Pet Peeves: 10 of the Most Annoying and Biggest Nuisances

Everyone has things they can tolerate and things they can't stand. Many of us may even do these annoying habits that others can't stand. In theory, there are millions of pet peeves that people have. Ranging from the simple annoyance of cats to the complicated hatred of people who say the word "actually", we all have all annoyances. Yet, some are more annoying than others.

Here are some of the most common and most annoying pet peeves that people deal with on a daily basis.

Top Ten Pet Peeves

#10 Chewing with your mouth open and talking with your mouth open

This one is very commonly accepted as one of the worst things you can do at the dinner table. Do we really want to see your half chewed piece of beef rolling around in your mouth? Maybe if your turned on by that sort of thing but most would rather you just shut your trap and keep the contents in your mouth a secret.

Talking with your mouth open generally follows the open mouth chewers as well. Most people don't want chunks of food spitting out of your mouth and possibly landing on us or on our food, it's disgusting. If anyone does this, please get some help from an etiquette course.

#9 Nail biters and Skin biters

Another hygienic nuisance that people hate to see. Yeah we know people bite their nails or skin when their nervous or stressed out but we also know that their nails are filthy. Who knows where their hands have been, what they've touched, or whom. A lot of people may not say anything to their boss who might do this for obvious reasons but subtle hints couldn't hurt.

We don't want to see people chewing on their hangnails and biting their nails till they start bleeding, it will make us all feel dirty on the inside and maybe even start up this unhygienic habit.

#8 Driving 101: The Fast, the Slow, and the Ugly

Two words: Road Rage. Maybe I'm bias because I live in new jersey but one of my biggest pet peeves is when I'm on the road. Why? Many reasons. Let's start with the impatient rampaging psychopaths that dominate the roads. They cut people off, they honk their horn millions of times, and they usually have to appear in court every month for the dozens of accidents they cause.

Next, the slow. I do love the elderly, I think they are kind, sincere, and honest. Do I enjoy driving behind them on a one lane street going 10 miles an hour? Unless I want to check out the scenery, the answer to no way! People hate getting cut off on the highway and they hate driving dozens of miles under the speed limit due to a very slow driver.

It's not just the elderly who do this, many first time drivers go 30 miles an hour on the highway in the fast lane. The people who are very cautious may also drive super slow but for the millions of people who have to drive to work every day, just pick up the pace please.

Finally, we have the ugly. These are the people who drive too fast, drive too slow, and just don't care about anybody else but themselves. These people will flip you off, honk their horn, purposely drive slow to drive you crazy, or cut you off because they can. There's not much we can do about these people except say report them to the police. Get their license plate numbers and report them because we don't need more psychos on the roads.

#7 The Loud to the Extremely Loud

This one includes the people who can't seem to shut up in a movie theater, the people who talk out loud in a church, temple, or synagogue, and the people who always want to be the center of attention.

Well the majority of people don't want you to be the center of attention and we just don't want to hear you at all. Shut up and watch the movie! Eat your food at the restaurant and stop talking about your bladder problems. Nobody wants to hear about your daily cramps, your constipation, or your hatred of fat people.

This pet peeve is just plain annoying. Unless your tone deaf and you can't hear yourself speak, we don't need to hear you screaming across the room to your friend or shouting to someone when they are right next to you. Please, just give your mouth a rest.

#6 Overuse of words such as "Like" or "Actually"

Like this one is actually like so annoying because like everybody like uses it actually and we all like have to put up with it actually.

Here's a hint: Go read the dictionary, watch a spelling bee, or go back to school. Maybe a lot of people can put up with this because they use some of these words a lot, but if I hear someone repeat the same words over and over again, I start to pull my hair out. There are literally billions of words to use, billions, why keep using the same words over and over again.

It's not just "like" or "actually" that are irritating, it can be any word that it overused and repeated constantly. This pet peeve might not sound like a big deal but I dare you to talk to some airhead who uses "like" every two seconds and see if you don't pull your hair out or scream.

#5 Inappropriate expression of emotion

This one may not be important unless you've experienced it. The reason this one is a big pet peeve is because of its inappropriateness. Laughing during a funeral, giggling during a religious event, unusual outburst of tears, and unusual bursts of anger or happiness.

Just think, how many times have you told a serious story to someone and their response was smiling, giggling, or laughing. How many times have you made a simple comment and they start bursting into tears? How many times have you made a statement and it resulted in unexplained anger from the other person? This seemingly harmless pet peeve could get violent if what you say leads to someone trying to harm you.

