People Who Lost The Genetic Lottery
Reddit user G00dR1ddance asked: 'How did your genetics f'k you over?'
One of life's many challenges to being successful and happy is to work hard and stay focused on our respective goals.
There are many obstacles that can discourage us, but persistence and a drive to overcome can be rewarding.
Unfortunately, there are some things that are simply beyond our control, and it has nothing to do with fate.
It's the qualities we're either born with or without that can impede us or prevent us from ever achieving what can only be seen as a pipe dream.
Curious to hear examples of one of life's cruelties, Redditor G00dR1ddance asked:
"How did your genetics f'k you over?"
These Redditors were unhappy with appearances.
Uncooperative Vision
"Lazy eye, and a total lack of depth perception."
– Crow_of_Judgem3nt
"Same. Do you struggle with driving? I just moved to a big city and I can’t drive here bc navigating all the traffic is too hard with no depth perception. It’s so scary!"
– Subnautica24
The Worst Parts
"Moms Family: Perfect teeth, male baldness. Dad's family: Terrible teeth, perfect hairline."
"Me: Sh**ty teeth, bald before 25. My 2 brothers: Perfect Teeth, Perfect Hairline."
"Feels FN bad."
– Yogannath
"They should all chip in for a trip for you to Turkey for a cheap hair transplant and dental work."
– turboprop123
Made For Farming
"All 4 grandparents were farmers. I look like I was bred to farm and f**k to make more little farm workers. Broad shoulders, big boobs, no waist, no @ss worth mentioning, and thick legs. I just look like I was bred to work forever until I die. 120 years ago."
– bwvdub
Stop With The Flattery
"I too am sturdily built. I am not tall but I am muscular and broad with the big boobs and the broad hips and sturdy legs. I could carry very heavy sacks of feed from when I was very small. My family nickname was 'the forklift truck', so that's.. nice."
– LibraryOfFoxes
Room For More
"My mother’s OB said she had a pelvis ‘you could drive a bus through’. I was a natural breach birth and share those genetics. You could host the last supper on my a** and have room for plus ones."
– Elephant_axis
These Redditors are living on borrowed time.
Cardiovascular Health
"Bad heart. I'm the first male in at least 4 generations to make it to 40. And that's only because I was finally properly diagnosed and treated. I wouldn't have made it to 35 if I didn't find the right cardiologist."
– socteachpugdad
"Bum ticker - dad’s aorta exploded when I was 11 and my brother died from the second heart at 41. Just hoping to see my 60s."
– poontong
Being Kept At Bay
"I have a blood condition where I retain iron. It's slowly killing me. Destroyed my liver, pancreas, and led to a massive heart attack."
"Fortunately, I live in the 21st century where modern medicine can keep me going with...bleeding."
– Objective_Stick8335
"Sad Aspect" Of A Family
"Huntington's disease"
– alc1864
"My oldest uncle married a woman who had Huntington's, but they were very young and she wasn't symptomatic yet. In the 70s so no genetic testing or much public awareness. They had 5 daughters. My aunt and their eldest have long since passed away, and the remaining 4 are in various stages of the disease. It's always been a sad aspect of our family. A truly cruel disease."
– Wasyloosker12
BRCA Genes
"I’m BRCA2 positive, giving me roughly 74% chances of developing an incurable genetic breast cancer in my life. It also gives me about 22% of having an ovarian cancer."
"On the other side, double mastectomy lowers my chances to about 3%, but it should ideally be done before I reach 30. I will also need a hysterectomy in my 40s."
"I had 50/50 chance of getting the BRCA2 gene mutation so well, genetics did f'k me over!"
– PoutineMaker
Redditors share more of their crosses to bear in life after being blessed with these traits.
"I'm more attractive to mosquitoes than most people. If I'm out when mosquitoes are around, I end up covered in bites (which I'm also allergic to, so I end up with quarter sized welts that itch for daaaays after the fact)."
– p1013
It's sobering to realize the ailments your parents struggled with are starting to become our own to bear.
High blood pressure, arthritis, and predisposition to atherosclerosis are some of the undesirable parts of my family's genetic makeup that I never really thought about until I noticed how fatigued and in pain I've become with age.
Although I have so much gratitude for surviving every year I get to celebrate my birthday, getting old still sucks.
People Break Down The Qualities That Instantly Make A Man More Attractive
Reddit user Extension_Flan_6615 asked: 'What instantly makes a man attractive?'
From kindness to hilarity, there are some qualities that will instantly make a person more likable or attractive.
But there are some less-expected things that will instantly make a man more attractive.
