When we picture the distant past, we often imagine primitive remedies and rudimentary practices, assuming our ancestors were far behind modern medicine. Yet, the latest archaeological breakthroughs are turning that notion on its head. 10 surprising discoveries about ancient health care are reshaping our view, showing that some societies were astonishingly advanced while others endured hardships we recognize today. Below, we journey through each revelation, packed with vivid details and intriguing anecdotes.

1 Egyptians Had The First Governmental Health Care System

In the realm of organized medicine, ancient Egypt stands out as a pioneer. Excavations at Deir el‑Medina, a mountain village perched above the Valley of the Kings, have uncovered a trove of written records and skeletal remains that together paint a picture of the world’s earliest state‑run health‑care program. Between roughly 1292 and 1077 B.C., the artisans who crafted the pharaohs’ monumental tombs were not only master builders but also beneficiaries of a formalized medical system.

The workers, unusually literate for their era, left behind thousands of papyri—letters, petitions, and even lawsuits—that detail their rights to paid sick leave and complimentary examinations at a facility akin to a modern clinic. Although the site was first explored in the early 1900s, it wasn’t until 2012 that osteologists revisited the mummies with advanced techniques, confirming that the documentary evidence matched the physical reality: laborers could indeed call on doctors when ill.

Yet, as in many contemporary workplaces, the pressure to stay on the job persisted. One mummy displayed clear signs of osteomyelitis, a bone‑infecting disease, indicating he soldiered on despite a serious infection. The skeletal record also reveals that individuals with severe disabilities were cared for. A twenty‑year‑old man with a crippled right leg—likely the result of a neurological condition such as polio—showed no wear from the arduous climbs to the tombs, suggesting he was reassigned to a less physically demanding role. Moreover, familial obligations were enforced; neglecting elderly relatives could result in public shaming, divorce, or disinheritance. Lead researcher Anne Austin recounted the case of Naunakhte, a mother of eight who disinherited four children for abandoning her in old age.

2 Ancient Peru Had The First Limb Surgery

When we think of trepanation, the classic image is a hole drilled into a skull. However, researchers from the University of Central Florida have uncovered a startling twist: the ancient Chachapoya people of Peru applied the same technique to lower limbs. At the fortress of Kuelap, dating from roughly 800 to 1535 A.D., two male skeletons bore meticulously drilled holes in their tibiae, indicating a surgical intervention beyond the head.

The first individual, a man in his early thirties, displayed a series of perforations that extended deep into the shinbone, with no signs of healing—implying the procedure likely coincided with his death. The second, a teenager, showed two similar holes, again lacking post‑operative bone remodeling. Scholars suspect the operations were intended to relieve fluid accumulation from infected wounds, though an alternative hypothesis suggests the bones were harvested for ornamental purposes. Either way, the evidence marks the first documented instance of limb trepanation, expanding our understanding of pre‑colonial surgical ambition.

While the lack of healing hints at fatal outcomes, some argue the surgeons may have practiced on cadavers, honing their skills before treating living patients. Regardless, the discovery underscores a sophisticated grasp of anatomy and a willingness to intervene surgically on more than just the skull.

3 Ancient Doctors Also Treated PTSD

Modern warfare has brought PTSD into the public consciousness, but evidence shows that ancient soldiers grappled with comparable trauma millennia ago. Scholars at Anglia Ruskin University examined Assyrian medical tablets dating back to around 1300 B.C., uncovering prescriptions and therapeutic rituals aimed at warriors suffering from sleeplessness, flashbacks, and pervasive melancholy.

These texts describe afflicted fighters hearing and seeing the specters of those they had slain—a haunting experience that mirrors contemporary combat‑related hallucinations. Researchers, including Jamie Hacker Hughes, noted the uncanny parallels between these ancient accounts and the symptoms reported by modern veterans. In the Assyrian era, mandatory military service every three years exposed men to brutal weapons such as swords, slings, and arrows, fostering a culture of recurrent trauma.

Ancient healers attributed the distress to malevolent spirits or divine punishment, prescribing a blend of medicinal concoctions and ritualistic recitations to dispel the haunting entities. This holistic approach—combining pharmacology with spiritual appeasement—highlights an early recognition of the mind‑body connection long before modern psychiatry emerged.

4 Ancient Medicine Chest Holds 2,000‑Year‑Old Eye Pills

When we think of ancient medical knowledge, we often picture scrolls and stone tablets, yet physical drug containers are rarer. The wreck of the Roman vessel Relitto del Pozzino, sunk near Tuscany around 120 B.C., yielded a remarkable medical chest. Although the chest itself was shattered, archaeologists recovered a mortar, a surgical hook, a bleeding cup, and a cache of 136 wooden vials alongside sealed tin containers (pyxides) housing green, circular tablets.

