# The "What kind of attitude towards life do you have" poll **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 25, 2011, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-what-kind-of-attitude-towards-life-do-you-have-poll/600704 "2011-10-25T02:45:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bosstrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Bosstrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstrain)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-what-kind-of-attitude-towards-life-do-you-have-poll/600704/1 "2011-10-25T02:45:28Z")
This may seem to a strange and bizarre :dubious: way of finding this out, but I like to add my own spice of humor to this sort of thing :). If you didn’t find this at least mildly funny, then chances are you rank more on the lower choices :D. Not sure if this was the right place to put this, but I _am_ sure the mods will help me out with that. The reason for this poll: I’ve always noticed some ‘stuck-up’ attitudes from time to time, I’ve met people from all points on the scale, more extreme people I always considered to be fringe elements. However, after being on the SDMB (no offense), I’ve noticed there are a great number who take things too seriously. I want to know if this is just a perceived issue on my part simply because of how things come across on the internet, or if I was wrong and most people are total a-holes with the exception of the people I tend to hang out with. Anyway, this is merely a friendly thread with no hard feelings attached, I mean no harm by this, nor do I wish to get anyone all riled up over it :). Personally I’d like to see everyone choose honestly, and I hope all votes go to the top three choices, besides, the lower ones sound painful :D. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-what-kind-of-attitude-towards-life-do-you-have-poll/600704/2 "2011-10-25T03:15:50Z")
Stop using so many damn smileys. And saying offensive things while saying “no offense” and “no hard feelings” gets you precisely nowhere: if you are being offensive, you are being offensive no matter what platitudes you mouth. Also, saying you’ve “always” noticed something “from time to time” is contradictory. Plus obviously “extreme” people are going to be “fringe” elements, the adjectives amount to virtually the same thing. Quit with the tautology. Also, where’s the fricken’ poll? ---
**Author:** ![Bosstrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Bosstrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstrain)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-what-kind-of-attitude-towards-life-do-you-have-poll/600704/3 "2011-10-25T03:30:57Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > Stop using so many damn smileys. The poll’s there now, and judging from this, I’d guess you’re at a 4 to 5, eh :D. C’mon, smileys are fun…and I say no offense merely due to those at the lower end of the scale who think that I’m being offensive. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-what-kind-of-attitude-towards-life-do-you-have-poll/600704/4 "2011-10-25T04:09:37Z")
I’m easygoing, but the universe is sure working hard to make me constantly tense. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Bosstrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstrain)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-what-kind-of-attitude-towards-life-do-you-have-poll/600704/5 "2011-10-25T04:55:50Z")
I concur, **dangermom** , the universe seems to have it in for us, as long as you stay strong, you can allow it to roll off you, let it get a foothold and you’ll have to fight it at every turn. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Bosstrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstrain)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-what-kind-of-attitude-towards-life-do-you-have-poll/600704/6 "2011-10-25T13:29:16Z")
I’d say this is going very well, if you project this forward using the stats so far, it would seem that people aren’t really too uptight. What cracks me up is somebody actually voted for the worst one, and for that, I thank you :). I feel more like a true SDMB’er, my poll cherry has officially popped, I will now mark this off my ‘things to do before I die’ list,…let me see, what’s next, King Kong impersonation, just let me get my climbing gear and I’ll need a map of New York,…just how high is the Empire State Building,…:eek:…maybe I should rethink this…😃 ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-what-kind-of-attitude-towards-life-do-you-have-poll/600704/7 "2011-10-25T13:32:21Z")
Wow. So far I’m the only vote for number one. Lighten up guys! ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-what-kind-of-attitude-towards-life-do-you-have-poll/600704/8 "2011-10-25T13:38:15Z")
Having been in situations in which a mistake could mean losses of thousands of man-hours and millions of dollars did wonders for my disposition. Add emergency training (I’m always surprised by how little safety-conscious people are until I remember I got most of my safety training in college or in chemical factories) and there are a lot of situations in which people are doing the Headless Chicken Dance and I’m wondering WTF the big deal is. OTOH, I’ve got my share of hot buttons and some of these come up relatively often in these boards, plus I often use them to dump emotional stuff I don’t want to spread about “in real life”, so I wouldn’t be surprised if people think that cactus up my ass is a lot bigger and more uncomfortable than it is (it’s just a 1€-size, serious). Life may be like a box of chocolates… anybody want the bitter-orange ones? I’ll take your almonds! ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-what-kind-of-attitude-towards-life-do-you-have-poll/600704/9 "2011-10-25T13:43:36Z")
:D:D:D: Ha! Check out the poster who answered “relaxing is only something I can do with a substance, I need to be numbed due to a pole in my behind”. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-what-kind-of-attitude-towards-life-do-you-have-poll/600704/10 "2011-10-25T13:50:18Z")
Actually, I don’t completely understand what this thread is about. It’s not the way I look at myself or other people or the universe. ---
