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I stopped saying 'bless you' after sneezes for a month to see what would happen
I work in an open office in Austin, and I just quietly stopped acknowledging sneezes (you know, like a normal Tuesday). After about three days, a coworker actually asked if I was mad at him. The weird part was, by week two, two other people in my section had unconsciously stopped saying it too. It made me wonder if we're upholding these tiny norms just because everyone else does, or if there's a real social glue there. Has anyone else tried dropping a small, automatic politeness ritual and seen it spread?
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betty_price1414d ago
Actually read a study about this once. They called these little habits "social scripts." The point isn't about the sneeze itself, it's about showing you're paying attention to the people around you. When you stop, it sends a tiny signal that something's off, like a broken thread. Isn't it wild how we all just know the steps to these tiny dances?
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Your coworker asking if you were mad is a bit much. It's just a sneeze, not a broken promise. The whole thing feels like people are looking for problems where there aren't any.
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oscarb772d ago
Yeah that "looking for problems" line hits home. Feels like we're all just waiting for someone to break a tiny rule so we can point it out. Makes simple stuff way too heavy.
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