Redditor Extension_Flan_6615 asked:
"What instantly makes a man attractive?"
An Air of Goodwill
"When he shows a sense of humor, not taking himself too seriously, and kindness."
- TheSaladInYourHair
Genuine Hobby-Sharing
"Attractive for five seconds? Abs and a broad smile."
"Attractive for slightly longer? A good joke or an actual compliment."
"Attractive like boyfriend material? Being genuinely interested in my hobbies and knowing how to explain your own without making me feel stupid."
- Aggressive_Tear_769
A Unique Skillset
"Owns a llama farm."
- leviticusreeves
"Cries in Alpaca."
- Folhaki
True Humbleness
"Humble confidence."
- AwkwardFortuneCookie
"The kind of guy who never acts like he knows more than everyone but actually does. (Swoon)"
- shegedep
A Clean Look
"Personal grooming."
"While it might not make you attractive in the literal sense, there is little that is LESS attractive than a person who stinks and wears ill-fitting, ill-maintained clothing."
"Wash yourselves, dress yourselves like you care what you look like, and you will instantly look far more attractive than you would otherwise."
- EclecticDreck
Kind to Animals
"Petting a stray cat."
- ZealousIdealKing2736
"Oh my gosh yes. Men that are kind to cats are automatically sexy."
- pussnbootsmeow
"When I see a random guy petting a cat, I just melt."
- zerowo_
Self-Confidence
"Self-confidence."
- Emotional-Sorbet-759
"I learned recently that 'self-confidence' is the most misunderstood concept in our era, mystified and distorted by the red-pill movement, even up to hilarious levels."
"Self-confidence comes from how much you know yourself, how you accept your limits, and mostly, that you won't be shaken if others won't like you. Self-confidence is high when you are truly content and happy with yourself, and you don't need someone else to make you happy."
"'Didn't she talk to me? Fine, I'm happy anyway, because I can be content with myself anyway.'"
"But it takes a lot of work, possibly with a therapist, to work on your demons and kill them."
- Joonto
Unexpected Physics
"Enough mass that he generates his own irresistible gravitational pull."
- DoggoToucher
Self-Sufficient Human
"One that doesn’t 'need' a woman to be a happy, healthy individual."
- Aries-Corinthier
Personal Preferences
"For me personally: A good sense of humor, Confidence, and Nice hands (it’s the artist in me, I don't know)."
- Whiskeybreathh
Deeply Authentic and True to Themselves
"Intelligence and confidence, nice smile, sense of humor, sense of fashion. But especially authenticity, I like people that look different, I am into weirdos but in a good way. And I also love it when they are into art and music."
- art_baby
Period.
"No fragile masculinity."
- ForestGnomeX
Honors Boundaries
"Knowing his self-worth. This isn't to be confused with being a cocky f**ker... I mean one that can recognize when a person, place or thing isn't for him anymore, silently removes himself and can confidently articulate his reasoning when challenged."
"Boundaries are sexy... to me anyway."
- InhalingBacon
That About Sums It Up
"I am a man, attracted to women, so these answers are the best I can figure out based on experience. Everyone has preferences so these generalizations sometimes don’t apply."
"What makes men attractive to other men: fitness and how willing you are to bang."
"What makes men attractive to women:"
"How bright you are. Doesn’t necessarily have to be smart, but whether you're passionate about something and active. Blandness and docility are not attractive. You need a sense of purpose."
"Your looks. Looks are part of attraction for everyone who can see. THAT DOESN’T MEAN HUGE MUSCLES for the young men here. Fitness is part of the picture but grooming and self-presentation are key. A big giant slob is less attractive than a skinny but well-groomed man with a nice haircut and smile."
"How you make them feel. Women will pick up on your character. Is he possessive or is he protective? Patient and kind or quick to anger? Is he honest? Nurturing (yes, nurturing. That’s part of the reason men with healthy and well-behaved dogs are approached more)?"
"How does he respond to setbacks and to being disagreed with? Women want to know if they’ll be safe and loved in a relationship and will try to figure you out before they get involved."
"That’s the best I have been able to ascertain. Yes, wealth is a big plus for being attractive. That’s true for anyone. The points above are more actionable and universally applicable. Wealth can be hard to control and it takes a long time to change your status, but getting a haircut and a nice shirt can be done more easily."
"Having passion and being kind, honest, loving, trusting, and brave are free you just need self-awareness."
- WhatHadHapenedWas
Selective Listening Powers
"Women answering: Takes care of himself, sense of humor, and doesn't take himself too seriously."
"Men answering: Has money and is tall."
- my_son_is_a_box
"Women: no, seriously. We want well-groomed men who are funny and kind."