Advanced analytical techniques have now identified the composition of these tablets: a blend of beeswax, starch, iron oxide, several zinc compounds, pine resin, and assorted animal and plant substances. The precise formulation suggests a purpose as an eye wash or ophthalmic remedy, offering a glimpse into Roman pharmacology that predates many written sources.

Researchers highlighted the rarity of such finds, noting that the preservation of both the physical artifacts and their chemical signatures provides an unprecedented window into ancient therapeutic practice. The discovery underscores the Romans’ meticulous approach to medical preparation, blending natural ingredients into standardized dosages for ocular care.

5 Ancient Rich People Had A Disease Of Modern Poor People

The Medici dynasty, emblematic of Renaissance opulence, paradoxically suffered from a condition we now associate with poverty: rickets. Analysis of skeletal remains from nine Medici offspring revealed that six displayed clear signs of vitamin‑D deficiency, resulting in softened, bowed bones and, in some cases, skull deformities. One five‑year‑old, Filippo, exhibited a noticeably misshapen cranium.

Initially baffling, researchers traced the cause to prolonged breastfeeding without adequate vitamin‑D supplementation. The children were not weaned until around two years of age, relying on breast milk that lacks sufficient vitamin D. Their diets—soft bread and apples—provided little to no additional vitamin D. Moreover, maternal deficiencies likely compounded the issue, possibly stemming from frequent pregnancies or heavy cosmetic use that limited sun exposure.

Social customs amplified the problem. Upper‑class families discouraged outdoor play, fearing that a suntanned complexion would associate their children with the lower classes. Consequently, Medici youngsters spent most of their time indoors, swaddled in layers of clothing, further restricting ultraviolet exposure essential for vitamin D synthesis. The convergence of cultural norms, dietary practices, and maternal health created a perfect storm for a disease typically linked to impoverished, sun‑deprived populations.

6 The Ancients Knew About Donkey Milk Before We Did

In contemporary wellness circles, donkey milk is celebrated for its hypoallergenic properties, often recommended for children with cow‑milk sensitivities. Yet this “new” super‑food has ancient roots. Hippocrates himself prescribed donkey milk for ailments ranging from epistaxis to snake bites, and historical anecdotes claim that Cleopatra bathed in it for its cosmetic benefits.

Greek families fed donkey milk to infants, while Roman elites used it as a skin‑softening agent. Modern clinical observations suggest potential benefits for conditions such as psoriasis, eczema, and asthma, echoing the ancient belief in its therapeutic versatility. Even Pope Francis reportedly received donkey milk as an infant, underscoring its longstanding prestige.

However, the production challenges remain formidable. A dairy cow can yield roughly ten liters of milk daily, whereas a donkey produces a modest one liter, and only for about six months post‑foaling, provided the foal stays nearby. The low yield and limited lactation period make donkey milk a scarce commodity, explaining why its resurgence feels novel despite millennia of prior use.

7 Ancient Medical Texts Written On Bamboo Strips

Construction workers in Chengdu, Sichuan, stumbled upon a cache of 920 bamboo strips dating back roughly two thousand years, each inscribed with medical knowledge for both humans and horses. These documents belong to the Bian Que school, a legendary tradition credited with pioneering pulse diagnosis, anesthesia, and even the world’s first organ transplant.

The collection comprises 184 veterinary strips and 736 human texts divided into nine distinct books covering pulse‑taking, surgery, dermatology, internal medicine, ophthalmology, traumatology, and gynecology. Among the more curious prescriptions are treatments involving bull’s urine for jaundice and chilies to alleviate headaches. A nearby figurine, measuring fourteen centimeters, bears markings of major acupuncture points, offering tangible insight into early acupuncture practices.

This discovery not only enriches our understanding of ancient Chinese medical theory but also illustrates the sophisticated interplay between textual transmission and practical treatment methods, emphasizing the breadth of knowledge that flourished long before printing presses.

8 The Baghdad Battery May Have Been An Analgesic

Discovered by German archaeologist Wilhelm König in the mid‑20th century, the so‑called Baghdad Battery consists of a terra‑cotta jar housing a copper cylinder and an iron rod. Initially thought to serve as a gilding tool capable of generating up to four volts, the devices’ true purpose has long been debated.