Let's face it, nobody wants to be laughed at for saying something serious, save it for a joke. Still, sometimes we can't help it and if you start to giggle at a funeral, please be discrete.

#4 Dirty hands, dirty clothes, body odor, and sweat

Nail biting or chewing with your mouth open may be disgusting and annoying, but being a dirty person is at the top of the unhygienic ladder.

Who wants to stand next to someone in an elevator who smells like a skunk, has sweat dripping everywhere, and looks like they've been playing in the mud? Maybe I just hate germs but I don't think a lot of people would enjoy being around a dirty, sweaty, smell person.

Please do us all a favor and take a shower, get new clothes, and put on deodorant. The world is already filthy enough, we don't need more disgust.

#3 My Cellphone is my life

This pet peeve would have never existed ten to fifteen years ago but since everybody in the world has a cellphone, we just can't avoid it.

Cellphones were originally invented in case of an emergency such as a car accident or a crime but today, not so much. I mean sure, cellphones are convenient, they are helpful, and they are still great in case of an emergency, but with rising technology, the cellphone has become much more.

Since the cellphone has become so much more, people treat it as a part of them. In fact, they sleep with them, they go insane if they lose them, they cry if they break or get lost, they need to call everyone, they need to text everyone, they go crazy if people don't call back or text back, and when the phone dies, they die as well.

I thought we all needed a heart, lungs, and a brain to survive but not in 2010. The cellphone is our heart, brain, and lungs now. I mean do we really have to text every minute, call someone constantly, or keep checking our phone for a reply. That's probably why more people have OCD or obsessive compulsive disorder than ever before.

My word of advice is to put the phone down and breath, cellphones are very cheap now and if you ever lose it, you can always get another one. There's no need to try to break the world record for most text either. Instead I ask that people use their phone more sparingly and efficiently.

#2 Public Flatulence and Burping

Some find this one to by hysterical, some try to impress by burping the alphabet, and others just want to offend as many as they can.

However, those two things are just gross and very unappealing to most. Sometimes it might be funny and even entertaining but honestly it's not hot, not sexy, and a deal breaker. I know we are all human and we do these things everyday, but there is no reason to have to show off these sickening habits.

Instead cover your mouth, ask to be excused if you can, go to the bathroom, or try to hold it in. Any of these could eliminate these problems. I won't be overtly critical though because accidents do happen and controlling them may prove to be difficult. Still, while accidents are okay, purposely showing off the noises your body makes is just revolting. I know from experience that I can't stand this pet peeve and neither can people I talk to.

#1 Screaming, running, crying, and Hysterical children

This one takes the cake. It happens constantly and its one of the biggest pet peeves for not only myself but for many, many people. People who talk loud are very annoying but children who are hysterical are at the top of the list (well the bottom in this one).

Children throw tantrums and they run around in stores or restaurants but what really frustrates me is that their parents don't even seem to care. Yeah, the parents are probably use to it but these aren't my kids, I don't want them screaming next to my ear or running rampant around the stores.

It's funny because I saw a few parents who actually had a leash on their kids, which I thought was ridiculous at the time until I was at a restaurant with the most annoying, screaming, hysterical child I have ever seen. He would cry, he would scream, he would run around tables, and his parents completely ignored it.

Perhaps having a kid on a leash isn't a bad idea especially if you have a manic child. Kids will be kids and they will scream, run around, and cry, but they should still have someone controlling them.

For this reason, manic children are number one on my list as part of the biggest pet peeves.

Honorable mentions:

Waiting hours at the doctor's or dentist's office and your session is only a few minutes

Being on hold seemingly forever and than the person on the other line hangs up on you

Obsessive users of Facebook, MySpace, ext. who go on it every five minutes or less and spend weeks glorifying their profiles and pages.

People who curse constantly and seem to have a limited vocabulary

Telemarketers, annoying phone call, ridiculous advertisements, or internet spam

Pet peeves will never go away and they will remain a part of us forever. Still, there are some pet peeves that we can all avoid or limit because they are just too much for society. I may have mentioned just ten but there is a limitless number of pet peeves that none of us can stand. So remember, next time your doing something that you know is irritating and annoying, be respectful and think of others.

Put yourself in their shoes and try to imagine what they feel and on the other end of the spectrum if you have someone who does something annoying, talk to them about it. Don't be difficult and harsh, just try to reason with them calmly and hopefully they get the hint. Pet peeves are a par of our daily life but that doesn't mean they have to drive us toward the brink of insanity, there are other numerous things that already drive us insane anyway.

Resources:

http://www.the-top-tens.com/lists/pet-peeves.asp

http://www.vita.mn/list_detail.php?list_id=672