Men mistaking basic politeness or friendliness for flirting is a common source of frustration for women. Just ask any waitress or bartender! But it's also extremely common (and way funnier) when guys are just completely oblivious to crystal-clear come-ons.
There's some science behind the male inability to take a basic hint. Research shows that men's brains may have to work twice as hard as women's to interpret facial expressions. And surprisingly, men are worse at reading emotions in women than in other men. There are also key aspects of the way men are socialized that lead to us being worse at nonverbal communication in many cases.
Add it all up, and it can be tough for men and women to get on the same page at times — especially when it comes to romance.
A recent Reddit thread highlighted the problem in a hilarious way.: "What's the biggest hint you received but [were] totally clueless about?"
Photo by Ayo Ogunseinde on Unsplash
"Girl in college grabbed my arm and told me to come to her room. I said I had some reading to do." - Shto_Delat
"Helped a girl move into her new place and assemble the bed. “We should test it out,” Me, bouncing up and down on it: “seems fine” Sorry, Caroline." - Underwritingking
"Freshman year of college I was talking to this girl who lived like an hour and a half drive away. One weekend I drove down by her to go to concert afterwards we hung out in her apartment until like 2:30 in the morning when she tells me her roommate is out of town so I can spend the night. My response “I’m good to drive” and then I drove home." - profJesusfish
Some of the stories had happy endings.
"A girl and I had fooled around in my dorm room. She decided to spend the night. I got up to sleep in my chair because I was unsure if I should stay in my bed with her. She yelled at me. 19 years and two kids later I think she likes me. But...she IS canadian". - wdh662
But, for the most part, these poor dudes never did get a second chance.
"Walking her home after a party we were talking and laughing and I made a joke about snoring and she got serious and said "you want to come find out if I snore" and I made another dumb dismissive joke like "what? No way!" Somehow ended up alone in my room that night kicking myself. I really liked her too. Never got a second chance." - DaBigadeeBolla
"Spent all night chatting with a girl at a house party in my teens. We ended up crashing in the same room.She asked me "do you want to share the bed?" It was a single bed, I said "nah, I'll take the floor" - Loki_lulamen
Some guys chalked the whiffs up to a lack of confidence.
"In high school, a girl greeted me with a kiss on the lips every morning, several days in a row. The idea that she could be interested was so unimaginable to me that it only clicked like 10 years later. Yeah, building my self-confidence has required civil engineering-level work." - Hoaxymore
Others had no rational explanation.
"Had a coworker call me at 2:30 in the morning with a flirtatious "Heeeey, were you asleep?" I said yes, and hung up because I had to be up in a few hours for work." - Shodspartan
The undisputed winning story of the thread came from a guy who blew his chance not once, but twice, in brutally painful fashion.
This guy probably needed to do a little self-reflection after this one.
Photo by Zachary Ferguson on Unsplash
The story begins after a party in high school once everyone else had left:
I asked her if she needed help cleaning. She told me she was getting a bit tired and she could do with a massage. I said “Oh ok, I’ll let you rest. Talk to you tomorrow”…. And left.
The following week, she was kind of upset with me. It took me 7 years to understand what it all meant. Some time later, 3 years later we met up again (school reunion), talked to her and confirmed what had happened.
… wait, it gets worse.
At the end of our reunion she told me “you know, it is never too late to fix mistakes”. I smiled, said “yeah, if I had a Time Machine, right?” before getting in my car, driving off to home, parked the car, opened the door and fucking got the fact that I blew up another chance. - rodrigoelp
People in the comments were mortified for the guy, who may never live this one down.
It's good that stories like this exist.
They may be playfully painful memories for the people involved, but the new model in dating, hook ups, and relationships is crystal clear about this:
Enthusiastic consent!
There's no room for gray area and assumptions.
It might be humiliating immediately after the fact, but guys who are missing seemingly-obvious hints are doing at least one thing right.
- Video of a man ignoring cues that a woman is uncomfortable is a masterclass in what not to do ›
- What's rape anxiety? This woman explained it to her favorite men, and they were shocked. ›
- Real women share how mind-bogglingly simple it actually is to approach them in public ›
- Men reveal what they find romantic in relationships with women - Upworthy ›
Millennial mom struggles to organize her son's room.Image via Canva/fotostorm
Boomer grandparents have a video call with grandkids.Image via Canva/Tima Miroshnichenko
Information from the NICABM website regarding the "Window of Tolerance."Photo Credit: The National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine 
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Gen Xers and Millennials share 17 of the strangest things their Baby Boomer parents do
"My mom writes her emails in MS Word, then attaches the Word document to the email."
A Baby Boomer couple.
Generational fights have raged since the dawn of time, and a recent spat between Millennials and Baby Boomers is no exception. Baby Boomers, who raised Millennials, accuse the younger generation of being entitled and irresponsible with money. At the same time, Millennials accuse Boomers of having it easier economically while making it harder for those who came after them.
Where is Gen X in the battle? Probably off in the corner somewhere, saying, "Whatever." Aside from the generational sniping, there are some things the older generation does that are just plain baffling to younger people. Whether it's outdated worldviews, a refusal to adapt to modern technology, or a lack of self-awareness, Baby Boomers can do some strange things.