**Author:** ![otternell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecc23a/32.png) [@otternell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/otternell)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-what-kind-of-attitude-towards-life-do-you-have-poll/600704/11 "2011-10-25T13:57:48Z")
Work really has me wound up these days, and most days. I’ve been thinking I should find another profession, I don’t really enjoy finance any more. I’ve gotten a lot more relaxed about my personal life, but since my brain is the same one I use at work, it comes home with a lot of baggage, and I struggle to leave it behind. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Bosstrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstrain)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-what-kind-of-attitude-towards-life-do-you-have-poll/600704/12 "2011-10-25T14:05:55Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Actually, I don’t completely understand what this thread is about. It’s not the way I look at myself or other people or the universe. No, it’s about how you handle it and your attitude torward it. I think we can all agree that life throws you curve balls, and since there’s no way to put all those into one poll (everyone’s"chocolate box" is different anyway), it’s easier and more important to figure out how you deal with it. If you’re the type of person who’s costantly stressed and ‘on edge’ all the time, then you belong somewhere in the middle to lower portion of the options. If you’re able to smile (genuinely) throughout your day or at least don’t jump down a coworker’s throat at the drop of a hat (for example), then you’re in the upper choices. Does that explain it? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-what-kind-of-attitude-towards-life-do-you-have-poll/600704/13 "2011-10-25T14:15:58Z")
All the things that have happened to me, that most people would consider “bad”, such as major injury, getting divorced, getting fired, etc, on reflection have turned out to be some of the best things that ever happened to me. The things I’ve learned and the amount I grew, I wouldn’t trade it for a million dollars. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Bosstrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstrain)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-what-kind-of-attitude-towards-life-do-you-have-poll/600704/14 "2011-10-25T15:04:24Z")
Can we at least get one more like **BMalion**? C’mon, people, he’s showing us all up! ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-what-kind-of-attitude-towards-life-do-you-have-poll/600704/15 "2011-10-25T15:36:15Z")
I voted: \*I can loosen up when I relax, but often I have to be tense.\*The challenge is I don’t relax much. I live pretty much in a constant state of tension. Since my late 20s, my life has been eerily good, and progressively better with each passing year. Because I find it inexplicable, I constantly vacillate between dread anticipation of the first shoe dropping and doing everything I can think of to prevent it. This makes me overly critical, overly cautious, obsessive, and not much fun to be around most of the time. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-what-kind-of-attitude-towards-life-do-you-have-poll/600704/16 "2011-10-25T15:39:19Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > Since my late 20s, my life has been eerily good, and progressively better with each passing year. Because I find it inexplicable, I constantly vacillate between dread anticipation of the first shoe dropping and doing everything I can think of to prevent it. This makes me overly critical, overly cautious, obsessive, and not much fun to be around most of the time. You made me tired just reading that… ---
**Author:** ![Bosstrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Bosstrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstrain)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-what-kind-of-attitude-towards-life-do-you-have-poll/600704/17 "2011-10-25T16:57:19Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > :D:D:D: Ha! Check out the poster who answered “relaxing is only something I can do with a substance, I need to be numbed due to a pole in my behind”. In some ways, people took this poll when the chose their name :D. **MeanOldLady** may be an exception to that though, skimming through the list I noticed it in the second choice. Hey, you’re not so mean after all, are you :). ---
**Author:** ![Electric\_Warrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Electric\_Warrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electric_Warrior)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-what-kind-of-attitude-towards-life-do-you-have-poll/600704/18 "2011-10-25T17:11:19Z")
I answered the first ‘stick up my behind’ option, heh. I am very frequently worried and anxious; if I don’t have anything in the immediate future that I need to focus on and spent my ‘worrying’ on, I start envisioning catastrophes and how terrible it would be if they happened. But I can relax! And moreover, I certainly want to. I don’t think most of my worrying is particularly rational, and I think life really is meant to be enjoyed, so I do my best to enjoy it. ---
**Author:** ![Vihaga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Vihaga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vihaga)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-what-kind-of-attitude-towards-life-do-you-have-poll/600704/19 "2011-10-25T17:18:41Z")
> [@Bosstrain](#): > > **MeanOldLady** may be an exception to that though, skimming through the list I noticed it in the second choice. Hey, you’re not so mean after all, are you :). Being mean and being high-stress are not always related. Some of the meanest people I know are utterly stress-free because they aren’t burdened with giving a shit about other people. Likewise, some of the biggest worriers I’ve met are quite kind and concerned about others. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Bosstrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstrain)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-what-kind-of-attitude-towards-life-do-you-have-poll/600704/20 "2011-10-25T17:31:10Z")
Agreed, **Vihaga** , but “it’s a joke, son” fit’s here nicely. BTW, what did _you_ vote for? On another note, these answeres could be turned around quite differently if someone you knew took this poll for you, sometimes we have a perception of ourselves, but those around us have another view of us completely…it’s why you don’t want to be able to read minds, you don’t want to know what others are thinking about you :D. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-what-kind-of-attitude-towards-life-do-you-have-poll/600704.md?page=2)