11 Things The Most Annoying People Always Have In Their Homes
If you keep any of these things in your home, your guests might perceive you as quite irritating.
fizkes | Shutterstock Despite being one of the more commonly experienced emotions in everyday life, experts suggest that annoyance is largely underresearched. A subset of anger, annoyance is a "moderately negative" emotion, according to psychologist MC Flux, that generally keeps people from achieving the baseline level of calm and comfort they're seeking on a daily basis. It's essentially a red flag — when someone annoys us, it's reminding us of language or behavior that should be avoided or acknowledged.
Many of the things the most annoying people always have in their homes are unsuspecting, because they may be perfectly normal until someone else visits. Annoying behaviors and habits look different for everyone, but many of these things are universal, assisting people in causing discomfort, frustration, and resentment in their daily lives.
Here are 11 things the most annoying people always have in their homes
1. A million screens
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According to a study from the European Journal of Educational Research, constant notifications from technological devices can negatively affect a person's attention span, causing them to lose focus in conversations and use their phone as a distraction for social anxiety in interactions.
Considering annoying people often struggle with active listening and being present in their conversations, it's not surprising that having too many screens and a constant influx of notifications are some of the things they always have in their homes.
In fact, too much screen time at home could also be sparking stress and anxiety that urges people into toxic habits and behaviors in their relationships. The same behaviors that other people find annoying — like texting during a conversation or interrupting — could be symptoms of this anxiety, not a malicious action intended to make other people uncomfortable.
2. Cameras
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While they have become more popular for safety and personal reasons at home, surveillance cameras and smart technologies may be one of the more common things in annoying people's homes, largely because of the discomfort they prompt.
Of course, these invasions of privacy and feelings of discomfort aren't uncommon. According to a study from Neuroscience in Consciousness, surveillance technologies and cameras at home are heightening our stress and anxiety in everyday life, even if these things aren't actively invading our privacy. Even for people who aren't actively anti-surveillance, like the study suggests, research shows their brain activity is altered as a result of implementing these technologies.
So, it's not surprising that having cameras in their home to feel in control of watching their spaces is one of the things the most annoying people always have in their homes. They're not just making guests feel watched and subtly uncomfortable, they may also be coping with the anxiety and stress they spark in unfavorable ways.
3. Overpowering LED lights
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According to a Frontiers in Psychology study, different colors and kinds of light in our living spaces can have altering effects on our emotions and mood. For example, having overpowering LED lights on at all times could be stressing you out, causing you to adopt irritable or frustrating emotions without even realizing it in your daily life.
So, it's not entirely surprising that these kinds of lights are often one of the things the most annoying people always have in their homes. It's not only encouraging them to adopt moods that are unfavorable and negative for other people to engage with, it can affect the moods and behaviors of people who visit.
4. An untrained animal
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While it's often a process to train a pet and certainly not easy to change behavior overnight, many pet owners take on significant mental health strains and emotional burdens with untrained and aggressive animals in their living spaces.
According to a study from Scientific Reports, lacking control over a dog or having an aggressive dog in the home is associated with poorer well-being in the owner. That's part of the reason why they're one of the things the most annoying people always have in their homes, because they may be engaging in unsatisfactory behavior in their outside lives and relationships while internally dealing with the turmoil of their home life.
Of course, it can also be annoying for guests when they come over, to deal simultaneously with a pet owner's negative energy and anxiety whilst grappling with an untrained pet every few moments.
5. Books they've never read
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Oftentimes, the most annoying people adopt mentalities and behaviors to seek attention and validation. They'd prefer to be the center of attention, grasp at praise from others, or set their relationship well-being to the side to comfort their own internal insecurities or emotional turmoil.
Even if these behaviors are prevalent and obvious in their social interactions, they often have more subtle manifestations of this validation-seeking behavior at home, like a collection of books they think other people will admire, but that they've never actually read.
6. Trendy uncomfortable furniture
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Similar to artwork that doesn't resonate with them or books they've never read, trendy uncomfortable furniture is often one of the things the most annoying people always have in their homes to seek validation and praise from others. They're not comfortable on the furniture, despite having to use it everyday, but they are willing to overspend on it to feign a misguided sense of belonging or control over their social perceptions.
A lot of the psychology behind the trend cycle and consumerism is based in the pursuit of "fitting in" and feeling like you belong, so it's not uncommon for people to fall victim to curating an aesthetic that doesn't actually resonate with them. However, it's often common for annoying people to constantly seek validation over making true connections, expressing vulnerability, and actually listening to and supporting the people already in their lives.
7. A podcast microphone
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Let's be honest — the podcast industry is incredibly oversaturated, so there's a good chance that one annoying friend-of-a-friend's podcast mic is probably not worth the money they spent on it. We all know someone that believes they're right all the time and has all the answers, so of course they'd be the one to start a podcast.
That's not to say that having creative outlets and hobbies, even if they are a podcast, isn't healthy and fulfilling — they are. However, when an annoying person is only indulging these behaviors and hobbies for other people's praise and attention, it can isolate them from relationships and interactions that truly support and appreciate them for who they are.
8. Expired food
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Expired food in their fridge or out on their counters is one of the things the most annoying people always have in their house. Despite studies, like one from BMC Health Services Research, that argue having a clean living space boosts mental health and general well-being, annoying people still overlook basic cleaning rituals and practices for the sake of instant gratification or comfort.
Even if they have nothing else going on, they'll make excuses and avoid taking accountability for missing their chores. They're the same kinds of people that pretend like success, wealth, good relationships, and joy will simply drop in their life, without ever doing any actual work to change their lifestyle.
9. Clutter in shared spaces
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Especially for people with roommates, clutter in shared spaces is one of the things the most annoying people always have in their homes. Not only is it negatively affecting their mental health and well-being in every aspect of their lives, like psychology professor Joseph Ferrari explains, it also disrespects the spaces they share with other guests and housemates.
When you go over to their house, you're forced to move trash and navigate through the clutter to sit down, but it's also probably true that you have to deal with the negative energy and mood of a person who's constantly surrounded by trash in their living space.
10. Empty toilet paper rolls
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Avoiding basic tasks and chores that help other people indirectly — like replacing the toilet paper when it runs out or cleaning the dishes before putting them in the sink — are all things that annoying people consistently avoid. That's exactly why empty toilet paper rolls are one of the things the most annoying people always have in their homes.
They're generally only looking out for themselves, so the last thing they're worried about is making life easier or more convenient for someone else with just a little bit of extra effort in the present moment.
11. Cheap trash bags
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Cheap trash bags are one of the things the most annoying people always have in their homes, even though they're probably avoiding chores and taking out the trash less often. Even frugal people are investing in quality items like trash bags that don't break, so there's really no excuse.
There's nothing worse than working up the courage to take out the trash or help a friend with their chores, only to be met by a leaking ripped bag in the middle of the living room. It's not only annoying, but gross and uncomfortable.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a staff writer with a bachelor’s degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
