
People change over time, and so can friendships. Whether because one friend does some serious self reflection and grows as a person, or because they take a good look at their friends and realize maybe they're not so friendly after all, sometimes friendships end.
Reddit user u/tomatohampster asked:
"People who have had toxic friends, what made you realize they were toxic?"
20.
She always came to me looking for a shoulder to cry on when she needed. I offered the shoulder, too. I only realized she was toxic to me when I never was given a shoulder to cry on in return.
18.
How much drama they always seem to get in and get confused of how they got there while continuing to do the same things that got them there .-.
17.
i've had a couple. my ex-best friend would be an absolute douche to me every day and it took for him to kill the friendship (blocking me on everything) because i upset him ONCE to realize i'm better off. my other best friend got mad at me for driving a drunk friend home because they had history, even though I literally only drove him home so we are no longer speaking. i keep attracting & trusting toxic people so please i need me a non-toxic friend.
-Jill
16.
When they only wanted me around to help them with no care for me
Yes! Those friends who only message you when they need something
15.
Thought i had leukemia or lymphoma, during a diagnosis period when i got really sick at one point in junior/senior of highschool. Waiting on test results she told me that my "situation was too negative" and she "couldn't handle being my friend right now". Alright, you do you, I guess... so we haven't spoken in 4+ years.
Turns out I have an autoimmune condition which only rears up every few years right now, if under a lot of physical trauma, poor health or extremely high emotional stress... and not cancer, but going through those couple of weeks without anyone close to me really sucked...
14.
When they get drunk and disrespectful. Then apologise profusely when you tell them what they did, then go right ahead and get drunk again and continue to act like a tool. Rinse and repeat. It gets old fast.
13.
When I realised the relationship was 90% effort from me. From organizing hang outs, to emotional support. She went through a lot of tough times and I was always there to be a supportive shoulder. I was one of the only friends of hers that went to her dad's memorial. I opened my home to her. Stayed up all night for her.
But she was obsessed with this group of friends she had who were a few years older than us and very alternative. She loved the scene and was so proud to have friends who were like 25. Thought it made her so mature. I had friends around that age as well but I never once bragged about them the way she did.
The last straw was when she ragged on me and another friend for being too "normal looking". Said we wouldn't understand what is was like to be judged the moment people saw us.
This beautiful white girl telling two brown girls who lived in a 90% white neighborhood that they'll never know what it's like to be judged upon appearances. :) That's when I realised she did not have a single ounce of empathy for me in her body.
12.
Me: "You want to go to X?
"Friend": "Sure"
A few days later
"Friend": "I can't go to X, I'm hanging out with my other friends."
Me: "Next week?"
"Friend": "Sure."
Repeat
If I'm repeatedly being traded out for someone's "better friends", inconvenienced because I rearranged my schedule to make time for something that got canceled, and being met with a completely unapologetic attitude whenever I get pushed aside; then I'm not really a friend. At this point, it's rude for this "friend" to even act like I'm a friend because it'd save me time and effort to just be told to get lost.
11.
They asked for a ride someplace. I declined. Haven't heard back from them in twenty years. Screw you, Patrick.
10.
So we meet sometimes, but when they cancel the hangout session, I actually feel relieved instead of bad.
9.
When I had cancer and one wrote me a letter when she was mad at me stating "it's fine though, since you're dying soon."
"Your lupus is not an excuse to not do my makeup and drive me to my date."
Her date. With my (recent) ex. When I was in the hospital on morphine.
I'm sorry that happened to you. Sometimes, it takes being in your darkest place to realize your friend will never hold a flashlight for you.
8.
Trying to learn about my own negative traits and then recognizing some of that in others I was close to. In some cases I found that with the removal from that social environment my own traits started to dissolve. a lot of the older friendships i had were built off commodity and accessibility being in a different mental state i started improving myself, I'd never go back and if i see the warning signs in people I keep my distance.
7.
Going off on me in drunken rages, apologizing, then doing it again... And again... And again. When I finally was like, screw this, she was like "How dare you not forgive someone when they have a bad day!" Also: mean-spirited "jokes", always letting me pick up the bill, general negativity, feeling worse when in their presence, then away from them.
6.
She tried to make me choose between my parents and her after they fired her for stealing from them.
trying to make someone choose is the best way not to get chosen
5.
They were really crappy to a mutual friend. Nice to his face but horrible behind his back and silently pushed him out of our circle of friends. Realised they weren't nice people
4.
They always had something negative to say about anyone's achievements. Their personal insecurities were draining because it oozed so much resentment.
3.