"Men: (not listening) MONEY and TALL."
- grapefruit_witchhh
While we're all attracted to distinctly different people, it's intriguing to see how often some of these, such as personal grooming, self-confidence, and kindness, were mentioned.
A lot has been written about birth order among siblings and how it affects personality.
Not that everyone agrees on the effects.
Some say the oldest is the family rebel, while others say they're the ultimate conformist and rule follower.
Others assign those roles to the middle child.
But pretty much everyone agrees the youngest child is spoiled.
So does that mean an only child takes all those dynamics to form their personality?
The folks of Reddit sure has some thoughts on the matter.
Reddit user imlovegina asked:
"What is a dead giveaway that someone is an only child?"
Trust
"I told my boyfriend to close his eyes and open his mouth (I was surprising him with candy) and he just did it with no suspicion at all."
"People with siblings can’t trust like that."
- cowsofoblivion
Limited Pop Culture
"I’m an only child. One huge difference I see time and time again with those who have siblings—they had much more exposure to a longer timespan of media/music/games growing up. My idea of nostalgia consists of my specific timeline of media growing up, but those with siblings were able to watch tv shows their older brother watched, or knows about that game their little sister played."
- DopeYeti
"Yeah, the media you get is what your parents get for you. So PS2 was my only console since I requested one for my birthday and that's really it. Bigger families might have older siblings have older consoles, media, movies etc."
- Top_Lengthy
No "I'm Going to the Bathroom"
"I heard once only children are less likely to announce where they are going when they leave a room. Right away I realised I do that, but my partner who grew up with 2 sisters tells me where he’s about to go when he moves, even if it’s to the bathroom."
- NucularOrchid
"Now that im in my 30s I’ve trained myself to say where I’m going when I leave a room but it STILL feels so awkward when I do it."
"I also distinctly remember being confused in my first few relationships when people told me they were going to the restroom (okay?) and irritated when I would get up to go and they’d ask me where I’m going (like, we’re in a 1 b/r apartment and I’m not walking out the door, there are only so many options.)"
Anger is Fleeting
"My bf is an only child and it was his confusion at how I can be mad at my sister (who is also my roommate) one minute and turn around and get ice cream or go see a movie together."
He grew up with a bunch of cousins around his age, but it was the quick turnaround of 'I’m so mad at you' to 'I wanna hang out, let’s do something.'"
- sister-christian69
"Hypothesis: I think we don’t have practice of dealing with conflict. I had an argument with someone a few years back and I fully expected it to be awkward between us when we saw each other the next day, but she (not an only child) started chatting with me like everything was fine. I was taken aback and thought this would have lasted for much longer."
- RaspberryTurtle987
My Food is Mine
"My husband HATES sharing food! He is also very good at keeping himself entertained and busy- this was very evident during Covid when I was soooo bored and lost because all my previous hobbies and pastimes were outside the home and/or social activities, however, he just kept going and picked up so many new little hobbies that were independent"
- badjmsbe
"I have a brother and I hate sharing food as well. Some people say that having siblings can teach you to share things but, if anything, having a brother made me extra selfish."
- reforged-demon-blade
"I don’t hate sharing food…but I order food for me + me later fully expecting what I ordered to be there and my gf usually takes some. Drives me insane lol, and she knows if f**ks with my ADHD bc I will stare at the fridge thinking wait, when did I eat that?! Her after wondering what Im looking for: Sorry babe, I ate it."
- huhteeee
Siblings ≠ Friends
"Thinking friendship is like having siblings. It's not. I would never smash a toy on my friend's head and expect them to speak to me after."
- Useful_Jello2910
"I wouldn’t have teamed up with my best friends against their parents or refused to listen to their parents… but me and my sister? Like a two-man army in us vs. our parents battle"
- aw-f*ck
"Yep. Whenever my siblings and I would unionize, we were unstoppable."
- KitchenSwillForPigs
Not Expecting Snack Theft
"From personal experience, food habits. Like buying snacks to store at home and fully expecting them to not have been touched when you’re gone, or eating slower at the dinner table because you’re not fighting over the good food."
"As a teen, on the rare occasion my dad would steal a snack I got for myself I’d freak out, whereas my friends with siblings just resigned themselves to the fate of snacks inevitably disappearing. My mom eats super fast at meals, and she attributes it largely to growing up with siblings."
