# Things you were unaware of doing **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 22, 2015, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-unaware-of-doing/720578 "2015-05-22T11:23:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-unaware-of-doing/720578/1 "2015-05-22T11:23:27Z")
Tonight someone told me that I’ve been opening my eyes in an annoying way lately. Maybe my eyelids are feeling a bit sticky so I open them up widely quite a lot. She said that she didn’t want to offend me or something. Also she said I was eating loudly. I did that at work (when I wasn’t yet being paid) and after lunch a fellow student let me know that I had been eating too loudly. I think it is due to me eating with my mouth open so I try to remember to keep it closed. The other example is from when I was in high school. On two occasions people told me that I was chuckling loudly to myself. Well on at least one of the occasions they were imitating me. After that I became more reserved and quiet. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-unaware-of-doing/720578/2 "2015-05-22T11:31:44Z")
Surely the classic example of this is snoring, since whenever you’re doing it, you’re in no condition to notice. To be honest, I’m not sure if I snore (nobody’s ever told me one way or the other). ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-unaware-of-doing/720578/3 "2015-05-22T11:33:09Z")
My Wife says I snore, but no one at work has ever mentioned it. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-unaware-of-doing/720578/4 "2015-05-22T17:05:41Z")
When taking a paper from a stack of newspapers, either in a machine or in a free pile, I’ve always taken the second one down, never the top. Never thought about it until I read something in the Times years ago saying this is a common New York characteristic. Now I feel self-conscious when I do it. But I still do it. The top paper is probably dirty, after all. ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-unaware-of-doing/720578/5 "2015-05-22T17:25:44Z")
The last time I went to a grocery store with my older son, he told me in an exasperated fashion that he didn’t want to go with me again because I talked and muttered to myself the whole time we were in the store. Yikes, I didn’t do that, surely I didn’t! But sure enough, the next time I went to the store, I made a point of paying attention to see if I was speaking my thoughts out loud and yes, I was. How embarassing. I didn’t even have a bluetooth earpiece in to act as protective coloration. I’ve since chewed gum or a hard candy or something when I shop so I can’t start the muttering. ---
**Author:** ![jharvey963](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/54ee81/32.png) [@jharvey963](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jharvey963)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-unaware-of-doing/720578/6 "2015-05-22T18:00:35Z")
I’m sure there are lots of things I’m doing without realizing these days. One of the medicines that I’m on makes me “twitchy”. I don’t know how many other people notice it, but I seem to always be doing something (small): slightly tightening my muscles, glancing at things, tapping my toe or shaking my foot, licking my lips, adjusting something (clothes or glasses), playing with my fingernails, etc. It’s pretty obvious to me when I think about it. When I don’t think about it, it just sort of happens. No one else has mentioned it to me. I’m hoping it’s just because most of these things are invisible to others, otherwise it’s because they are being polite. J. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-unaware-of-doing/720578/7 "2015-05-22T19:04:08Z")
When I was a teenager we had a house guest who exasperatedly pointed out that everyone in my family was dragging their forks on their teeth. None of us realized we were doing it, but we all quit that day. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-unaware-of-doing/720578/8 "2015-05-22T19:14:48Z")
I tend to mimic the accent and speech patterns of the person I’m talking to. Never realized it until one of my kids pointed it out, but I can’t stop! ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-unaware-of-doing/720578/9 "2015-05-22T19:55:24Z")
When I am visualizing something I tend to draw it with my fingers for perspective. I have learned to draw real small with my hands on my lap and it doesn’t draw attention. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-unaware-of-doing/720578/10 "2015-05-22T20:02:01Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > When taking a paper from a stack of newspapers, either in a machine or in a free pile, I’ve always taken the second one down, never the top. Never thought about it until I read something in the Times years ago saying this is a common New York characteristic. > Now I feel self-conscious when I do it. But I still do it. The top paper is probably dirty, after all. Well yeah, that top paper is _filthy!_. Everybody is touching it to lift it up to get the paper underneath. If everyone would just take the top one it wouldn’t be a problem. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-unaware-of-doing/720578/11 "2015-05-22T20:12:54Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > Well yeah, that top paper is _filthy!_. Everybody is touching it to lift it up to get the paper underneath. If everyone would just take the top one it wouldn’t be a problem. 😉 The top paper has the coupons, the funnies & the crossword stolen. :smack: If I can, I go for the 4-5th down. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![scootergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e99b99/32.png) [@scootergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scootergirl)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-unaware-of-doing/720578/12 "2015-05-22T22:55:27Z")
When I’m standing up talking with someone, or in line waiting for my turn, I sway gently back and forth and side to side. Yes, I am a mom, but I haven’t had a kid on my hip for years and years. It’s deeply ingrained in me, I suppose. I’m never aware that I’m doing it unless someone points it out. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-unaware-of-doing/720578/13 "2015-05-22T23:25:28Z")
I snore like a chainsaw. For years, I used to clear my throat. All the time. Little cough-cough, ahem-ahem things. Finally, someone told me to stop it already. Oh! Okay; I had no idea! I have a friend who chews with his mouth open. He’s been told a good hundred times to stop it, but he simply cannot. I have a number of pronunciation issues. For instance, the comic strip, “Tank McNamara.” I emphasize the second syllable. “mick-NAM-uh-rah.” I know it’s really “MAC-nuh-mah-ruh” – or something closer to that, but my mouth won’t do it. I’ve got several tics similar to that, and I’m sure there are some I’m not aware of at all. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-unaware-of-doing/720578/14 "2015-05-22T23:31:40Z")
People have told me that I repeat myself a fair amount and tell the same stories over and over. Oh yeah, and people have said I tell the same stuff over again and repeat myself. I don’t think they’re right. ---
**Author:** ![CheshireKat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheshirekat/32/1207_2.png) [@CheshireKat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheshireKat)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2015, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-unaware-of-doing/720578/15 "2015-05-23T01:04:08Z")
I didn’t think about this habit of mine until I heard George Carlin joke about it: “At home, when you make a sandwich, you reach below the first two pieces of bread to get the really good bread. It’s sort of a survival thing. Let my family have the rotten bread. I’ll take care of numero uno.” ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2015, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-unaware-of-doing/720578/16 "2015-05-23T01:10:32Z")
To hear people talk, I seem to have offended numerous people in my life, yet I have never deliberately tried to do it. Or, as one of my oldest and closest friends explained to me once, “Of course you piss me off! But that’s just you.” ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2015, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-unaware-of-doing/720578/17 "2015-05-23T08:18:41Z")
I do all sorts of things that I’m unaware of doing, all the time. Unfortunately, being unaware of them as I am, I can’t tell you what any of those things are. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2015, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-unaware-of-doing/720578/18 "2015-05-23T08:42:04Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > I tend to mimic the accent and speech patterns of the person I’m talking to. Never realized it until one of my kids pointed it out, but I can’t stop! I do that too, I’m an unconscious mimic. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2015, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-unaware-of-doing/720578/19 "2015-05-23T12:46:34Z")
Echopraxia. If you gesture dramatically, I’ll unconsciously mimick you as you’re doing it. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2015, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-unaware-of-doing/720578/20 "2015-05-23T13:37:26Z")
> [@August\_West](#): > > When I was a teenager we had a house guest who exasperatedly pointed out that everyone in my family was dragging their forks on their teeth. None of us realized we were doing it, but we all quit that day. One day at a restaurant my ex just suddenly exploded “GODDAMN IT WILL YOU STOP THAT?!” I had no idea what he meant. It was the teeth scraping thing. Evidently it had been bothering him for years. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-were-unaware-of-doing/720578.md?page=2)