13 Annoying Habits That Could Be Sabotaging Your Friendships 

Waiting for the other person to reach out first

Socially shy, you may not know how to reach out (does your friend want to hear from you?). Maybe you didn't think of contacting a friend you haven't heard from. 

Pushing your political or religious view

You may think it's necessary to discuss contentious topics, but your pals may get annoyed if they don't agree. Wendy Patrick, PhD, relationship specialist, author, and behavioral analyst, calls this the “politics of personal destruction.

Zoning out while they’re talking

TikTok, YouTube, and other stimuli that give us short dopamine rushes make it hard to focus when others are talking (not to mention the large number of ADHD adults!). 

Not answering texts within a day

Love them or hate them, text messages are a popular way to interact with pals. Hafeez advises responding to pals' texts even if you're "not a texter." This includes group texts! 

Texting constantly throughout the day

Texting back the same day: good. Texting all day—yikes! Some folks love texting, but Patrick warns against overwhelming friends. You may enjoy sending memes, quotations, videos, GIFs, and tiny sentiments to loved ones throughout the day. 

Flaking on plan

Hafeez agrees that friends that cancel last minute are one of the biggest annoyances. She says it may seem like self-care or poor time management, but when it happens frequently, it shows pals you don't care about them. 

Tagging them on social media without asking

Social media may create or destroy connections because it exposes them—not necessarily positively. This causes sticky situations when you tag friends in social media postings, photos, and events. 

Gossiping about other

One of the rudest conversational habits is gossip. Hafeez argues that while talking trash about shared acquaintances can feel like bonding, it undermines your friendship and gets annoying quickly if that's all you talk about.

Saying “I totally know how you feel”

Understanding mental health etiquette requires recognizing which "polite" mental health remarks are disrespectful. Sometimes you want to say, “I know how you feel!” after a buddy discloses something. 

Sharing their good news for them

Hafeez advises against discussing others' news but you wouldn't disclose your friend's secrets. Sharing a friend's job promotion, pregnancy, or engagement without their consent can be annoying since it takes away their ability to share it. 

Complaining about everything

Beautiful thing about close, enduring friendships is the ability to discuss profound ideas and feelings without judgment. Patrick says some people go overboard, complaining to pals about their job, barista, and weather.

Being chronically late

Some folks are so 15 minutes late to every event that their friends joke about it as a personality trait. But it's not humorous. Being late may seem like a cute quirk, but Patrick thinks it's annoying and shows you don't appreciate your friends' time.

Interrupting when they’re speaking

Hafeez believes it's amazing how many of us still interrupt our loved ones despite friendship 101. “It doesn't get more annoying than being constantly interrupted when you're trying to share,” she says. Verbal and nonverbal interruptions exist.

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