I always tell my teenagers that if they want something, they should go for it. Whether it's to apply to that highly competitive university or ask the girl from Physics class to prom, the worst they can be told is "no." But the truth is that when it comes to dealing with other human beings — teenagers in particular — there are far worse rejections than a simple no.
Young people are notorious for being mean. But it may be less about meanness and more about when they develop cognitive and effective empathy – the mental ability to see another person's perspective and recognize their feelings. A 2013 study in Developmental Psychology found that teenage boys have a temporary decline in empathy during puberty, from around ages 13 to 18. This is also the time in which they have an increase in testosterone which is believed to relate negatively to empathy. It may explain why teenagers generally have a harder time putting themselves in someone else's shoes and understanding how their behaviors affect others.
Reddit users shared some of the most brutal ways they have been rejected, and it's no wonder many of these stories take place during adolescence. Of course, these are just for fun, as we can't independently authenticate the stories.
FOLLOW US: INSIDER is on Facebook
1. "She hadn't been crying, she'd been laughing."
"I'd been toying with the idea of pursuing a relationship with a cute, girl-next-door kind of girl just after high school. We had known each other through high school, but only really connected as friends about a year after we'd graduated over summer vacation when I'd come back to my parent's house for the summer.
One night after hanging out with a bunch of other people, most everyone had gone home and we were hanging out for a little bit after. It was a clear night, cool but not cold, and there was no moon so you could see more of the sky than usual, so it was pretty much as romantic as it was gonna get. We were hugging goodbye and when she pulled away she looked up at me and smiled. I tried to seize the moment in the stupidest way possible: 'Can I kiss you?'
Her eyes went wide and she blushed but didn't answer. She just hugged me again and buried her face in my chest. I heard what sounded like muffled sniffs coming from her and I hugged her tighter, 'It's OK, don't cry.' When she pulled away her face was red as a beet and she unwrapped herself from me and clasped her hands behind her back. She hadn't been crying, I realized. She'd been laughing." - Reddit user The_Fad
2. "I don't speak English today."
"Back in college, I was backpacking through Sweden with a friend. He was quite enthralled with Swedish women and constantly trying to hit on them. One day, he asked one: 'Excuse me, do you speak English?' and she answered 'not today' and kept walking." - Reddit user Urgullibl
3. "I can't be seen in public with you."
"My sister hooked up with a classmate a few times and says they got along very well, sometimes coming over to hook up and never getting the chance because they would get so lost in conversation. So one day she asks him, 'Hey we get along well and I think you're pretty attractive, maybe we can go on date?' Without a beat the guy looks to her and says, 'Listen, I'll have sex with you, but I can't be seen in public with you.'" - Reddit user Cananbaum
See the rest of the story at INSIDER
0 Comments