As many of you probably know, men are definitely from Mars and women are from Venus. Even if you have not read the book of the same name, it is already clear to everyone that male and female types of thinking are quite different, while each of the genders has its own specific features and behaviors.
Any communication with another person is a continuous process of study, analysis and simple curiosity (unless, of course, we are so selfish that we always listen only to our feelings and reactions). And so, in the process of such a study, even the most sophisticated people sometimes discover incredible interesting facts about others, which can be especially interesting if these facts concern another gender.
Recently, a question was asked in the AskReddit community on exactly this topic, addressed exclusively to women. It sounded like: "Women, what is a surprising fact you discovered about men?" We are not at all sure that among the people who wrote over 8.8K comments in just under two weeks were exclusively women, however, the resulting thread has already gained about 9.3K upvotes, and there are really a lot of different interesting discoveries.
Bored Panda has compiled for you a selection of the most unexpected, discouraging, funny and simply the most popular comments from the original thread, so now please feel free to scroll to the very end of this list, mark the submissions that are most interesting to you, and of course, share your own discoveries - if you're a woman. If a man - well, introspection can also bring a lot of great things, while comments are always welcome.
More info: Reddit
This post may include affiliate links.
Many men get an erection in the morning. Morning moves around the globe every 24 hours. This means that there is an erection wave that has been going around the globe without end since the beginning of any species with which this started.
That men rarely ever receive compliments in their lives. I purposely go out of my way to express even the smallest compliments in case they haven’t heard one for a long time.
That they suffer from gender stereotyping too.
That they are not criticizing women’s bodies as much as women are led to believe (maybe by themselves or whomever is driving this culture). They are far more acceptant of how women look like naturally than women themselves. This was such a game changer for me.
Well, growing up in a southern country town here in the U.S. A lot of my female friends never wore makeup and were more interested in shooting sports. They were always the most beautiful when they were just doing what they wanted and not focusing on their appearance. We had beauty pagents and stuff, high school girls that were obsessed with looks and all, but I never saw the appeal of that. They looked much better natural with the confidence that they were more than their appearance.
Most men don’t actually know how to fix things. They just pull it apart and put it back together again and hope for the best.
Fix-it-ability, like any other skill, requires training. It's not instinctual.
At my first job, I used to work mostly with women, then switched to IT and now it’s mostly men. I was surprised to learn that guys don’t hold a grudge as much as the women I worked with did. We’d have an argument on Friday, I was worked up about it all weekend and worried how it would affect our future relationship, then come Monday and boom…nothing. They genuinely seemed like they let it go. It’s a pretty sweet thing.
Most times it's easier just to let it go ..... No drama. Failing that a good fist fight solves most petty squabbles.
That they want to be loved as badly as we do and they’re also mushy gushy
I make no secret about this. My greatest dream has always been to have someone to share my life with.
You guys can sit there and think about nothing
How? How??? I sit down and I'm like: "sh*t my coach is gonna be ticked I didn't practice the dance-What about the counts?-They'll think I'm like Jessie!-Where was Jessie at last week's soccer game?-Why was Carly not at school today?- D'mn, I didn't do my homework-Progress report comes out next week-How many layers of skin does it take to get rid of a tattoo? Should ask Lucy-Lucy said she doesn't know. Is drowning in your own tears suicide? Need to ask Lucy. Wow that's a long answer, jeez Lucy" And on and on it goes, I can't be calm.
Load More Replies...
Early in my marriage, I used to occasionally ask my husband, "what are you thinking about"? He'd say "nothing". I never quite believed it. I mean, how is that possible? That's an ability I envy.
me too. Especially paired with my anxiety, my mind is constantly racing
Load More Replies...
These are the best times. "What are you thinking about?" "Absolutely nothing" and it's the truth. Lol
Or we just don't want to admit that we're thinking about Star Trek and the Nightmare Before Christmas and Steve Irwin and that thing that happened in high school. And fainting goats; fainting goats are hilarious.