- HornedTwiddle
"I think this is why I get so peeved when my 14 year old eats all of something I specifically bought because I wanted it. I’ll share with him, but he’s a garbage disposal and will pound an entire bag/box/pack of something in no time, and I get so annoyed. My husband thinks I’m ridiculous but I never had to share or worry about someone else eating my things growing up haha"
- pizzainertia
Doesn't Automatically Shield Face
"No tales of sibling violence"
- ButterEmails54
"Doesn't flinch when someone makes a fist quickly"
- islandsimian
"Yesssss my boyfriend doesn't understand (not that he makes fist at me!!! Just that I flinch a lot.). Also don't throw things at me expecting me to catch it - my instinct is to shield my face."
- Bacon_Bitz
"Oh my god yes. Youngest child here, I also have twelve older cousins, and the amount of things I got thrown at me when I was too little to catch them."
- Dependent_Shower_584
Good At Self Entertaining
"Pretty good at keeping ourselves entertained or doing things alone/being independent."
- stefeezy
"And I find that most of us need alone time. I can be pretty sociable but it can get overwhelming quick. I need alone time every day or my stress levels rise to a point where I can't handle it. Even in a relationship, if we spend all day home, I must be able to do my thing while he does his thing. This has caused me issues in the past, as if I didn't care to be around my partner."
- thinksotoo
"Yup, this is one of the main ones. We are not lonely either, we enjoy our solitude (at least I do)"
- AlwaysSunnyDragRace
Better With Adults
"I can't tell for adults, but when it's one of my kids' friends, the kid who ends up trying to hang out with the adults and gets overwhelmed by being in a group of kids has been an only child 100% of the time in my experience."
- ifnotmewh0
"Yes! I teach middle school, and I can usually spot the only kids by seeing which students gravitate towards chatting with me rather than their peers during downtime. They seem more comfortable and confident just hanging out with the older person in the room."
- catsandcabsav
"I was one of these kids. I knew the adults didn't want me around. I had to choose between two uncomfortable situations, and I could handle being in the way more than the chaos with the other kids."
- needhelpweverything
Less Lonely
"From my own experience, not being as prone to loneliness. The only time I really feel lonely is when I'm around people I'd rather not be with."
- DeathSpiral321
"You can very quickly detect when you don’t fit in or are a third wheel too. Kind of sucks but it means you don’t waste your time with people either."
- Grimvold
"Exactly. My GF and I are only children. We both need a few nights a week on our own which is why we don’t live together. Even when we’re together we can sit quietly doing our own thing for considerable periods of time until we have something important to discuss."
- bjb13
Make Their Own Decisions
"I am an only child… I’ve noticed I tend to make a lot of life choices on my own and don’t seek out a lot of advice or ask for help when I could definitely use it. In fact, I’ve been pretty deep in tough situations when I finally have the realization that there are people and resources I can utilize. It’s not so much I’m worried about asking for help, more like it doesn’t even register in my brain that there is help outside of myself."
- Jaded_Syrup2454
"The inherent guilt of troubling people and asking for help."
- Lycan_Trophy
"I feel called out lol. Only child and this is such a common complaint I receive from my friends and partners, them saying I should ask for help for often. My logic is, well I have to learn it alone anyway. Their logic is, you don't have to right now."
"It's not something I can just turn off ... but I'm working on it. Some times. When I feel safe being vulnerable lol"
- MoodyBootyBoots
Choose Relationships Carefully
"They are very deliberate in their chosen relationships, e.g. friendships, partners, and are usually extremely independent, at least in my experience."
- ffffffffck
"As an only child I have to agree with the deliberation in my relationships."
"I've never used the term "friend" lightly like many people seem to. I see people all the time call others friends when they don't know much about the person and are just friendLY with them. I don't consider someone a friend until we've grown closer and I feel I can genuinely trust them and we can go to each other for help"
- Skeletor118
Quiet Roommates
"They’re very quiet roommates in my experience. Sometimes don’t even know when they’re home. I hypothesize that they’re just used to quiet spaces and might feel uncomfortable when their surroundings get loud or chaotic. People with siblings are used to other people clanging around and making noise."
- IcyConsideration4714
"Yeah I'm an only child of a single mom and spend enormous amounts of time home alone as a child. Can confirm, I'm extremely quiet."
- Yak-F*cker-5000
Unique Parent Relationships
"Really unique relationships with parents. They usually have a very rigid idea and perception their parents. For example, I have to call my mom every day or else she’ll worry, or my dad is always right about _____. I guess when you have siblings there’s more diversity in how you perceive your parents and their actions. But with only children they seem to lack that holistic perspective."
- ninaw11
"My ex was was exactly like the first example! She'd call her mom every morning and would talk a lot every day. It was pretty wholesome to me."
