like a little lightning bolt across your brain. Had these many times a day for as long as I could remember until I went off my antidepressants. I had been on Paxil /zoloft since age 6 (it was the 90s) so I literally didn’t remember a time when I didn’t have them. I thankfully do not take these medications any more.
Jessica Bower 4 hours ago
I get that when I don't take my anti-anxiety meds... Weirdest and not great feeling!!
My O My 4 hours ago
Does someone have more insight into the topic? I have this now and then and am on antidepressants too.
Norfolk and good 3 hours ago (edited)
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AutumnGirl 2 hours ago
I had these very often when I was a child, and they lasted that way until I was 18 or so. However, I did feel them a few times after that. Last time was about 5 years ago (I'm 47 now).
#24
Looking at bright light makes me sneeze, and because both my mother and grandmother are like that I always thought that's just something everybody does. I think I was around 15-16 when I learned that it's actually a genetic disposition that can be inherited from a parent, called Photic sneeze reflex (ACHOO syndrome).
Mel in Georgia 4 hours ago
I have this! Although it's inconsistent. But sneezing as I walk out into the sunlight is a common thing with me.
#25
Hyper mobility, and that apples aren't supposed to make your mouth and throat itchy and prickly.
#26
I learned recently from Reddit that having the ability to make "the static sound" in your ears (and furthermore if you even think about it, you can make it happen) is not normal for everyone.
#27
I have aphantasia, so I can’t see pictures in my mind at all. I thought it was totally normal to think only in words. It still confuses me that most people can actually see images inside their head.
#28
I thought it was normal to say someone smells like "outside" - especially in winter, when their skin has gotten cold.
#29
I thought everyone replayed conversations in their head for hours after they happened 😅 Turns out not everyone does that.
Rick Murray 3 hours ago
But do you replay them for days *before* they happen? And then get annoyed when the other person starts going off script?
#30
I thought everyone always had ringing in their ears.
Rick Murray 3 hours ago
When it's really quiet, it's a really high pitched sound. I can't give you an idea of frequency because I don't think my ears can do that sort of thing anymore, but it reminds me of old CRT monitors, so something in the ballpark of 15-16kHz. It's always sort of there lurking in the dark recesses of the background, like there's no such thing as absolute silence for me.
#31
I can type out an email and have a full conversation with someone.
Coworker thinks I'm a cyborg.
#32
That I can remember back to before I could walk. I thought everyone could remember their lives just like me until people started saying that they couldn’t remember being 5 or 7 years old.
Lady Eowyn 1 hour ago
My earliest clear memory dates to when I was about 4 years old. There are some fuzzy images of things before that.
Ellinor she/they/elle 3 hours ago
I think my earliest memory must be around age 2/3. It's a Carrefour commercial of stop-motion animals made with vegetables.
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JB 2 hours ago (edited)
Hi Pandas. Just a quick heads up, looks like BP deployed some code in the last ~48 hrs (I noticed yesterday morning… MST zone), that isn’t working as intended. Signs are: the post is/may be (auto-)downvoted to -1, hidden, and Reply is disabled. Upvotes work but the comment remains hidden and Reply disabled. There’s no content in these comments that resemble links. People affected on this page are Michal Dolyniuk, Karl der Große, Norfolk and good, Michael Largey. I’ve already reported it; perhaps others could do so as well, so the issue gets resolved. Cheers! ETA this is n the website, don’t know about the app. And it has affected premium users as well, I just don’t remember who.
WindySwede 52 minutes ago
I tried reposting someones comment, and when I removed all the "." and "," it appeared to work. My thought is that something is overreacting to things that looks like topdomains?
Load More Replies... JB 2 hours ago (edited)
Hi Pandas. Just a quick heads up, looks like BP deployed some code in the last ~48 hrs (I noticed yesterday morning… MST zone), that isn’t working as intended. Signs are: the post is/may be (auto-)downvoted to -1, hidden, and Reply is disabled. Upvotes work but the comment remains hidden and Reply disabled. There’s no content in these comments that resemble links. People affected on this page are Michal Dolyniuk, Karl der Große, Norfolk and good, Michael Largey. I’ve already reported it; perhaps others could do so as well, so the issue gets resolved. Cheers! ETA this is n the website, don’t know about the app. And it has affected premium users as well, I just don’t remember who.
WindySwede 52 minutes ago
I tried reposting someones comment, and when I removed all the "." and "," it appeared to work. My thought is that something is overreacting to things that looks like topdomains?
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