When they accused me of things that I never did. When I realized that I had to walk on eggshells around them lest they blow up at me with their temper. When they began projecting their own faults onto me and others with no self awareness that all of these horrible names applied to them.
2.
Both kneecaps broken. Having a godawful time walking around the house. "Best friend" was willing to come pick me up (haven't seen her in forever but was staying with my mom) to go to her house. As soon as I said I hurt too bad to brave the stairs straight legged she said if she didn't have anything better to do she may come see me. Never came to see me.
I could've died in the wreck I was in and she'd been putting off visiting me for six months. I called her out and somehow it was my fault and I was being selfish. Personal attacks on me and she missed the point that she literally CHOSE not to come IN THIS ONE INSTANCE WHEN SHE SAID SHE WOULD. the wreck changed my perspective and I realized, it's in fact not my fault. Haven't contacted her since.
1.
This was my ex-best friend. We were in our late 30s when this toxicity played out. My dad died after 6 months of terminal illness. And she got all angry when I wasn't replying to her enough, and even got in touch bugging my grieving mum. It's not that she was worried about me not replying because I was mentally unwell, it was because her ego was upset I wasn't giving her enough attention. So yeah, no longer friends. I found out her true colours in my darkest hours (as my 11 yr marriage had ended 1.5wks before my dad died).
She lost her dad when she was a kid, and her father in law had died after terminal illness a few years before mine did - so she know what's it can be like but no, my pain was all about her. A tough lesson to go through but better off without her in my life.
Screw you Karen (she actually was a real Karen)
Dating and the search for love and companionship... What a nightmare.
This journey plays out nothing like in the movies.
Every Prince or Princess (or everything in BTW) seems to have a touch of the psycho.
The things people say during what should be simple dinner conversation can leave a dining partner aghast.
Like... do you hear you?
Redditor detroit_michigldan wanted to discuss all the best ways to crash and burn when trying to make a romantic connection. They asked:
"You're on a date and it's going really great. What can another person say to ruin it completely?"
I once had a guy ask me if I was willing to follow him into the woods, depending on the price of the meal.
Yeah. No steak is worth that.
Plans After...
"Thanks for the ride but I have a date with someone else, I figured you wouldn't drive me if you knew I was going on a date with someone else and I really needed a ride."
"Online dating, talked to her for a while, finally got the courage to ask her out and then she said that as we got there."
iareyours
Mirror Image
“'You look just like my wife!'”
catalinachild
"I did have a guy tell me I reminded him of his son. I don’t believe English has a word to adequately describe my feelings at that time."
UnicornMagicRainbow
"That would definitely do it."
chaotica78
Third Wheel
"'Hope you don't mind if my mother joins us.'"
ofsquire
"Actually had a girl do this on a first date because she had anxiety issues. Honestly wasn’t bad except that 90% of the time she was silent and her mom talked over her."
"I didn’t mind that much and wouldn’t have minded trying again when she was more comfortable except that she was let go at the company we worked at and she deleted her social media profiles and she never responded on her number. Ah well."
Seightx
Liar
"'Hey bro aren't you gay? I made out with you last night.'"
"Random dude I've never seen before in front of my (f) date."
JHXC16
Was he lying though?
Filter Issues
"'You looked better on Tinder.'"
waqasnaseem07
"Isn’t it basic knowledge that everybody looks slightly worse than the worst picture you can find?"
no_user_ID_found
The Past
"'My ex used to do that too.'"
xxIvyOF
"Yep. I’ve definitely had two otherwise-decent-guy date-situations sour because the ex-comparisons just would not stop flowing. No woman wants to be seen as interchangeable—I’m not here to perfectly fill that ex-sized hole in your life. Focusing on the present moment and a future we could build together is a courtesy we need to grant each other in earliest dates of dating."
LarkScarlett
Powerless
"'I'm an alpha, you cant handle my top energy.'"
Midnightgay28
"I actually left a dude in the middle of dinner, in part, for saying this. I ordered an Uber under the table while pretending to listen to him. Went to the bathroom, and never came back. That was when I was young. Now I’d just say, 'How about we enjoy this meal in silence, before we head our separate ways.'”
UnicornMagicRainbow
Mommy...
"'Mother says I should be back by 9.'"
"Saying 'mother says' just feels weird."
bunnyrut
"That gives me Norman Bates vibes."
Werewolf_lover20
"'Mother says alligators are aggressive because they have an overabundance of teeth, but lack a toothbrush.'"
sodaextraiceplease
Obvs...
"'If you were going to be murdered, what method would you prefer. Purely hypothetical. Obvs.'"
