# Mundane "super powers" you have **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 17, 2012, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-super-powers-you-have/638078 "2012-10-17T23:07:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2012, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-super-powers-you-have/638078/1 "2012-10-17T23:07:18Z")
I can blow bubbles out of my mouth that float through the air and eventually land, using nothing but the spit in my mouth. I can even do this in rapid succession, like a machine gun of saliva bubbles. I’ve always considered this to be my “super power”. Obviously it’s not going to really do much for me, but it’s a fairly unique skill, I didn’t learn it from anyone else, and it really seems to amaze/gross people out when they see it. So, how about you? Do you have any mundane super powers? ---
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2012, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-super-powers-you-have/638078/2 "2012-10-17T23:28:34Z")
Dense bones. Really, I have been tested by the Army and my private doctor and my bones are about 25% denser than average. I survived being thrown out of a moving vehicle at 55 mph, landed on the asphalt, and broke no bones. This was witnessed by a state trooper who measured my movement after exiting the vehicle to about 135 ft. Muscles tore, cartilage snapped but bones were ok. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2012, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-super-powers-you-have/638078/3 "2012-10-17T23:38:29Z")
> [@Lanzy](#): > > Dense bones. Really, I have been tested by the Army and my private doctor and my bones are about 25% denser than average. > > I survived being thrown out of a moving vehicle at 55 mph, landed on the asphalt, and broke no bones. This was witnessed by a state trooper who measured my movement after exiting the vehicle to about 135 ft. Muscles tore, cartilage snapped but bones were ok. Holy moly! I hardly call that “mundane” but thanks for sharing! That is SO much better than my bubble-blowing ability. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-super-powers-you-have/638078/4 "2012-10-18T00:09:08Z")
Apparently, the ability to make others start threads just by thinking about the topic! **drewtwo99** needs a video, and **Lanzy** must have a story behind that. Umm… I have the ability to summon waitstaff. I simply stuff a bunch of food in my mouth, and I can only reply “mmph-mmmh!” when they ask how everything is. They are nowhere to be seen if I am able to talk. Pretty… worthless. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-super-powers-you-have/638078/5 "2012-10-18T00:23:29Z")
> [@Lanzy](#): > > Dense bones. Really, I have been tested by the Army and my private doctor and my bones are about 25% denser than average. > > I survived being thrown out of a moving vehicle at 55 mph, landed on the asphalt, and broke no bones. This was witnessed by a state trooper who measured my movement after exiting the vehicle to about 135 ft. Muscles tore, cartilage snapped but bones were ok. You are David Dunn and I claim my £5. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-super-powers-you-have/638078/6 "2012-10-18T00:30:40Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > **drewtwo99** needs a video, and **Lanzy** must have a story behind that. I’d happily settle for the **Lanzy** video. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-super-powers-you-have/638078/7 "2012-10-18T00:50:57Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > **drewtwo99** needs a video, and **Lanzy** must have a story behind that. > . You know, I’ve tried to capture the bubble blowing on video but it just doesn’t work out. The lighting or resolution is wrong, or the ISO or something… they just don’t show up ☹ Sadly you’ll have to take my word for it. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-super-powers-you-have/638078/8 "2012-10-18T01:02:29Z")
I can slip into the tiniest parking space with just one try, at a pretty good speed. Zip, zip — Bob’s your uncle, with 20cm in front and behind my car (Toyota Echo–it’s really short). I get excellent spaces that no one else will even try to fit into. “Stand back, everyone. This is a job for _ **Parallel Peter Parker** _!” ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-super-powers-you-have/638078/9 "2012-10-18T01:10:10Z")
I don’t get hangovers. Even after being barfdrunk. I drink pretty rarely, though. I have decided that this power must be used responsibly. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-super-powers-you-have/638078/10 "2012-10-18T01:17:27Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > I don’t get hangovers. Even after being barfdrunk. > > I drink pretty rarely, though. I have decided that this power must be used responsibly. Oh, wow… I know everyone hates a “me too” but I actually have this same super power. And like you, I rarely drink, especially to the point of barf drunk. But yeah… never ever a hangover. According to wikipedia, 25-30% of people are resistant to hangovers. I wonder what percent are entirely immune? > [@digs](#): > > I can slip into the tiniest parking space with just one try, at a pretty good speed. Zip, zip — Bob’s your uncle, with 20cm in front and behind my car (Toyota Echo–it’s really short). > > I get excellent spaces that no one else will even try to fit into. > > “Stand back, everyone. This is a job for _ **Parallel Peter Parker** _!” That’s an awesome power. I wish I had that. I’m not _bad_ at parallel parking like some people, but I’m certainly not that good. ---
