Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Break Down Which Useless Skills They Totally Excel At

People Break Down Which Useless Skills They Totally Excel At
Image by congerdesign from Pixabay

Make us preferred on Google

I can do many things. Things that are astonishing and mean nothing. Like so many of us we all harbor skills and abilities that others wish to be experts in but... they're mostly useless.

I can balance and catch ten quarters off of my elbow and then catch them when I throw my arm down. Someone call Guinness, and not the beer.

I promise there is no reason to put that on a resume. But don't ignore special skills, because they are perfect to be the life of the party. And being the life of the party is a skill.

Redditor u/dawnsic wanted to hear about everybody's hidden talents that may (but probably won't) change the world, by asking:

What useless thing do you excel at?

Let's find ways to excel. We need that, especially now. No matter how insignificant, tell us all about it. Anything can be a conversation starter.

Bumps

Drew Barrymore Goosebumps GIF by CBSGiphy

"I can control my goosebumps. Science says I shouldn't be able to control an autonomic response. But here I am, killing it."

- EmperorOfFabulous

I recognize...

"I can recall and recognize to this day people that I was in preschool with or have seen very briefly. When I was dating my ex I would see someone that I recognized and would walk up to them and do the whole "aren't you so and so from blank?" It gave them (my partner) extreme anxiety because strangers and what if I was wrong but I am always right, every time."

- That1GuyNate

Top Marks

"I was the top Latin student in my high school and always got top marks on the national Latin exam. Too bad I had no interest in studying classics, but I'm holding out hope that I'll be able to time travel to Ancient Rome before I die."

- anderjp1

"Chances are you wouldn't be understandable anyway since it would be hard to know how any commoners spoke."

- TheSpookyGoost

CLICK

"I can click my tongue REALLY loudly."

- dabunny21689

"My friend's daughter is like this! It was a natural talent practically from birth (she's only 7 now). I chuckled that it feels like it has to be genetic because she was adopted as an infant but is ethnically Xhosa, which is one of the languages that uses clicks."

- arcinva

Make a Wish

Happy Birthday GIFGiphy

"Remembering birthdays. I remember people's birthdays even if I haven't talked to them in over 5 years."

- DiamondCore77

So far, I'm intrigued. I would love to control my goosebumps. And remembering birthdays is a gift. I've given up on trying. Tell me more...

I See You

Watching You Tina Fey GIF by Unbreakable Kimmy SchmidtGiphy

"Being able to perfectly recreate facial expressions of other people from memory that they do, that no one else really recognizes until I do an impersonation of them. It's a great party trick that gets lots of laughs especially if a few people know that person."

- sandgoon1235

Tongues Out

"Touching my tongue to my nose, however this has gotten me a free drink at a bar."

- LifeIsConfusing24

"You know that game where you catch a stack of quarters off your elbow with the same hand? Apparently my dad used to go to bars with NO MONEY whatsoever and get his whole bar tab paid by doing this lol. Turns out it doesn't have to be so useless."

- EducationalKoala7

People Share Which Social Norms Absolutely Baffle Them | George Takei’s Oh Myyy

Do You Hear?

"Vibrating my eardrums."

- ArnassusProductions

"HOLY FREAKING CRAP!!! I have tried to explain this to other people my ENTIRE LIFE and no one understands what the hell I'm talking about. And now I find out that not only do other know about this, but there's a name for the body part responsible for it. I freaking love you beautiful reddit people!"

- UndefinedSpoon

LETTERS

"Word searches."

- everybodyloveshank

"I used to be a word search demon in elementary school, especially if prizes were involved. Especially if they have those word searches that give you backwards diagonal words, you know it's going to be a banger."

- Withinmyrange

Memory Loss

Will Smith Memory GIF by STARZGiphy

"I am amazing at keeping secrets because I forget them immediately."

- Iamabot123456

Hidden Talent

"I am fantastic at folding a standard piece of paper into thirds, brochure style."

- sockylocky

"Maybe you could do a Twitch channel (asmr category). Maybe spa music and pleasant paper folding. If it is profitable, think of deducting the paper as a business expense and potentially launching a cute brochure template on Etsy."

- Reddit

I Know Them

"So I have photographic memory with actors in films. It's like a photographic recalling of what film they were in and what role they played. Even if I saw the film years and years ago. I remember their voice and body language; it's usually a particular line they say which I try to use as an anchor for placing them. It's odd because I'd say I'm very tuned in to people's body language and general mood which may have something to do with it."

- MildlyAgreeable

Fly High

northern ireland football GIFGiphy

"Flags, I know flags and can describe them from memory."

- BaconBear36

The Notes

"Memorizing songs after just listen to them once."

- thi_mazthithi

"Ah that's what I was gonna say, my boyfriend will show me a song for the first time and I can sing along to the second chorus. The only way this would be useful is if we were in theatre or something?"