Load More Replies...
oh we aren't thinking about nothing, it's just asinine nonsense that would make us sound insane if we actually said what it was "lollipop sounds kind of like polyglot, oh that reminds me, I forgot to ask for no pickles on my big mac last week."
But if I ask what my partner is thinking, that's the s**t I want to hear. What's actually going on in there.
Load More Replies...
Men don’t have this market cornered. I’m a woman, and decades ago I discovered that just sitting and not thinking about anything in particular helps me stay right here right now completely in the moment, and not preoccupied with c**p going on at another time in another place. Clearing your head of all that clutter can reduce a whole lot of mental and emotional pressure and stress. It doesn’t even have to be a long session of non-thinking, either. Just a few minutes pretty much does the trick.
I would LOVE to be able to do this! My brain is a constant stream of memories and songs and movie quotes and conversations -- both past and future -- and to do lists.
Load More Replies...
Nope, we can't. At least not everyone of us. But my girlfriend is really good at that...
Yup. For the first 3 years or so of my marriage (maybe longer), if we were driving in the car and I was completely silent, my wife for sure thought I was mad at her about something. She couldn't fathom that I could literally just drive and not be actively thinking about anything worth talking about without me being mad at her. She eventually realized I was telling the truth that I wasn't thinking about anything and has accepted it, but still doesn't understand it haha.
This bothers my wife lol. I'll be sitting there literally thinking of nothing and she will ask me what I'm thinking about, I say nothing and to this day she still has issues accepting that I'll think of nothing.
This!!! I never believed my fella was literally thinking of NoTHInG when asked until I had sons and now they too can sit happily thinking of LITERALLY NOTHING. My brain doesn't even stop worrying about bills, work, meal planning, shopping, which after school club is next when I'm asleep! I'm more jealous of this innate calm than the ability to pee standing up. Which I am very jealous of.
The ability to zone out without your brain hating you is something to treasure. Stray thoughts can throw you in the pit.
no but fr my whole fam and my friends can just shut off their brain and not think abt anything but my brain is constantly racing and i cant turn it off smh
Oh yes. Just like an unturned tv. I'm sure women would love to have this ability.
If I am thinking about nothing totally random tunes come into my head. My brain is like a radio, tuned to a music station the output of which over which I have no control.
Women's minds work like automatic transmissions, once they're in motion, they don't stop going. Efficient. Men's minds are like manual transmissions, in motion sure, but they can sit between the gears while the engine is running, just completely clutched out until the revs are where we need them to be. :P
Honestly my minds always got something running through it, I just get lost in my own little fantasies
I'm terrified by this comments. EVERYONE should be able to do this, REGARDLESS GENDER. IF you CAN'T do this PLEASE SEEK MEDICAL HELP. Some people just never learned to relax or whatever but some people have a chemical inbalance preventing them from achieving this, either way if you can't do this you need help from a licensed professional and probably a medical provider.
I can be doing anything from thinking about nothing to criticizing the realism of time-travel films to pondering existence. Some of my thoughts would give anyone the worst existential crisis (un)imaginable.
I can sit on the beach shade bench and watch bird fly around for whole day..
GF: What are you thinking about? Me: Nothing GF: Is it possible to learn this power? Me: Not from a Jedi...
As a man, I always hated when women asked "what are you thinking about?" The answer was always "nothing" and they could never accept that.
This is how I knew my partner was the person to spend my life with. All the noise in my head stopped when she was around. It was like all the voices couldn't believe we were together, so they were sitting there waiting for me to f**k it up. They've gotten over it now. They don't shut up much anymore. I just ignore them.
As a mediator, I wish I could get there. It's been 30 years. I still haven't given up. Yes, I'm aware of the irony.
Some of us girls can do that too. Just staring into the ocean .......
Yesss...when we go to the beach I try so hard to just be still but my mind won't let me..hubby, on the other hand, can chill for hours just enjoying the atmosphere. After 30 minutes I'm thinking about what we doing next.