**Author:** ![Chef\_Troy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Chef\_Troy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chef_Troy)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-super-powers-you-have/638078/11 "2012-10-18T01:29:01Z")
I have the superhuman ability to do better than average on multiple-choice tests even without studying beforehand. It’s like the correct answer almost glows. I’ve had to discourage my son from trying to use this power, because he has apparently NOT inherited it. ---
**Author:** ![oft\_wears\_hats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7993a0/32.png) [@oft\_wears\_hats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oft_wears_hats)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-super-powers-you-have/638078/12 "2012-10-18T01:30:41Z")
I have a special sense for when timers are about to go off. I’ll be in the living room, suddenly thinking that it’s been an awful long time since I set that timer in the kitchen. It invariably goes off while I’m thinking it or turns out to have less than a minute to go. So yeah, pretty useless. ---
**Author:** ![bunnymom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c4cdca/32.png) [@bunnymom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bunnymom)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-super-powers-you-have/638078/13 "2012-10-18T01:32:34Z")
I can determine when a Tony’s frozen pizza is ready to come out of the oven by smell. I don’t know how I acquired this amazing ability but it has come in very handy. When my boys were teens they frequently forgot when they put a pizza in the oven. Mom to the rescue! And I can come pretty close with biscuits and bread, too. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-super-powers-you-have/638078/14 "2012-10-18T01:33:46Z")
> [@oft\_wears\_hats](#): > > I have a special sense for when timers are about to go off. I’ll be in the living room, suddenly thinking that it’s been an awful long time since I set that timer in the kitchen. It invariably goes off while I’m thinking it or turns out to have less than a minute to go. So yeah, pretty useless. Ugh! I have the exact OPPOSITE of this super power, in the sense that I always feel it’s about to go off or should have gone off, but it still has PLENTY of time left. So my brain has adjusted over the years to try to suppress that feeling… and even suppress actually HEARING the timer sometimes. “Hey! I never heard this timer go off? How long has my pizza been in the oven! Oh noooo!!!” So… your super power might not be so useless! ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-super-powers-you-have/638078/15 "2012-10-18T01:41:04Z")
I have loose joints in my thumbs and can bend them all the way in any direction. It freaks people out when I show them. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![leftfield6](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leftfield6/32/18780_2.png) [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-super-powers-you-have/638078/16 "2012-10-18T01:42:08Z")
My thumbs bend about 25% more than most people’s thumbs do. I could be kickass hitchhiker. It’s actually a genetic thing, the more science-y name is distal hyperextensibility of the thumb. It’s a real thing, look [here.](http://askabiologist.asu.edu/sites/default/files/resources/articles/mendel/hitchhikers_thumb.jpg) This is not my thumb, but mine look just like that. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-super-powers-you-have/638078/17 "2012-10-18T01:49:14Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > I have loose joints in my thumbs and can bend them all the way in any direction. It freaks people out when I show them. :eek: > [@leftfield6](#): > > My thumbs bend about 25% more than most people’s thumbs do. I could be kickass hitchhiker. > > It’s actually a genetic thing, the more science-y name is distal hyperextensibility of the thumb. It’s a real thing, look [here.](http://askabiologist.asu.edu/sites/default/files/resources/articles/mendel/hitchhikers_thumb.jpg) This is not my thumb, but mine look just like that. Did you see my post before you posted this? Or was this one ODD-ass coincidence (one minute between posts)?? ---
**Author:** ![leftfield6](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leftfield6/32/18780_2.png) [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-super-powers-you-have/638078/18 "2012-10-18T01:56:32Z")
Holy crap. You posted while I was typing and finding a pic to use. Thumbs up to both us!! :p:p ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-super-powers-you-have/638078/19 "2012-10-18T02:11:01Z")
> [@Chef\_Troy](#): > > I have the superhuman ability to do better than average on multiple-choice tests even without studying beforehand. It’s like the correct answer almost glows. > > I’ve had to discourage my son from trying to use this power, because he has apparently NOT inherited it. :dubious: I don’t buy it. Sorry, but it’s statistically impossible. I can whistle perfectly in melody. If you wanted someone to replicate the whistling in Billy Joel’s _Stranger_ or The Scorpions _Winds of Change_, I’d be your man. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-super-powers-you-have/638078/20 "2012-10-18T02:11:47Z")
> [@digs](#): > > I can slip into the tiniest parking space with just one try, at a pretty good speed. Zip, zip — Bob’s your uncle, with 20cm in front and behind my car (Toyota Echo–it’s really short). > > I get excellent spaces that no one else will even try to fit into. > > “Stand back, everyone. This is a job for _ **Parallel Peter Parker** _!” [Are you this good?](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHzws6FpuNE) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-super-powers-you-have/638078.md?page=2)