Do you know the feeling when you can’t hear what someone said, even though they’ve repeated it four times already? Chances are, you won’t ask for the fifth one and simply nod, hoping that what they said didn’t require a more extensive answer.
Well, not understanding something people are talking about often evokes a similar feeling. So, instead of asking questions or saying that they don’t know much about something—which they might do under different circumstances—individuals choose to pretend that they know what’s being spoken about.
A curious member of the ‘Ask Reddit’ community wanted to learn what makes people pretend to understand something when they actually don’t. They started a thread about it and in their answers, netizens covered nearly any topic there is, from computers and politics, to sleep, baking, and beyond. If you’re curious about what it is that they only pretend to understand, too, scroll down to find their answers on the list below, and feel free to upvote them, if they refer to something you don’t understand that well, either.
#1
How computers work, on the most fundamental level.
Image credits: Pays_in_snakes
#2
How some “fine art” is considered “fine art” when it looks like some s**t a 1st grader made.
Image credits: DrDreidel82
#3
My job, fake it till you make it. I didn’t know over half of my job when I got hired. I researched most of it the weekend before and ask a lot of questions.
Image credits: Vlaed
#4
Sleep.
I’ve been doing it for over 30 years but I still for the life of me can’t figure out how it works.
One second I’m totally conscious on my bed with my eyes closed, and the next moment I’m awake.
Like wtf is going on.
Image credits: lasteclipse
#5
Wine tasting. You guys can taste chocolate, cigar smoke, nuts, fruits, etc., all I can taste is fermented grapes. I’m sure I can come up with a bunch of random words, and they’ll buy the whole farm.
Image credits: StudBoi69
#6
When people try to talk to me quietly and I don’t want to make them repeat is for the 5th time.
Image credits: eat_my_cannoli
#7
Magnets. I mean, day to day I walk around in my lab coat with a clip board, pretending I know all sorts of things. Yet, for all my scientific know-how one question continues to plague me: *Magnets; how do they work?*.
Image credits: anon
#8
Baking. I’m in my last semester of culinary school and I’m taking a baking class. I swear, it’s like f*****g voodoo and witchcraft in there. I’m pretty sure we sacrificed a virgin the other day to make the foccacia proof properly. I’ll stick to regular cooking.
Image credits: twitchy_taco
#9
The Electoral College.
It’s not even a real college!
Image credits: Tracyannk28
#10
Anyone who says they understand quantum mechanics are liars.
#11
Directions. I listen to you giving directions because it makes you feel good. It’s 2018, I’m always going to follow my space phone to your house.
Image credits: Dicktremain
#12
How air conditioning works.
Every time I try and research it, I get a lot of smug answers about “you know it doesnt actually MAKE cold, it just PULLS heat from the air…”
OK great. How does it do that?
Image credits: mr_feenys_car
#13
Space, time, and gravity, and their relationship with each other.
Also, gravitational lenses (I think?), where gravity of a massive or dense planet bends light around it so that the planet becomes a magnifying glass to see objects even further into space that would otherwise be blocked from line of sight by the massive planet.
Image credits: 12welf
#14
The capillary effect
So here’s a narrow tube – ok
Here’s water – ok
Water goes up against gravity – WHAT THE F**K IS THIS BLACK MAGIC FUCKERY
Edit: woah this blew up.
Image credits: anon
#15
People are commending my wife and me on raising our kid (10 months now). Truth is we are totally winging it and she’s just been really pleasant so far … too pleasant.
#16
Computers and software. Plot twist – I am a software developer.
#17
SEO. My company is at the top of nearly every search involving one of the keywords that should direct you to it. I spend like $10 a day on AdWords and everyone thinks I’m a god-tier advertising hacker. I have no idea how or why things have worked so well in my favor.
Image credits: trophylies
#18
Taxes, stocks, investing. I’m very financially uneducated and have tried several general finance books but if anyone knows of any that could best educate me please let me know. Google Amazon and YouTube haven’t given the best suggestions. I’m sure I could just learn it on YouTube actually.
Image credits: DrDreidel82
#19
The United States Government.
Image credits: hatheaven
#20
3D printers. Like, I can’t even wrap my head around the concept, but then I’m just over here like, if it works why can’t we just 3D print everything??
Image credits: pizzanotpineapples
#21
Politics. Anything politics. It’s all just a jumble to me.
Image credits: anon
#22
My job. I’m a software developer but my true job title should be “Creative Googler”.
Image credits: ZestyWalrus
#23
Cryptocurrency I know enough to get about 25% of the way there but then I just don’t get it… Something about computers doing complicated math for … something… or someone … then that being a block… using that block to make money… that might not actually be money but it is money to someone so I guess that’s what makes it money
**EDIT**
I got so much info from this comment maybe I should have said something about my research paper.
Image credits: InItsTeeth
#24
I got near perfect scores in my physics classes for engineering and literally nothing about our universe makes sense to me. I just treat it like a religion and have faith in it. I’m just an engineer and not a scientist so it should work out, I think.
#25
The love some people have for watching sports.