We really are thinking about nothing. Just shut off the brain. There should be some good responses to that /s.
And it makes Elaine absolutely nuts! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBBQdFSvvTE
My dad's ex wife used to legitimately get hurt feelings when they'd be watching a movie, and during commercial she'd look at him and say, "whatchu thinkin about?", in a sweet sappy voice... And my dad would shrug and say, "nothin". She took that PERSONALLY! He was being literal, but she'd cry because she convinced herself dad was mad at her and didn't want to tell her. 🤦🤦🙄
I have three main thought processes when left to my own devices. 1. Nothing, empty head, my calmest state and one I rarely get to enjoy. 2. Flight of fancy, the ability to use a thought process that has no foundation in reality, the ‘what if……’ world. It’s fun and abstract, again rarely enjoyed. 3. My anxiety / fear thought process, hold onto your hats we are off at a ridiculous and unmanageable speed through multiple scenarios that are not based in logic or reason, they are damaging and stressful, they overwhelm and destroy logical thoughts and they are driven by fear. Fear is a terrible wingman, it drives a panicked and uncoordinated thought process and doesn’t allow you to slow down or assess why you are running out of control. This is my usual state. I have strategies to manage my depression / anxiety and I’ve learned what activities help promote calm. If I’m drawing AND listening to music then it’s a tough week and I’m totally focused on zoning out!
Yep. It's our most misunderstood superpower. Her: "Omg, he's so brooding!" Him: "Who invented cheese?"
What's wrong with that? I do it whenever I get the chance. Give the Grey matter a rest and chill 😎
It might look like that, but once practitioners reach a high enough level they're actually able to transcend the physical world and travel to a sort of astral Sportscenter.
That's not exclusive to men. I zone out all the time, it's like a mini recharge session.
I don't think it's thinking about nothing, more about nothing in particular. There's still stuff there, it's just a nonsense or an out and out daydream that we cannot remember after a few minutes.
This is called the nothing box. We visit it often. Head empty, no thoughts. I wish some of my past relations understood that. I was being sincere and honest when I told them I wasn't thinking about anything.
I've never experienced this. My brain's always thinking *something*. It might not be of any interest to you, but still, it's something. EDIT: BoredPandaSucks said it better than I could.
Oh my god, how I wish that was the case for me. It’s a permanent cacophony in this damned skull.
Sorry, not me. I can sit, but I cannot switch off my brain. Like not thinking or thinking about nothing - not me.
Women can do that too. At least I used to be able, and if I could others can too
Look up The Nothing Box by Mark Gungor, watch the video. It's hilarious. And true
Staring blankly into space is the source of creativity. Cellphones, like the one I'm on now, jeopardize that wellspring.
It's not nothing. It's just random nonsense that cannot be explained. Last time I told my wife I was thinking about nothing, I was actually calculating in my mind how many jelly beans were in that jar at the fair from four years ago. Do you really expect me to tell her that? There would be so many follow up questions to which I would not have the answer. Easier to say "nothing".
yes,i can even be doing nothing,and then some random girl at my school just thinks im staring at her
What are you thinking about? - Nothing - You also did that yesterday! - Yeah, but I did not finish.
Not surprising but i’m shocked that some women genuinely don’t think men suffer from mental health problems. I’ve heard “he’s lazy” or “he expects the woman to do everything” when 60% of the time it’s just him being depressed as s**t.
I can confirm. Sometimes you just don't want to get out of bed or do something because you just can't.
The fact that men really are physically stronger. I always assumed this was purely based on size but I'm a woman who works out every day (lifts weights, yoga, jogging/peloton.) My older brother doesn't exercise outside of an occasional hike. He's 4inches taller than me and 10 lbs lighter than I am (I'm a dress size 0 or 2.) He's faster than me on a hike (including backpacking) and can lift up heavier things. It makes me SO angry.
That most men don’t care that your stomach isn’t flat.
When they say they don't know why they feel a certain way they ACTUALLY don't know. I find it crazy and I couldn't trust it the first times.