To help the younger folks get over their frustrations with parents from the "Me Generation," a Redditor asked: "What is the most Boomer thing your parents still do?" The stories were pretty funny and relatable, showing that almost everyone with parents over 60 is dealing with the same thing.
Here are 17 of the "strangest" things people's Baby Boomer parents do:
1. Phones on full blast
"Play iPhone slot machine games at full volume in the doctor’s office."
"My dad pretty much exclusively has his phone on speaker, and just walks around in public talking with it at max volume (and talking really loud himself). I’m like 'Dad, the entire supermarket doesn’t want to listen to you, and Uncle Jim complains about how often you have to pee.'"
2. Still using checkbooks
"My mom balances her checkbook every week. They still have a landline."
"And she probably has way more money than you will until she dies!"
3. Email issues
"My mom writes her emails in MS Word, then attaches the Word document to the email."
"Like the email is just the virtual envelope for the digital letter."
4. Restaurant jokes
"All those little restaurant comments.
'Wow, they'll let anyone in here!' when seeing a friend at said restaurant.
'Thanks for having us, not everyone will' to the waiter at the end of the meal.
'As you can see, it was terrible' when the staff takes away the clearly entirely eaten plate.
'You're going to have me floating away in a minute' when more water is put into their glass"
5. Always have to mention race
"Constantly mentioning the race or ethnicity of everyone she mentions. Never with any negative connotation or comment, but usually, there is no reason for it to be relevant to the conversation."
"My Jewish mother will always whisper the word 'black' in case anyone hears her: 'So the nice black man at the hardware store helped me find the right garden hose.'"
6. Googling their Google
"Typing Google on Google before they Google the thing they’re looking for."
"In the Google search bar, they type Google? Lol."
7. Getting a job is a cinch
"Believing you can walk into a business and hand in a resume. If you have a college degree in any field, they'll hire you."
"Just physically hand over your resume to HR or the hiring manager. You'll make a mark and get hired!! Call the office and ask to speak to HR/Hiring Manager."
Any Millennial who argued with their Boomer parents about how hard it is to land a good job should feel vindicated by a 2022 study, which found that most older Millennials didn't secure good jobs until their early 30s, while most Boomers did so in their 20s. "To secure a good job, young adults need to acquire more education and high-quality work experience than was necessary for previous generations," the researchers wrote.
8. Why are they together?
"Stay married forever while they behave like neither one of them can stand each other."
"I'm on the other side of that. After my mom passed, my dad now acts like their marriage was picture perfect and they were the love of each other's lives, even though they couldn't stand each other for at the very least 40 of the 54 years they were married."
9. Collectables or hoarding?
"Think their 'collectibles' are truly valuable."
"My mom insists her Hummels are going to put my kids through college!"
"Mine are the Thomas Kincade paintings. She has a Victorian glass piece that might actually be worth something, but those damn paintings are the real investment."
10. Can you grab the mail?
"Ask me to bring in the mail when they go away for more than 24 hours."
"My parents think everybody is standing at the door waiting for the mailman every day, and don’t believe me when I tell them that some people go days without checking their mail. They think everybody is waiting for the mailman every day because 'somebody might send them a check.' Like, really?"
11. Zero responsibility
"'Well, I guess I was just a bad father.' Yeah. That attitude of anti-responsibility is exactly why 3 out of 4 of your children don't talk to you."
"Ha! Have the same dad, do we?"
12. Comment on people's appearance
"Comment on EVERYBODY’s body/appearance/weight. The first thing my dad does after not seeing me for a year is poke me in the gut and tell me how fat I am."
13. Boomer panic is real
"Literally throwing their hands up in a panic when they don't understand something. Where did they learn that?"
"Or just saying 'well, I don't know', especially when that comes right after you explaining it and showing them how to do something, with them nodding along and asking relevant questions all the way through."
In a video by YourTango, editor Brian Sundholm tried to explain Boomer panic in an empathetic way: "Most of us nowadays know the importance of recognizing and feeling our emotions." Sundholm then quoted therapist Mitzi Bachman, who explained that when people struggle to express their emotions, it can result in an "unhinged" reaction.
14. Annoying Facebook posts
"Post nonsensical rants on Facebook for other boomers to like, share, and comment. Often these rants are political, but not always. Basically cringe-fest."
"Most people won't do it, but share this post if you believe in god and freedom."
"I do NOT give Facebook permission to use my photos and personal information!"
15. Dinner pushers
"While we're eating breakfast. What do you want to do for supper?"
"Can't we enjoy this meal without worrying about the next?"
16. They print everything
"My boomer in-laws print EVERYTHING! The number of times I have said, 'quit wasting ink, email it to me, or text me the link. Or just text me the schedule, don't print it out.' GPS on their phones? Nope...print a map."
"Boomers and their paper man. My dad has finally started using the internet, but he still prints everything he likes. Like he'll see a boat listing on Craigslist and print the entire page, including a massive color photo of it, and he's definitely not going to be buying it either. He's got a stack of papers that is the internet that sits by his recliner. He just sits there with Fox News on (though it's usually muted for some reason, that's a plus) and looks at his papers."
17. Flirting with servers
"My dad is 77 still flirts with the young waitresses. It's f**king weird for everyone."
"He thinks he is in cute old man territory, but he is not."