- mellb00

"I hate this. I listen to songs a few times, I remember everything, and then I sing them in my head for the whole day, then that song becomes boring, and i start hating that song. it's completely useless and it's just taking space in my head, but i can't stop it from happening."

- PlasticCupboard007

9 to 5

"I thrive at looking busy at work while doing absolutely nothing."

- Jjay_11

"I would argue this is not a useless skill especially since most jobs I have had in my life I am given 10-20 hours of work to do in a week and I am expected to be there for 40. This is why I am loving working from home."

- galad2003

Info Wars

"Retaining loads of absolutely useless information. It's my true talent but a waste of brainpower."

- gooqie

"You must be my long lost sibling, I too, am full of useless information. Information that I drop on unsuspecting people every chance I get."

- HIGHsolated420

Look Close

Cat Staring Contest GIFGiphy

"I can win a staring contest against anyone. I consecutively beat 6 people without a break. I've held my eyes open for about 10 minutes without blinking, I've made people uncomfortable in every sense of the word."

- TheOnlyRealDregas

Classic Moves

"Remembering useless and obscure information from video games I've played over twenty years ago."

- Darthaerith

"I was playing Zelda II on an emulator when I was 18 or so, so like 2004. My dad walks by, looks over my shoulder, and says "move five blocks right and one up." And there's the secret hut! We hadn't had the NES even set up in MANY years."

- CuteCuteJames

"This ability for me at least has also migrated to TV Shows and films. Haven't seen a TV show in a few years, catch literally a few seconds of the show and I instantly know what series and episode it is."

- Fewster96

Face Off

"Facial recognition. Some profs from the UK developed a test to study it. I'm in the top 0.1% apparently. I've recognized people i stood in line at a Starbucks beside years later while they were zipping by in a car. I have not found a use for this. Greenwich University is where the study was done."

- Hank___Scorpio

Virtuoso

Season 2 Dancing GIF by The Fresh Prince of Bel-AirGiphy

"Learning something fast, but not good enough to excel in it. I've learned basic guitar, piano, cooking, drawing, basketball, shooting, video games on my own. I never get really good at it, but I can do it. Except maybe dancing. I just look bad when I dance."

- MiiHanazono

Be great at all the things you can be, no matter what. Even if your skills won't change the world. You never know if ten quarters on an elbow could entertain the Queen. There is a game changer.

Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Screenshots from @voycebutler5's TikTok
@voycebutler5/TikTok

Man Goes Viral For Pretending To Be Woman's Friend In Walmart After She Realized She Was Being Followed

Nobody likes feeling unsafe while alone in public—and women in particular experience this far too often. It's not wonder that most women would choose encountering a random bear in the wild rather than a random man.

It's becoming an increasingly common practice for women to approach other women and pretend to have "lost their friend" in the crowd, so as to deter creeps from bothering them. On rare occasions, a woman might approach a man, as well, if he seems like a safer option.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @ulovelailahakim's TikTok
@ulovelailahakim/TikTok

TikToker Sparks Debate After Revealing 7 Behaviors She Considers 'Cheating' In Viral Video

When it comes to relationships, everyone has different standards for what they view as acceptable or desirable.

Even cheating maintains a certain sense of nuance, as some people believe that only things that happen in the bedroom could qualify as cheating, while others see cheating as something that comes in stages.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Tommy Tuberville
C-SPAN2

Tommy Tuberville Dragged After Claiming Air Travel Industry Is Overrun With 'Furries' In Bonkers Senate Floor Rant

Alabama Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville was widely mocked after he made the bonkers claim that many pilots, flight attendants and air traffic controllers are "part of the furry community."

Tuberville, who spoke alongside a poster displaying a transphobic message, offered no evidence to substantiate the claim that a large portion of commercial aviation workers identify as furries, nor did he provide evidence that involvement in the furry community presents a safety concern.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kristi Noem
Heather Diehl/Getty Images

Kristi Noem Slammed After Sharing Graphic Photos Of Elk She Took Down During 'Super Fun' Hunting Trip

Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was criticized after she shared several gory photos on Instagram of an elk she'd killed during a recent hunting trip.

The Instagram carousel, which the platform labeled as “sensitive content,” shows Noem and the other hunters smiling for the camera and posing with the elk’s carcass as if displaying a trophy from their “super fun hunt.” In several of the photos, Noem’s weapon is positioned beside the animal’s wound, with blood visibly seeping from the injury.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @arriegatoo's TikTok
@arriegatoo/TikTok

TikToker's Nonchalant Reaction To Being Run Over By A Car Leaves Viewers Flabbergasted

We've all heard of adrenaline spikes causing people to be able to do incredible things, but this is ridiculous!

A young woman, @arriegatoo on TikTok, posted a video that was under 10 seconds, and while she laughed, she said:

Keep ReadingShow less