Specific_Tap7296
If it looks anything like a Dateline NBC episode... RUN!
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Despite the advancement of technology rendering people left to their own devices–literally–to entertain them, there are some leisurely activities that will never go out of style.
Or so you would think.
Do people still knit to pass the time? Are people actively collecting stamps?
It depends on who's asking.
Curious to hear about hobby trends, Redditor gizehgizeh asked:
"What are once popular hobbies that are slowly dying these days?"

Before we've become conditioned to living on our phones, these activities used to keep people occupied.
Before Texting, There Was This
"Letter writing."
– littlekingMT
Literal And Tangible Joy
"Well the internet killed pen pals for sure. I do remember I had a Japanese girl for a penpal maybe back in 2007 or so. I honestly don't remember how it started, pretty sure some website, but that was a fun experience. But now I can just straight up talk to foreign people real time, lol. But yea getting a physical letter that someone took the time to write and mail still is hard to beat feelings wise."
– skyburnsred
Model Trains
"When I was growing up, every town had a model train store in it. Now I have one in region and everything else has to be bought online."
– Hairy_Effective1172
Pretty Rocks
"Don’t see anyone playing marbles anymore, I had an awesome collection in school."
– sheeple85
"I had some marbles as a kid in the 90s. My grandma got them for me and I had no idea what I was supposed to do with them. I always imagined them as a thing kids in the 40s played with."
– Ryoukugan
People Were Moving Canvases
"Paintball has been dying a slow death since 2006. Sad, really."
– hobo_recycler
Before the general population began hating clutter, collecting was once a "thing."
Precious Coins
"Coin collecting... I'm a silver/gold nut and I'm always hunting for precious metal coins. whenever I go into a shop they get all excited because 'no one under 70 collects coins anymore.'"
– ThatFishySmell99
Post It
"Stamp collecting."
– spooky_scully_mulder
"Collecting in general, really. Of course there are still prominent collectors but it's slipped more into enthusiast and niche territory than being a popular hobby that you might expect anyone to have."
– iuytrefdgh436yujhe2
What A Gem
"Rockhounding was immensely popular back in the 1950's and 1960's. Personally, I think it's a fascinating and fulfilling hobby, but when I go to a meeting at a rock and gem club, I'm usually the youngest one in the room by several decades."
– filthy_lucre
People once enjoyed making things.
Admiring The View
"Stained glass. I learned how to make it from my old man, and my junior high art class teacher also taught it. Very few artisans are still around."
– brobeanzhitler
Metal Vocation
"Black smithing."
– kenworth117
"I bought a forge to try. It’s insanely hard work, and crazy expensive. I still haven’t finished a piece."
– DSentvalue
Scrapbooking
"Yeah. I'm watching the arts and crafts stores around me completely uninstalling their racks for specialty paper. Now the only thing they have is mega packs of repeating colors/images. To boot all the inclusions like papercraft/die-cut things, washi tape, scissors, stickers, etc have gotten so expensive I would rather go buy $5 bags at value village to get an assortment of things versus buying anything new. I really, really miss yard sales for the same reasons."
– Phantasmai
I envy people who have jobs that are basically their hobbies.
Not everyone gets paid doing what they actually enjoy and have a profound level of passion for.
If they do, kudos to them.
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When we first meet someone–whether through mutual friends, at school, or in a new work setting–we generally feel people out to determine if they're worth getting to know.
While the process could take time, some people make our jobs much easier after spotting instant red flags.
Curious to hear about our general radar of people, Redditor xxFluffie asked:
"What is something that makes you immediately dislike someone?"

Some people just think they are absolutely hilarious and never realize they're the only ones laughing.
Next In Line
"They laugh about having screwed someone else over. If you think you're not next, well, you'll learn."
– whiznat
Unfunny
"when you mention you don't like a thing and they immediately do that thing 'as a joke.'"
– wayfinder
Playing Devil's Advocate
"Kneejerk contrarians. People who, no matter what you say you like or believe, just have to dismiss it and say they like or think the opposite."
– BubbhaJebus
People who put others down get slammed here.
Bad Parents
"When they treat their kids sh**ty in public. I don't mean handling tantrums, setting a rule, having to hurry to the train etc. I mean perfectly normal-behaved kids getting in trouble for trailing along peacefully, looking at things, asking questions etc."
"If you don't like tiny humans who learn the world, why have them??"
– raxeira-etterath
Public Humiliation
"Treating people sh**ty in public for laughs. Like being rude to service workers because they think it’s funny. Big red flag."