In 1993, Paul T. Keyser of the University of Alberta proposed a medical explanation: the batteries could have functioned as primitive analgesic devices. By delivering a low‑intensity electric current through bronze or iron needles, ancient healers might have practiced a form of electro‑acupuncture, akin to later Chinese techniques that employ electric stimulation for pain relief. This theory gains plausibility given the absence of electric fish in Mesopotamia, which ancient Greeks used for similar therapeutic effects.

If correct, the Baghdad Battery represents a remarkable convergence of early electrical engineering and medical practice, predating modern electrotherapy by over two millennia.

9 Blackbeard Made Health Care A Priority

When the infamous pirate Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard, seized the French‑crewed vessel Queen Anne’s Revenge in 1717, he inherited a crew plagued by disease and injury. Yet, rather than abandoning them, Blackbeard prioritized their medical welfare, compelling three surgeons from the former French crew to remain aboard and confiscating their medical gear.

Archaeological work on the wreck, discovered in 1996, has unearthed a suite of instruments: a urethral syringe used for mercury treatments against syphilis, two enema devices of uncertain purpose, blood‑letting apparatus, and various containers for salves and potions. The presence of these tools suggests a concerted effort to manage wounds, infections, and other ailments during the ship’s brief, tumultuous tenure under Blackbeard’s command.

Despite his notorious reputation as a ruthless buccaneer, this episode reveals a pragmatic side: maintaining crew health was essential for combat effectiveness, and Blackbeard’s insistence on medical preparedness underscores an early recognition of occupational health on the high seas.

10 Siberia Was A Sophisticated Surgery Center

Archaeologists investigating three skulls from the Altai Mountains—two male and one female—have uncovered evidence of a thriving skull‑surgery tradition dating back 2,300 to 2,500 years. The specimens, examined by a multidisciplinary team of neurosurgeons, anthropologists, and archaeologists, display precisely scraped cranial openings indicative of trepanation techniques that align with the Hippocratic Corpus, a set of Greek medical texts from the 6th‑4th centuries B.C.

One male skull bore a healed bone clot, suggesting successful removal of a traumatic hematoma via a carefully drilled aperture, with subsequent bone regrowth confirming long‑term survival. A second male exhibited a trepanation aimed at correcting a congenital skull deformity, again showing minimal damage to surrounding tissue. In contrast, the female’s skull revealed failed attempts, with multiple missteps leading to fatal outcomes—an early reminder that surgeon skill was as crucial then as it is now.

Although the actual scraping instrument was not recovered, scholars hypothesize a bronze knife, leveraging the Altai peoples’ expertise in bone‑cutting from animal processing. Novosibirsk neurosurgeon Aleksei Krivoshapkin remarked on the remarkable sophistication of these ancient practitioners, suggesting they possessed diagnostic acuity and surgical precision comparable to their Greek contemporaries.

10 Surprising Discoveries About Ancient Health Care

From state‑run clinics in the sands of Egypt to brain‑scraping specialists in Siberia, these ten revelations illuminate a past where medicine was both marvelously inventive and heartbreakingly human. Dive deeper into each story to appreciate how our ancestors laid foundations—sometimes literal—for the health practices we rely on today.

When you hand over your wellbeing to a medical professional, you expect competence and compassion. Yet, the reality sometimes includes 10 nightmarish breaches that shake that confidence to its core. Below, we count down the most disturbing betrayals of trust by those sworn to heal.

Understanding the 10 Nightmarish Breaches

10 A Doctor Encourages A Patient To Commit Suicide

Dr. Arun Singhal, a general practitioner in Liverpool, England, faced a terrified woman on antidepressants in May 2011. The patient, identified only as “Patient A,” was slated to testify in a rape trial and feared proximity to the suspect’s brother. She called Dr. Singhal for a sick note, confessing that her medication was failing and that she teetered on the edge of suicide.

Instead of offering help, Dr. Singhal responded like a cruel internet troll. He labeled her a “disgrace” and bluntly told her to “jolly well kill herself,” even suggesting she search the web for suicide tips. Unaware that the woman was recording the exchange, he delivered his chilling advice. Outraged, Patient A filed a complaint.

The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service investigated and concluded that Dr. Singhal had taken the patient’s statements too lightly and behaved in an inexcusable manner. He received a three‑month suspension – a fate many consider lenient given how close the patient came to tragedy.

9 Hospital Employee Sends Patients Fake Lobotomy Letters

From 2005 to 2010, Michelle Morrison worked as a senior account representative for Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. After being terminated, she turned vengeful, pilfering hospital stationery and confidential files belonging to more than thirty patients.

Between February 2011 and June 2012, Morrison mailed six bogus letters to three former patients, claiming their psychological treatment had failed and that they now required frontal lobotomies. The letters were laced with crude insults and threats to expose the patients’ private information to friends, family, and coworkers.

