The paradox of choice (ref Barry Schwartz) has heavily influenced modern dating. The more options we can have (literally at the swipe of a finger), the easier it is to move on to the next one. Call it petty or knowing your self-worth, but we are quick to pass on anyone who doesn't tick one box in our list, even if they check all the rest of the boxes. Although some time ago, the biggest turn-offs and deal-breakers in dating were cheating in previous relationships or having a criminal record, the bar is much higher today. And thank goodness it is!
Reasons not to date someone, as well as dating deal-breakers, may vary from petty and absurd to wholly rational and justifiable. Yet, all are valid since, at the end of the day, everyone has the right to decide who they want to be with. Still, let's be honest, sometimes these reasons are also getting petty, and the biggest turn-offs in a person become trivial things like not having a car or their eyes not closing all the way when they're asleep. That's right. And the latter example is actually derived from a thread on AskReddit, in which the now-deleted user asked fellow community users, "What's the most petty reason you stopped dating someone?" And many didn't beat around the bush. These folks know what they like and even more so what they don't. And that alone deserves some respect!
Below, we've compiled some of the best answers from the thread, revealing the pettiest reasons not to date someone that people so frankly shared with others. Can you justify or relate to some of the answers? Let us know by giving those an upvote! Also, let us know the pettiest reason not to date someone that you have given to somebody or, perhaps (sorry to remind you of this) have received yourself? Share your thoughts in the comments!
#1
"It was my birthday party and he gave me a piece of candy but gave all my friends TWO pieces of candy. I got mad, broke up with him, made a scene, my brother punched him and we kicked him out of our house. Also, we were both 7 and my brother was 4."
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60points
#2
Hawkeye77th said:
"She used a metal spatula in my nonstick pan."
"She used a metal spatula in my nonstick pan."
imk replied:
"I am pretty sure that is a felony."
"I am pretty sure that is a felony."
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52points
#4
"'cUs sHe TeXteD LiKe dIs! :):):):):p:p:p:p =))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))."
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40points
#5
User No 1 said:
"I was told this was petty but I disagree. When I refused to take public transit every weekend to go see him I knew it wasn’t going to work. For the record, it would have taken me upwards of 4 hours and 5 buses because of where he lived. It would take him 45 minutes to come to get me if he wanted to spend the weekend together. He did not work but had a nice income from the Navy. I was working and wasn’t done with work until 6/7 pm. His reason was that he didn’t want to put that many miles on his car."
"I was told this was petty but I disagree. When I refused to take public transit every weekend to go see him I knew it wasn’t going to work. For the record, it would have taken me upwards of 4 hours and 5 buses because of where he lived. It would take him 45 minutes to come to get me if he wanted to spend the weekend together. He did not work but had a nice income from the Navy. I was working and wasn’t done with work until 6/7 pm. His reason was that he didn’t want to put that many miles on his car."
AlliedSalad replied:
"Your time was less valuable to him than his odometer. I'm with you, that's valid, not petty."
"Your time was less valuable to him than his odometer. I'm with you, that's valid, not petty."
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39points
#7
User No 1 said:
"Kept tryna video call me at odd hours of the day."
"Kept tryna video call me at odd hours of the day."
Ancient_Lifeguard_16 replied:
"Video calling out of the blue is the modern equivalent of showing up at someone’s house unannounced."
"Video calling out of the blue is the modern equivalent of showing up at someone’s house unannounced."
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38points
#9
User No 1 said:
"Her apartment only had street parking."
"Her apartment only had street parking."
Impossibleish replied:
"Ah, finally. A truly petty reason."
"Ah, finally. A truly petty reason."
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32points
#10
"IDK if this counts, but I already not liking this girl, and she told me that God told her we should break up. I immediately was like well haha don't wanna mess with the big man. She regretted it and tried getting back with me, but I kept sarcastically insisting she shouldn't go against God's will."
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31points
#11
"She smelled... not super strongly necessarily, but she smelled exactly like one of my roommates in college, specifically the kind of B.O. he had in the summer that would linger in the bathroom when he shat.
I gave her a kiss on the cheek toward the end of our first date, which is when I noticed that faint, but uncanny smell, and I knew that if we ever got intimate all I'd be able to think about was my roommate taking fat dumps."
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31points
#12
"Oh man, I’ve got a good one for this. This girl I dated had a cat and she would just pour cat food on the floor when she wanted to eat. Claimed the cat didn’t like eating out of bowls.
She didn’t have a litter box either, and the cat would poop on her couch.
She didn’t have any cat care items other than cat food.
It was basically a stray outdoor cat she was trying to charm."
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29points
#13
"Went to her house to watch a movie. She put her bare feet on my lap and her feet smelt awful. 2 hours of musty feet in my face
I ended it 2 days later."
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24points
#14
"She told me to stop making gay jokes around her straight friends. We were literally a gay couple and I wasn't about to give up my terrible puns."
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23points
#15
"Went on one date with a guy who drove about 20 miles per hour when he took me home. We were on downtown streets where the limit was 30-35. When we passed a parked car, he would drive even slower! People behind him started honking and it was just excruciating. He took me home and then as soon as he got home, sent me an email (this was like 2010) telling me what a great time he'd had. We did not go on another date."
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23points
#16
Roooster111 said:
"We were both in our late 20s, but she spoke like a middle-aged woman. Both vocabulary and the way she spoke. Can't give any exact examples as it wasn't in English.
"We were both in our late 20s, but she spoke like a middle-aged woman. Both vocabulary and the way she spoke. Can't give any exact examples as it wasn't in English.
Her name also sounded like she was 50+."
Drakeskulled_Reaper replied:
"Close call, energy vampire."
"Close call, energy vampire."
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22points
#18
BranigansLaw said:
"She would try to show me songs she liked, and then change them halfway through a first listen."
"She would try to show me songs she liked, and then change them halfway through a first listen."
User No 2 replied:
"I’ve done this out of fear they don’t like the song and I’m being dumb."
"I’ve done this out of fear they don’t like the song and I’m being dumb."
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22points
#19
RealLADude said:
"She said, surprised, “You’re the kind of guy who looks up words in the dictionary when you don’t understand them, aren’t you?”
"She said, surprised, “You’re the kind of guy who looks up words in the dictionary when you don’t understand them, aren’t you?”
She was a kindergarten teacher."
OkCoast9806 replied:
"Isn't that a good thing though? Like expanding your vocabulary? What a weird thing for her to say..."
"Isn't that a good thing though? Like expanding your vocabulary? What a weird thing for her to say..."
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21points