To edit/elaborate, I went to a Big 10 school. I honestly had no idea how much of a religion sports were to people when I first started; I was truly there for, well, my education. After 4 years of trying to pretend my way into understanding, I couldn’t will myself to get into it.
#26
I just don’t understand how people are happy to work 9-5 for decades for a mere 2 weeks off.
#27
Having children. I have two stepkids and so far I just don’t think the time, money and stress is worth “it”. Then I think what is “It”. I’ve asked several people why they had kids and mostly they say to continue their line. ??? I still don’t get it.
#28
The stock market.
#29
When I’m buying a car and the dealer starts spouting a bunch of car lingo at me. I nod my head like I’m impressed. We both know he’s just making things up, but we both also know that I can’t call him out on it. So I continue to nod, and he continues to b******t me with a straight face.
#30
When people talk for to long I pretend like I understand what they’re saying but in reality I wasn’t paying attention.
#31
Confidence. I don’t know how the f**k you become confident but I pretend like I am and it seems to work.
#32
How can mirrors be real if our eyes aren’t real?
#33
I’m currently living in Brazil, I have to talk Portuguese all day and have important work conversations day long, they think I understand, the fact is that I don’t.
#34
That unerring sense of rightness in their actions.
There are so many people who just **do** things without taking time to properly scare themselves out of it by thinking of all the anxiety-inducing repercussions. Look for another job? I’ll need to change my morning routine, my commute, no more lunch hour at home, all these new people to deal with, getting as depressed in the new job as at the old job. I just thought myself into inaction.
Yet, I’ve seen people who just take that leap and I don’t know how to do it without feeling like I’ll fail or interpreting the landing as a failure and not a stepping stone.
You never learned proper fear and shame and self-loathing!
I hear what you’re saying, the only way to get over it is to continue failing. To embrace it, revel in it, become the failure before exiting, triumphant, at the end! I guess I just don’t *get* it or understand how I *haven’t* been doing that but most of the advice says I have to keep trying until I get it so I will continue persevering.
#35
Life.
#36
Politics.
#37
The Monty Hall problem. I’m convinced I’m a lost cause so there’s not really any point trying to explain further. I’ve heard the “think of it as a hundred doors” or “a million doors” thing dozens of times.
I’ve sometimes felt like I’m on the very brink of an epiphany in understanding but when it comes down to it I can’t avoid the idea that if Monty was an alien and the car was a speedboat and the goat was a centaur and there were 3017 doors to begin with and Monty only opened a door ever 4.6 hours and it’s in Mozambique and I don’t know, whatever the f**k happened *before your choice*… when you have the two doors in front of you and one is the prize and one is the bogey, ‘sticking’ is just choosing door A and ‘changing’ is just choosing door B. There’s a 50/50 chance.
I ‘know’ (perhaps ‘believe’ is the word) it isn’t 50/50 because greater mathematical minds (obviously) than mine have proven that it’s more beneficial to ‘swap’ doors. In the real gameshow scenario I would swap in the knowledge that clever people say that I should… But I just don’t get why it’s not 50/50. Regardless of what happened before, there are two doors to choose from, one is a prize, one isn’t. 50/50.
I just pretend I understand because 1. I trust that it’s true. 2. I hear the same “imagine it’s 100 doors” every time someone tries to explain and it never gets through.
I take some small solace in the fact that the very *reason* it’s famous is because it’s so incredibly counter-intuitive.
#38
My job. I’m very new there; my co-workers tell me to not hesitate to ask questions. When I do, they’re b****y. When I figure it out on my own and end up doing something wrong they jump down my throat “Why did you do this that way!?”, “Why would you do that!?”. I’m damned if I do and I’m damned if I don’t. Whatever.
#39
Physics, I understand the concepts, just not the math.
#40
Everything about relationships. I don’t understand when a guy likes likes me…
#41
Tattoos. I’ll compliment people on them. I do think they are cool. My roommate was big on them in college. But at the same time, I feel like it’s really just a trend and people are doing it to “be hot” or some s**t. It’s weird. I don’t get it. Do people regret it or atleast acknowledge they did it just to be cool? “I wanted to express myself bro”. Ok. For instance I love the Joe Rogan podcast but his tattoos are kind of like “ok man we get it- you’re a badass” I get the vibe in real life a lot. Just being honest.
#42
Everything, my dude.
#43
How microwaves work. It’s wizardry to me.
#44
My fiancee’s mental health issues. Nothing major, but she has some panic disorder I don’t remember the exact name of. I don’t get it, but I try to be understanding.
#45
Women.
#46
My father is a “Scrum Master” for “Agile.”
He has explained to me on I think two separate occasions what that means, but I have never been able to commit it to memory. If it ever comes up in conversation with company, I just smile and nod.
Edit: Thank you, kind Redditors, for the explanations!
#47
I’m not sure how people form interpersonal relationships. I have to try SO HARD to care about people beyond my wife and son, to the point that it’s physically exhausting ‘faking’ pleasantries. I understand “yeah, make friends. Have friends. Blah blah” … But I just dont understand the DESIRE to do so.
#48
Football.
#49
My retirement account. I know I’m putting money in there, but how’s it’s invested & if I’m saving enough…?
Also what happens when I change jobs!
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