A two‑month investigation uncovered Morrison’s wrongdoing. She was caught with stolen files at her home, pleaded guilty, and received a sentence of thirty months’ probation after issuing a public apology in court.

8 Nursing Home Employees Play Cruel Jokes On Dementia Patients

In 2010, six staff members at Valley View Skilled Nursing Facility in Ukiah, California, decided it would be funny to slather seven defenseless dementia patients with ointment, turning them into slippery “challenge” victims for the next shift. Their prank led to arrests.

The incident was not isolated. In May 2012, an employee at the UK‑based Kirknowe Care Home was dismissed after feeding a dog treat to a dementia patient as a joke. Tracie Nellis, another staff member, later deposited hot sauce into the mouths of two sleeping dementia patients, prompting her to relinquish her nursing license voluntarily.

These cases illustrate a broader pattern of abuse within care facilities, where vulnerable patients are sometimes subjected to cruel and humiliating antics by those entrusted with their safety.

7 A Doctor Slaps The Butts Of Sedated Patients

For at least a year, Dr. Michael T. Clarke, a physician at St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center in Syracuse, New York, seemed to take pleasure in hearing the sharp thwack of his hand against the buttocks of unconscious patients in the operating room. He tried to justify the behavior as a way to gauge spinal anesthetic effectiveness.

Colleagues, however, reported a very different picture. Dr. Clarke allegedly delivered sexually explicit insults while striking patients, sometimes leaving vivid red handprints. He also hurled lewd remarks at staff. After months of silence, operating‑room staff finally alerted administrators in December 2013.

A state health‑department investigation corroborated the complaints. Dr. Clarke was suspended in February 2014 and required to complete undisclosed steps before reinstatement. Eight months later, he returned to the OR at St. Joseph’s.

6 A Surgeon Sends Sexts Mid‑Operation

Arthur K. Zilberstein, an anesthesiologist with two decades of experience at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle, Washington, crossed a line that no medical professional should. Across a range of procedures—caesarean sections, pediatric appendectomies, and more—he sent nearly 250 sexually suggestive texts and explicit photos to his girlfriend and, on occasion, to his own patients.

In one shocking instance, he sent a patient a selfie showing his genitals dangling while dressed in hospital attire. During a stomach surgery, he dispatched 45 lust‑filled messages in under ninety minutes.

Beyond the sexting, Dr. Zilberstein was accused of reviewing patients’ records for personal gratification, engaging in hospital romances, and issuing unauthorized prescriptions. While it remains unclear whether his conduct directly harmed any patient, state officials deemed his behavior sufficient to suspend his medical license and revoke his hospital privileges.

5 An Anesthetist Punches His Patient After Heart Surgery

Dr. Andrei Votyakov, an anesthetist at Russia’s Federal Center for Cardiovascular Surgery in Perm, endured a grueling 36‑hour shift before his patience snapped. After a recent heart‑bypass patient, who was strapped to the bed and wearing an oxygen mask, allegedly insulted him, Dr. Votyakov lost composure.

He struck the patient in the face and then pounded the fragile chest area directly above the heart. The patient, a 61‑year‑old man, later died a week after the assault.

Video footage from February 21, 2013 captured the confrontation, which quickly spread online, sparking public outrage and an official investigation. Dr. Votyakov apologized for his violent outburst but denied responsibility for the death. A criminal investigation concluded with a fine of 100,000 rubles and a five‑month community‑service sentence.

4 A Nurse Steals From Sleeping Cancer Patients

In January 2015, Morriston Hospital in Wales launched a sting operation after noticing a string of patient robberies dating back to the previous November. Staff suspected an insider and set a marked £20 note under a plant pot as bait.

The trap caught 49‑year‑old nurse Jacqueline Perry, who worked on the cancer ward. Perry waited for patients to fall asleep before rifling through their belongings to fund her husband’s cider habit. She stole painkillers, cash, and jewelry—including three rings worth a combined £1,800 from 89‑year‑old Nancy Thomas, who died shortly thereafter.

In total, Perry pocketed £2,739 of valuables. She later expressed relief at being caught, citing overwhelming guilt. Her sentence was sixteen months in prison, though some of her victims never lived long enough to see justice.

3 A Doctor Secretly Records Patients’ Pelvic Exams

Dr. Nikita A. Levy, a gynecologist and obstetrician at Johns Hopkins Community Medicine in Baltimore, held a respectable 25‑year tenure. Yet, for at least eight of those years, he covertly wore a camera‑pen to film gynecological exams of unsuspecting patients.

