Why people see you as “different”: Subtle reasons

If the phrase “You’re weird” often comes to your address, do not rush to get upset or worried. There’s nothing wrong with that word. Usually, those people who somehow break out of their usual behavior scenario and think differently from the majority are called strange. So if the people around you are used to living on the machine, following unspoken rules, thinking in a formulaic way, but you are not, it will catch your eye. If you still want to understand what exactly might be the reason for your strangeness to others, you’ve come to the right place.

12 reasons people see you as ‘different’

1. You’re listening too attentively to your interlocutor

People, not all of them, but most of them, are used to not getting too involved in conversations. They often listen to the other person not in order to understand their thoughts and feelings, but in order to wait for their turn to speak. They just need a pause during which they will insert their important opinion, brag, or tell a similar story. If you’re used to listening carefully, not interrupting, asking clarifying questions, getting to the bottom of things, it knocks a person out of the usual scenario. Some may even feel uncomfortable from such attention, feeling that you understand their emotions and motives much better than they would like.

2. You’re not trying to please me

Adjusting to other people’s expectations is not about you. You don’t consider it normal to smile out of politeness, to agree with someone to get approval, to shower compliments on a person when you need something from them. Instead, you always and everywhere try to stay the way you really are. Regardless of the situation, you try to act honestly, in accordance with your values, keep calm, and be honest with yourself first of all. In a culture where it is customary to be comfortable, such behavior can be perceived as arrogance, disinterest in establishing contact, or even an attempt to attract attention to oneself.

3. Do you feel comfortable alone

Many people are afraid to be alone with themselves and their thoughts. Therefore, they are desperately trying to fill any silence with communication, tasks, and background noise. If you like to spend time alone in peace and can always find something to do without involving other people, it may be difficult for others to understand this. Visit. A F R I N I K . C O M . For the full article. To some, your self-sufficiency may even seem suspicious. Although in reality, you’re just living in harmony with yourself.

4. You rarely complain about something

If everyone in your environment constantly discusses their problems and complains about their lives, but you don’t, it makes you stand out from the rest. Even if you don’t devalue other people’s difficulties and experiences, you always try to listen to the person and provide them with all possible support. People like to savor negative news and life stories; they are used to turning complaints into the main way of maintaining a conversation. Your unwillingness to share your problems from the outside may look like detachment, a refusal to get closer.

5. You’re not in a hurry to fill in the pauses in communication

Pauses in conversation frighten many people. Especially if it’s a dialogue with a new acquaintance, colleague, or business partner. Such moments of silence are perceived as awkwardness that urgently needs to be ironed out. Your ability to calmly take pauses, not try to say at least something to break the silence, may seem strange to others. Some may interpret it as a lack of interest in communication or passivity.

6. You don’t show constant employment

Employment is a kind of currency of the modern world. It seems that being constantly tired and overloaded means being successful. And if you don’t emphasize that you have a lot to do, don’t list deadlines, don’t complain about the schedule, then others have questions for you. Someone may call your calm rhythm of life a consequence of your lack of ambition and consider you a strange person who does not know how to manage his time. However, in reality, you are paying great attention to planning.

7. You’re asking unexpected questions

You’re not the kind of person who likes to keep talking about nothing. Instead of asking standard questions, you’re interested in values, views on life, priorities, and goals. Such questions imply a depth of communication that not everyone is ready for. Some people prefer to make contact without opening up to the other person, going into a discussion about the weather, work, or pressing issues. Most of them would rather call you weird than think about why your questions make them uncomfortable.

8. You’re not reacting the way you’re expected to

Often, when the company you’re in is outraged about something or, on the contrary, rejoices at something, they expect the same emotions from you. You’re not used to supporting collective reactions. First, you want to understand the current situation, look at the problem from different angles, and get a complete picture of what is happening. People who expect you to share the general mood are confused by this behavior. It’s harder for them to count your thoughts and feelings; they don’t know what to expect from you.

9. Are you not afraid to change your mind

You can’t always be right about everything, and that’s okay. You are able to reconsider your position, admit that you made a mistake, and change your mind. Most people are used to holding their views to the end, even if they admit the possibility that they will be wrong. That’s why your change of opinion looks like inconsistent behavior to them. They can laugh at you, exposing you as a person without a stable position. In fact, your ability to transform opinions is a sign of maturity and flexibility.

10. You don’t measure your value by the external attributes of success

You don’t even care what brand your clothes, accessories, or equipment are. You choose what suits you in terms of characteristics and finances, without focusing on status indicators. As a result, even if you make good money, you don’t meet most people’s expectations of what a successful person should look like. And when someone doesn’t fit into the patterns, they’re immediately called weird.

11. You’re honest even when it’s not profitable

You’re not used to saying what people want you to say, and you don’t maintain illusions for the sake of ostensibly maintaining positive communication. Although you don’t cut to the truth in the face, using harsh expressions, you still try to stay as honest as possible with the person. But not all people appreciate this behavior. Many people want you, like themselves, to play a certain role, hiding your true thoughts and feelings. Building communication with such a person is much more comfortable and safer for their self-esteem.

12. You live at your own pace

You don’t rush to achieve anything by a certain age, you don’t compare yourself to other people, and you don’t try to explain your every decision to others. You’re just moving forward at a comfortable pace. For those who strictly follow generally accepted standards, constantly comparing your path with someone else’s, you become a threat. You’re showing by your example that they don’t have to force themselves into a rigid framework. But it’s easier for them to call you weird than to admit to themselves that they also have freedom of choice.