– Ok_Personality_1080
Simply Uncalled For
"Someone who is a d*ck to other people or animals for no reason."
– xebt1000
Those with ulterior motives rubs people the wrong way.
The Scheme
"If they try to get me to join their MLM scheme."
– spazmcgee1
Hard Sell
"A guy I used to be friends with in high school reached out a couple of years after graduating about a business opportunity he wanted my opinion on because 'you've always been smart', then he set up a Skype call and brought some other dude into the call and they started trying to sell me on what was clearly an MLM scheme. The guy went from friend to 'I'm never talking to you again' in a matter of 10 minutes."
– Mental-Afternoon-164
A Timeline
"Good gawd, this! I've had more than one exposure to this abject bullsh**tery..."
- Back in the late 80's/early 90's I was invited to a meeting of literally the OG "Pyramid" where you're recruited to pay in, and then you go out and recruit others to pay in, and the last in line got f'kall.
- In 1995 I had a coworker try to reel me into Amway, which was a hard no.
- In 2000 it was Pampered Chef, though to be fair they did have useful products.
- In 2009 a coworker tried to get me into some stupid video calling service that was obviously stupid from the description. He even got offended when I called bullsh*t.
– Mystical_Cat
Too much ego is a no-go.
I Can Do Better
"Being a b*tch just to stroke their own ego."
"We get it, you can lift 5lbs more than the 12 year old, you don't have to rub it in their face just because you're slightly better"
– Livia_Pivia
Can't Top This
"Oh, you did <story that's been told>? That's nothing! I did <implausible story>.
"I get the whole empathy through relating common experience, and I'm someone who does that (which drives some people crazy on its own), but there's a big different by empathising through common experience, and one-upmanship."
– Tisarwat
Lacking Conversational Etiquette
"Starting to talk over me when I was already talking."
"Stop it you rude, arrogant jerk."
– R33Gtst
If one or more of these traits sound familiar to you, you're not alone.
We don't have time for braggadocios, pyramid-schemers, and conversation interrupters.
And that's just for starters.
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Children tend to believe just about anything they hear.
That there are monsters under your bed, watching too much TV will make your head explode, and silly faces will be permanent if you make them too often.
The sky is truly the limit when it comes to silly things that children will believe.
Some call it naivitée, other's youthful innocence.
But it's hard not to look back with embarrassment on certain things we believed as a child, that today might simply seem dumb.
Redditor Disastrous_Toe_6548 was curious to learn the multitude of silly things people believed when they were children, leading them to ask:
"What's the dumbest thing you believed as a kid?"
Pleading to deaf ears...
"My dad told me he had hearing loss and couldn't hear me if I whined because my pitch would get too high."
"Would completely ignore me until I asked him questions in a normal voice."
"Trusted him implicitly until I was 12 and he yelled at my younger brother for whining."- Tyrion_Stark.
Get it while you can.
"That they took everything off the shelves when the supermarket closed."- fgyfddg.
Silly superstitions.
"My grandfather used to tell me that if I played with the fire, I'd pee the bed."
"I believed him for a while, until I got older."
"I think he was just trying to protect me from the fire."- teddypa1981.
"Rain, rain go away..."
"That if it was raining where I was, it was raining everywhere in the world."- morningshartz.
Age is just a number.
"My parents used to seem really old to me, so much so I believed they grew up like cave people as children, wearing giant leaves for clothes and what not."- Laleena_.
So that's how they're made!
"That smokestacks from the power plant created clouds."- Scaniarix.
An instant cure.
"The sun gives you sunburns, therefore, moonlight should heal them."- velocipeter.
Better safe than sorry.
"Don't drink and drive meant all drinks."
"My dad was super confused when I told him he wasn't allowed to have any soda until we got home."- hulagirlslovetoparty.
Don't believe everything you see on TV.
"There was an episode of Mickey Mouse where Mickey couldn’t reach something at first, so he tried again and somehow his arm was long enough to reach it."
"As a small kid I believed that if I couldn’t reach something, I should just try reaching for it again and my arm would then somehow be long enough to reach it."- That-Dutch-Person.
The miracle of childbirth.
"That babies are pooped out."
"When I was like 7 I was listening to my aunt as she explained that childbirth was pretty intense and painful for her, and I was all solemnly like, 'yeah, sometimes just my poops are painful, I don’t think I could get a baby out' and she went 'um, WHAT?' and her reaction made me realize real quick that I had f*cked up somewhere and I tried to change the subject while my mind was just reeling lol."- thesoundingfurrows.
Oh to be a child again.
And to believe literally everything you're told.
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