Well we're told to "man up" or whatever from such a young age, it's not even not knowing why we feel a certain way. It's not even understanding what we're feeling.
That if you show them exactly how much you appreciate them they are more likely to be motivated to complete a task than if you nag them.
They only pretend to not like gentle affection. Lay your head in my lap and let me pet you you know you like it you fall asleep within minutes.
We're like dogs really! We'd like nothing more than to curl up on the sofa, head on your lap, and get stroked while we doze.
that they have a whole set of unsaid rules about where to pee in public bathrooms
I am constantly floored by how little some men know about their close friends’ lives! I know multiple men who speak to their best friends super regularly, but could not say with certainty if they’re single, what kind of work they do/where they work, etc. I don’t understand it at all, but I just keep meeting men like this.
Some actually want a real relationship and not just f**k
Actually, most of us chaps who managed to get to being a grown up (at whatever age) want precisely that, some of us are actually an ickle bit romantic too x
That 80% of the time they concretely mean exactly what they say, which is why only 20% of the time they understand what I’m saying.
So, knowing this, why wouldn't you (a woman) say what you mean? why play games? why want them to read your mind? why getting pissed at them for something you saw in your sleep? And after all, complain about not having proper communication... This is not always the case, but i have seen it over and over between many couples
when they wake up, they just sit down and stare at nothing for a good 5 minutes...
That when a guy is invested in a girl they are oblivious to other flirting women.
When my husband and I were still dating I saw women hitting on him so bad and he not realizing these women were hitting on him was jaw dropping.
Me: what do those 2 girls wanted? (All dresse up with drinks in their hand)
Edit2: girls were all smiling, giggling and doing the hair thing. And I kept an eye on those 2... they did not go to the restroom after talking to him.
My husband: they wanted to know where the bathrooms were.
Me: dude, these women knew where the bathrooms are, they just wanted to make small talk with you.
My husband: nah, i told the the bathrooms were over there.
Me: 🤯
He was being nice. He realises. And it's weird, because the minute you're in a relationship as a guy, it seems women start throwing themselves at you. Whether it's because without the nerves of chatting up you notice signals more, or that being in a relationship makes you more attractive to women, I really have no idea.
You guys really can love and be faithful
Considering the environment I grew up, that’s surprising
We can, more than we're given credit for actually lol (I do acknowledge however that it's not all of us).
Men like things that women seem to be insecure about
The man in the photo is leading the woman up to the edge of an erupting volcano. We do that stuff all the time.
how much they touch you
my boyfriend won’t let me sit away from him when we’re together (long distance pain :,) and he’d be touching me in some way- hand on my leg, twisting my hair with his fingers, holding my wrist while he scrolls on his phone or looming over my shoulders while I eat and on. I find it funny when while standing he absent-mindedly holds my waist instead of keeping his hand on his xD
Sometimes its good to just "fade out" you know. Let the brain go on autopilot and not think about anything "important".
ProTip: take heed of surroundings -- do not stumble over walkway obstructions.
It took me way too long to notice public bathrooms don't keep toilet paper near urinals and the implications of that scar me to this day.
I learned something! Men prefer oval shaped toilets over round so they have somewhere to put their dangly bits! I had no clue round toilets caused squishing before we bought a new toilet. Husband hasn't shut up about how much roomier it is. Might have something to do with how hilarious the convos get though!
Is Bored Panda part of the Reddit Company? I've also seen shared posts on the Chive Nation from here too and Vice Versa. Are all media outlets merging? It's so boring seeing the same posts on different media platforms ...
they copypaste off reddit. I prefer it here because reddit is really hard to follow with the indents and indents...
Load More Replies...
I concur with the frustration of how men are so often naturally physically gifted. I also lift weights, work out, do strong girl things, but can't hold a candle compared to even skinny dudes! It's really annoying. I can still win arm wrestling contests against my 9yo son but I know even those days are numbered!
This is why transwomen beat women in sports but you will never see a transman even make it into the men's team.
