Yahoo News Weird things we all do and take for granted - from kissing to sleeping
Only 10% of Gen Z Brits think it’s completely normal to eat dairy butter, according to a new nationwide poll that delves into the bizarre things we do out of habit. The poll comes as Flora teams up with Sam Thompson to create a sketch about the weird things we do that we’ve normalised as everyday habits.
‘Knocking on wood’ and drinking alcohol were in the top ten activities people cited when asked for things that are actually a little bit strange when you think about it - but the top result was something we spend a third of our lives doing - sleeping!
TOP TEN ACTIVITIES WE DO THAT ARE ACTUALLY A BIT BIZARRE, ACCORDING TO BRITS
Sleeping - Sinking into a state of temporary unconsciousness on top of rectangular, foam-filled 'resting squares'
Rehearsing a conversation in your head that you’ll probably never have - Crafting detailed dialogues internally for scenarios unlikely to occur, a mental practice session for an audience that doesn’t exist
Knocking on wood - Knocking on a piece of timber to ward off bad luck or to hope for good fortune
Yawning when you see someone else yawn - Involuntarily opening your mouth wide and inhaling deeply due to boredom or tiredness, even when you're not sleepy
Drinking alcohol - Willingly consume a costly liquid known that has been medically proven to significantly impact your health negatively
Laughing at a joke that you don’t understand, to avoid embarrassment - Forcing a laughter without grasping the humour, just to fit in with the group
Taking a break from the internet on your computer to check out the internet on your phone - Switching screens to escape digital overload, only to plunge into another form of the same digital distraction
Pretending to be busy on your phone in public - Scrolling aimlessly on a screen to appear engaged, avoiding the appearance of loneliness
Shaking hands with someone - Grasping another person’s hand and moving it up and down as a traditional gesture of greeting or agreement, despite the germs
Eating butter from a cow - An animal which has eaten plants, which are passed through a four-chambered stomach, breaking down the grass into milk and then made into butter
40% of Brits think people will consume less dairy (or stop doing so altogether) in the next decade, because of its impact on the environment, and the preference for dairy-free alternatives - alongside 15% saying it’ll be because it’s deemed ‘weird’.
Other habits that Brits do that are considered normal in their home, but others would consider ‘weird’, include talking to themselves, having conversations with a pet, and sleeping on the same side of the bed every night. Multiple respondents also mentioned talking to their houseplants and dancing in front of the mirror.
Calling out odd ‘normal’ behaviours has gained traction online in recent months, with TikTokkers such as @undiagnosedadhd9 driving the conversation - he questions why us humans create and watch movies to deliberately scare ourselves (even though we know it’s not real), and asks ‘who decided when you like someone you kiss them’.
@shesnotfunnytiktok has also covered the subject, discussing how weird it is that we hang art on our walls - because ‘it’s nice and I want to look at that every day’ - or the fact we lie down on our ‘resting squares’ (aka beds).
Sam Thompson said: “It’s been a lot of fun thinking about how weird some of our everyday behaviours actually are. Like why we indulge in butter churned straight from a cow’s grassy feast rather than going for the plant-based option? I HAVE NO IDEA. If you feel the same and are up for a laugh about the quirks of our daily routines that we’ve all accepted as normal, head over to my Instagram for my sketch unpacking the lot. Like me, you may want to rethink what you’re spreading on your morning toast…”
Ian Hepburn, Marketing Director at Upfield said: "The findings have really shone a light on the fact that we have so many behaviours and practices that we’ve normalised, but they are, on reflection, just a little bit weird! We wanted to challenge some of those norms - such as the practice of consuming dairy products like cow butter.
“It’s something that no other species on the planet does, yet we’ve completely normalised doing so. We hope it makes people stop and think, and that it prompts positive change when it comes to the consumption of dairy and its resulting impact on the environment.”
