CuriositiesAPR 16, 2021

40 Of The Best Life Hacks That Sound Fake But Actually Work, Shared By People

Austėja Akavickaitė and Jonas Grinevičius

424

Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it—sometimes, the dumbest-sounding ideas turn out to be diamonds in the rough, real pearls of wisdom that make our lives a shade better. We’re talking, of course, about life hacks! Specifically, the kinds of hacks that sound like fake nonsense but are real lifesavers for some people.

After redditor Rat-avec-London asked other users of the site to share exactly those kinds of life hacks, they responded with over 26.6k comments. The thread quickly went viral, getting more than 75k upvotes at the time of writing, as well as attracting media attention. Check out some of the most intriguing life hacks that people shared below and upvote the ones that you liked the most. And remember—just because something sounds fake doesn’t mean it is (and vice versa).

#1

40 Of The Best Life Hacks That Sound Fake But Actually Work, Shared By People

Using your turn signal actually can help other drivers know which direction you plan to go and makes driving safer for everyone

Itsallaboutthecones, rmkoske

Report

756points

#2

Whenever you accidentally set off your smoke alarm, give your pets a treat so they learn to come to you when there actually is a fire and you need to escape.

kataklysmiknut, Richard Kelland

Report

753points

#3

There is absolutely nothing wrong with showing up to work, doing the absolute minimum to maintain a job, and going home and enjoying your life. massive lifesaver to one's mental health.

hrpeanut, Alex Kotliarskyi

Report

507points

In an earlier interview, I spoke about life hacks that sound absolutely silly with British comedian Ariane Sherine, from London. She helped me settle the age-old question about whether something that sounds and looks dumb is actually stupid or not.

“It’s actually very smart, and it’s a shame if people don’t use it for fear of looking dumb!" Ariane told Bored Panda, pointing out that we sometimes prioritize our reputations over what actually works. And we’re sometimes scared to test something out because it might make us look like utter fools.

#4

If you've forgotten an acquaintance's name, just ask them what their name is, and after they tell you, say "no, your last name." Works like a charm and they never suspect a thing.

maleorderbride, Tim Douglas

Report

483points

#5

If at a place where you don't speak the language, learn the words for please and thank you. Those, and a smile, will get you far.

AichSmize, Zen Chung

Report

438points

#6

if you are ever attacked by a dog, push your forearm INTO the bite. This pries the jaws apart and prevents them from clamping down. If a dog is attacking you, the best thing you can do is offer your forearm, push as far back as possible, and then grab the dog by the scruff of its neck with your other hand to hold it. The dog is now functionally muzzled and you have control of its head. The sooner and harder you push into the bite, the less damage the bite will do.

IAlbatross, Steve Garner

Report

411points

Ariane explained that people often look down on ideas that sound dumb on a theoretical level because we want others to think we’re way smarter than we might actually be. That’s how much our reputations matter to us (whether we’re aware of this or not).

#7

Wear the same colours as the zoo employees, the animals will come right up to you.

Comfortable_Figure27, Allan Ferguson

Report

409points

#8

From the amazing book ‘The Gift of Fear’ by Gavin DeBecker: “A woman alone who needs assistance is actually far better off choosing someone and asking for help, as opposed to waiting for an unsolicited approach. The person you choose is nowhere near as likely to bring you hazard as is the person who chooses you.”

DeeboComin, Andrea Piacquadio

Report

377points

#9

If you feel suicidal or depressed....don't focus on hope. It is enough to just stay curious. Curiosity has the power to keep you alive far longer than hope ever will. Curiosity leads to engaging work and this leads to opportunity.

_Asher451_, Andrew Neel

Report

363points

"Everybody wants to think they’re smart (even if they’re actually Donald Trump!) and people hate feeling stupid or being duped. If a piece of advice doesn’t sound helpful, I guess people who see themselves as clever will automatically reject it rather than try it and risk feeling dumb," the comedian said this is why we may avoid doing silly things.

#10

When you're freaking out, need to relax, e.g. when a chiro is about to crack your neck or anything along those lines, wiggle your toes. Apparently your brain can't do both, freaking out and wiggling toes, tensing up and wiggling toes etc

cheerylifelover123, cottonbro

Report

352points

#11

25% of 18 is the same as 18% of 25. Percentages are reversible and one is easier to figure out than the other one.

DetroitJim, Karolina Grabowska

Report

339points

#12

It you start to cough while eating or drinking, essentially the “went down the wrong pipe”, immediately lift both your arms up in the air and keep them held up for a few seconds. The act opens your airways and will allow you to catch your breath. Also helps food or drink travel downward.

Ecstatic_Consequence, Annie Spratt

Report

311points

One of the British comedian’s favorite life hacks has to do with avocados and how to check if they’re ripe. Ariane pointed out that avocados have an “inbuilt ripeness sensor” that lets you distinguish if it’s still green, ripe, or overripe.

#13

If you’ve got a splinter below your skin surface, wrap a banana peel around it. Wet side against your skin. It will draw the splinter out most of the time. I don’t know how but it fricken works. Banana voodoo. Banavoodoo. Banadoo?

Rusty_is_a_good_boy, Ryutaro Tsukata

Report

291points

#14

If your car is overheating, turn your heat on full blast.

When you turn the heat on in a car, it pulls heat from the engine into the cab, thus cooling the engine.

Bryarx, Richard Berg

Report

269points

#15

If you're watching YouTube on your phone just scroll to the end and restart the vid to skip all ads.

j_prince_47, freestocks.org

Report

268points

“You know how hard it is to tell whether an avocado’s ripe before cutting into it? Simply twist the stem. If it doesn’t come off, it’s underripe; if it comes off and is green underneath, it’s ripe; if it’s brown underneath, it’s overripe. Voila—no more rock hard or mushy grey avocados!" she shared. The comedian added that it’s ironic how avocados marketed as ‘ripe’ in supermarkets are usually anything but.

#16

Sleep on big decisions.

You think most clearly in the morning, and often after some time passes you realize you were about to make a big mistake.

uniadminthrowaway, Andrea Piacquadio

Report

255points

#17

Makeup remover on deodorant stains.
My husband has a lot of T-shirts with white/stained armpits, so I gave it a shot.
It worked. :o

kannakantplay, zdp480

Report

243points

#18

Counting really slowly with the goal of reaching 150 is a decent way to fall asleep. If you have any thoughts during it just let them play out, and if you forget what number you're on just go from what you last remember. If you make any major movements just start again.

The goal is to force your brain in to slowing down and not having any jerky motions or thoughts, and eventually reaching such a level of carelessness that you eventually fall asleep without realising. Helped me quite a few times, especially with rain sounds, hope it helps some of you too!

Solacekia, Free-Photos

Report

227points

Like with plenty of new ideas and inventions, chance plays an important element when it comes to discovering new and useful life hacks. Whether through experimentation or lucky coincidence, we might end up finding a pearl of wisdom among the weeds.

#19

More life advice than a life hack, but: “A dropped knife doesn’t have a handle.” If you ever drop a kitchen knife or other bladed instrument, just let it fall. Trying to catch it will almost certainly give you a nasty slice on the hand.

Stillwater215, Gary Barnes

Report

224points

#20

Run your wrists under cold water or rub an ice cube on your pulse points to cool down all over quickly when you get overheated. It seems obvious but I didn’t realize it until last summer working in a warehouse with no ac.

mannershmanners, Anna Shvets

Report

214points

424