Load More Replies... As much as i like this article, none of it is new info LOL. upvote anyway
Ay other men out there dislike for women to wear high heels? Or just not care? You couldn't design a dumber, barely functional shoe. Yet I get told all the time how men love them, but I have always suspected it is more of a competition among women.
Personally, I hate high heels. The clacking sound they make sends a chill up my spine.
Load More Replies... It’s nice to see more mention of men being able to be emotionally honest and loving. I know that growing up in the 80s as someone who wore their emotions on their sleeve, who liked tenderness, and who eschewed violence and braggadocio I was often ridiculed my most other boys, most men, and quite a few girls, too, as a “wimp” “p***y” f*****t” etc. I think this is changing, and men are more and more allowed to be fully realized human beings, not just stifled bags of anger and frustration. I see more and more men that are much more masculine than me, with typical “manly” interests, that can freely express themselves with their partners, their children and their animals. I love seeing some big ol’ bearded biker doting on his little Frenchie in a doggie sweater! That WOULD NOT have happened 40 years ago!
"men are more and more allowed to be fully realized human beings." Well...not by women.
Load More Replies...
It was quite refreshing to read a post about things women learned about men, after seeing so many vice versa. I'd say we need more of these, but really a lot of the items in either apply to humans in general, not necessarily by gender
Nonsense. You're gonna give a medal to Bored Panda for asking about the experience of being male in a male-dominated world? While we're at it, let's ask Sauron about the trials of being an omniscient force of malevolence in a world he has made in his own image. Stop acting like the oppressor's story is as compelling as that of the people they oppress.
Load More Replies...
And another round of stereotypes and general assumptions, this time about men. Come on, people are super different, men are much more diverse than the hypothetical "average man". The average man or the average woman does not exist IRL. You really need to look at the person before you.
True, but a lot of these are true for a huge majority of blokes, so I don't feel stereotyped.
Load More Replies... 
Yeah, none of this is surprising, y'all just live in your own little worlds, don't you? The only thing that is surprising (though I've heard it many times), is the whole "not thinking about anything" thing, I just can't wrap my head around that. Like I already have heard about it a ton, so the fact that it's a thing for guys isn't surprising, but the ability to do that is surprising, I just can't see it
Sorry - what is this for? To cuddle up to the "unseen" trials that men experience? Honey, yall boys got nobody to blame but the patriarchy. THIS IS WHAT WE'RE SAYING. Capitalism, colonialism, slavery - the psychology of these things CANNOT EXIST without the psychology of the patriarchy - the notion that some humans are made for success, while others are made for servitude. It's a lot easier to see a tribe of people as "less than" when you've already made that distinction in your own wife. Barbarism begins at home, kids. You don't like it? Cede power. We're not making these requirements of you. Nobody relates to the "hero" who faces no hardship. If you want anyone to sing when you're winning, they have to see how you behave when you lose. I really don't want to hear about the "unseen" troubles of men when we live in a world where the #1 killer of women is femicide. We are not equal, as men have made abundantly clear. Neither are men's struggles equal to those of the women they dominate.
So when a woman says on TV that women are unfit to be President, who would be at fault for that? If it's her, that would mean women DO contribute to preservation of the patriarchy. I can easily imagine someone saying, "She was indoctrinated by the patriarchy!" Fair enough, but why is indoctrination only a valid excuse for women? Have men NOT been indoctrinated by the patriarchy? Isn't criticizing men for a bad thing and then tolerating the same bad thing from women kind of like holding women to a LOWER standard than men?
Load More Replies...
I learned something! Men prefer oval shaped toilets over round so they have somewhere to put their dangly bits! I had no clue round toilets caused squishing before we bought a new toilet. Husband hasn't shut up about how much roomier it is. Might have something to do with how hilarious the convos get though!
Is Bored Panda part of the Reddit Company? I've also seen shared posts on the Chive Nation from here too and Vice Versa. Are all media outlets merging? It's so boring seeing the same posts on different media platforms ...
they copypaste off reddit. I prefer it here because reddit is really hard to follow with the indents and indents...