- RaimiKu
"This specifically. I live in a different continent than my parents and we talk every single day. They still ask for my opinion on every decision we take as a family and that has been my family dynamics as long as I can remember."
What trends have you noticed among the only-children you know?
When looking at a resume, it's easy to understand how prospective employers will assume someone is very intelligent based on their education and past experience.
But one shouldn't only assume someone's intelligence based on what they read.
More often than not, one can tell rather quickly that someone possesses above-average intelligence, based on how they speak, how they behave, or other telling details.
Redditor PadWanKenobi was curious to hear what people felt were the tell tale signs they were in the company of a possible genius, leading them to ask:
"What’s a sign of extremely high intelligence?"
Instant adapability
"Ability to intuitively and quickly understand complex systems and how lots of parts relate in a coherent whole."
"Like I work with some people who just keep tons of concepts in their head and easily integrate new information into their understanding of those concepts."
"They immediately know what questions they should be asking to better understand."
"And these are things they're currently working on, not like things they spent time studying in school over years."
"They just have a very strong ability to synthesize new information into their understanding."
"I sit in meetings distracted and confused having forgotten what we talked about in the previous meetings, and these folks just consistently have a solid handle on everything."- Ok-Control-787
Innate Problem Solvers
"They know when not to solve a problem."
"This took me a while to understand but the smartest people I know do this."
"It could be a really simple thing like ignoring emails from people asking for help."
"The supervisor or boss might have a quick and easy solution for the situation but instead of just handing it to the person that asked they let them figure it out on their own."
"They know who they can do this with and when to do it."
"If they did that with all of their underlings it would just create a mess."
"Another example that I can think of is planned chaos."
"Some people can predict exactly where things will go wrong and they could fix it before it creates a problem."
"They don't because nobody ever notices what's going on in the background when things are working perfectly."
"Once things fails then everybody notices and if you are the one person that fixed it you become the hero."
"They can also use then chaos to reach a goal they couldn't get before if things were working correctly."
"There's many examples of this in every day life that I didn't see before until I realized what was happening."- atapes
GiphyYou know what they say about people with small hands
"If your hand is smaller than your face."- FallofTheKnight
The all knowing glow.
"When someone asks you a question and you push your glasses up while light comes out of it and covers your eyes for some reason."- JonEregor
Those giveaway behavioral quirks
"Wearing glasses and saying things like 'ah yes', and 'I see' while you pensively rub your chin."- iuytrefdgh436yujhe2
Thinking Reaction GIF by ABC TV + IVIEWGiphyEncouraging others
"When they explain something they make the people around them feel smarter, not dumber."- redkat85
Being one step ahead.
"The capacity to understand complex things, see patterns where regular people don't."- Ostepop234
"They have this tendency to make you go 'Ohhh, why didn't I think of that?' when listening to them talk."- did_it_forthelulz
Why Didnt I Think Of That Cillian Murphy GIFGiphyAn endless love of learning
"A passion for knowledge and expanding understanding of complex concepts."
"The plumber can be just as insightful as the scholar."- KatatoniK94
Some people like to flaunt it.
"Your username is EitiFrie."
"Jk."- EitiFrie
Take your pick...
"Talking to yourself while constantly working out things in your mind."
"Asking many questions - curiosity."
"Having anxiety and depression."
"Not having motivation to try once you fail something - you’re used to 'getting' things immediately."- I_Just_Want_2_Live
Stressed Over It GIF by HULUGiphyThose who really hear you.
"Being a good listener."- IMeanHeck
Careful considerations.
"They actually think logically about conspiracy theories without completely believing them."- skyistootired
No one likes a "know it all"
"Knowing when to say 'I don’t know'."- CattDawg2008
"Knowing when to give up in an argument."- ShauryaP
Give Up GIF by TLC EuropeGiphyA nose for trouble...
"Depression."
"Hopeless."
"Understanding exactly how doomed we are."
"The next 50 years are going to be brutal."
"21/22 was just a warm-up."- hopeianonymous
It's not always easy.
"Unfortunately Schizophrenia and a ADHD."
The ususal...
"The most intelligent people have ."
"A good general knowledge."
"idk but speak 2 or more languages."
"Have an understanding of crypto and programming."
"And finally know how to fix a car."
"That is the most ultimate smartest person, we should be able to all agree on this."- hehehhe_
The company they keep
"Discreetly distancing themselves from raucous buffoons."- Chameleon777
Anthony Anderson Reaction GIF by ABC NetworkGiphyOf course, one shouldn't always be fooled by what they see.
As many people are masters at appearing much smarter than they are.
In fact, one important sign of super intelligence is being able to separate those who appear smart, from those who actually are.