Load More Replies... I concur with the frustration of how men are so often naturally physically gifted. I also lift weights, work out, do strong girl things, but can't hold a candle compared to even skinny dudes! It's really annoying. I can still win arm wrestling contests against my 9yo son but I know even those days are numbered!
This is why transwomen beat women in sports but you will never see a transman even make it into the men's team.
Load More Replies... As much as i like this article, none of it is new info LOL. upvote anyway
Ay other men out there dislike for women to wear high heels? Or just not care? You couldn't design a dumber, barely functional shoe. Yet I get told all the time how men love them, but I have always suspected it is more of a competition among women.
Personally, I hate high heels. The clacking sound they make sends a chill up my spine.
Load More Replies... It’s nice to see more mention of men being able to be emotionally honest and loving. I know that growing up in the 80s as someone who wore their emotions on their sleeve, who liked tenderness, and who eschewed violence and braggadocio I was often ridiculed my most other boys, most men, and quite a few girls, too, as a “wimp” “p***y” f*****t” etc. I think this is changing, and men are more and more allowed to be fully realized human beings, not just stifled bags of anger and frustration. I see more and more men that are much more masculine than me, with typical “manly” interests, that can freely express themselves with their partners, their children and their animals. I love seeing some big ol’ bearded biker doting on his little Frenchie in a doggie sweater! That WOULD NOT have happened 40 years ago!
"men are more and more allowed to be fully realized human beings." Well...not by women.
Load More Replies... It was quite refreshing to read a post about things women learned about men, after seeing so many vice versa. I'd say we need more of these, but really a lot of the items in either apply to humans in general, not necessarily by gender
Nonsense. You're gonna give a medal to Bored Panda for asking about the experience of being male in a male-dominated world? While we're at it, let's ask Sauron about the trials of being an omniscient force of malevolence in a world he has made in his own image. Stop acting like the oppressor's story is as compelling as that of the people they oppress.
Load More Replies... And another round of stereotypes and general assumptions, this time about men. Come on, people are super different, men are much more diverse than the hypothetical "average man". The average man or the average woman does not exist IRL. You really need to look at the person before you.
True, but a lot of these are true for a huge majority of blokes, so I don't feel stereotyped.
Load More Replies... Yeah, none of this is surprising, y'all just live in your own little worlds, don't you? The only thing that is surprising (though I've heard it many times), is the whole "not thinking about anything" thing, I just can't wrap my head around that. Like I already have heard about it a ton, so the fact that it's a thing for guys isn't surprising, but the ability to do that is surprising, I just can't see it
Sorry - what is this for? To cuddle up to the "unseen" trials that men experience? Honey, yall boys got nobody to blame but the patriarchy. THIS IS WHAT WE'RE SAYING. Capitalism, colonialism, slavery - the psychology of these things CANNOT EXIST without the psychology of the patriarchy - the notion that some humans are made for success, while others are made for servitude. It's a lot easier to see a tribe of people as "less than" when you've already made that distinction in your own wife. Barbarism begins at home, kids. You don't like it? Cede power. We're not making these requirements of you. Nobody relates to the "hero" who faces no hardship. If you want anyone to sing when you're winning, they have to see how you behave when you lose. I really don't want to hear about the "unseen" troubles of men when we live in a world where the #1 killer of women is femicide. We are not equal, as men have made abundantly clear. Neither are men's struggles equal to those of the women they dominate.
So when a woman says on TV that women are unfit to be President, who would be at fault for that? If it's her, that would mean women DO contribute to preservation of the patriarchy. I can easily imagine someone saying, "She was indoctrinated by the patriarchy!" Fair enough, but why is indoctrination only a valid excuse for women? Have men NOT been indoctrinated by the patriarchy? Isn't criticizing men for a bad thing and then tolerating the same bad thing from women kind of like holding women to a LOWER standard than men?
Load More Replies... 