Johns Hopkins discovered his actions after a female colleague reported suspicions about his pen in 2013. Law enforcement uncovered over 1,200 videos and pictures dating back to 2005. Across his 25‑year career, Dr. Levy examined an estimated 12,692 women, any of whom could have been recorded.

Although no evidence indicated the recordings were used for anything beyond personal viewing, the violation of privacy was profound. Many victims reported refusing further medical care. A class‑action lawsuit resulted in a $190 million settlement to over 7,000 former patients. Ten days after being exposed, Dr. Levy wrote an apology to his wife and then died by suicide using helium and a plastic bag.

2 A Drunken Anesthetist Accidentally Kills A New Mother

On September 26, 2014, Belgian‑born Helga Wauters began a two‑week stint at a private French clinic. Though an experienced anesthetist since 1994, she was new to the facility. When 28‑year‑old Xynthia Hawke entered labor, Wauters administered an epidural.

After the epidural, Wauters left to have a drink with friends. Labor complications later required a caesarean section, demanding precise intubation. Upon returning, visibly intoxicated, Wauters mistakenly inserted the ventilation tube into Hawke’s esophagus instead of the trachea, causing a heart attack. Hawke died four days later; her child survived.

Investigators found 17 empty vodka bottles at Wauters’ home and determined she had a serious drinking problem. She claimed a “glass of rosé” after the epidural and a water‑vodka mix before the caesarean. Blood tests revealed she was five times over the legal alcohol limit. Initially denied bail, Wauters eventually posted €50,000 bail, was barred from practicing medicine, and entered a rehabilitation program.

1 Doctors Who Ditch Patients Mid‑Surgery

At Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno, California, cardiac surgeon Dr. Pervaiz Chaudhry performed nearly 350 bypass surgeries between 2009 and 2010, ranking among the state’s top five heart surgeons by volume. Yet his survival rate lagged behind peers, prompting allegations that he abandoned patients mid‑operation.

Lawsuits accuse Dr. Chaudhry of leaving the operating room before completing surgeries. In one case, he left a physician’s assistant to close a patient’s chest while he attended a luncheon. The 72‑year‑old patient, Silvino Perez, suffered a myocardial infarction and was left in a persistent vegetative state. The hospital was fined $75,000, and a state health‑department investigation found Dr. Chaudhry had recklessly endangered the patient.

Chaudhry is not the sole offender. In 2012, a Swedish anesthesiologist and a nurse anesthetist abandoned a tumor‑removal surgery for lunch, leaving the patient without ventilation. A substitute nurse, lacking the necessary expertise, failed to notice the ventilator had been turned off and missed a sudden hemorrhage. By the time the original team returned, the patient had been deprived of oxygen for eight minutes and later died from brain damage.

There seems to be little privacy in the modern world. Modern technologies gather information about us, and we have little control over what happens to this data. We all use the internet, and every time we do, we add to the stock of information available to businesses and the authorities. Most of us accept this as a price we pay for being connected. But it also illustrates that we don’t value privacy as we once did.

We are creatures of habit, and our habits ground us in the world and make our environment more familiar and comfortable. Most of our practices are harmless and have no impact on others. But we have developed some new habits, and old ones have adapted to help us navigate the new age of technological wonders.

The habits we will discuss here are common enough, but if we stop to think about them, they are a little odd. Some of these habits show that privacy is no longer one of our primary concerns. Does it matter? I’ll leave you to decide.

Related: Top 10 Bizarre Ways To Make Money From Disgusting Habits

10 Who Cares?

You’re sitting in a restaurant having a quiet conversation with your partner when a phone rings at the next table. You are then forced to listen to one side of a conversation (sometimes both sides if the speaker is on). Irritated but simultaneously fascinated, you discover that A really hates B, that C is an idiot who doesn’t know what he is doing, and that C is seeing D on the side. You don’t know these people and never will, but you now know more about them than you ever wanted to.

Some people don’t seem to realize that there are boundaries between the private and public worlds. And is it just your imagination, or is the phone conversation louder than it should be? No, it’s not your imagination.

In 1909, a French doctor called Étienne Lombard discovered that people talk at a volume that matches the noise level around them. We often think there is more noise than there actually is and talk more loudly than necessary—especially on the phone.

9 Bull’s Pizzle

We can’t all be as inventive as Shakespeare when it comes to swearing, but most of us have a few choice words that we only roll out on special occasions. We usually know when and where swearing is appropriate—few people would swear in church, but many might when watching a football game with friends.

If used sparingly, swearing is a safety valve that makes your feelings very clear and very public. Some people swear too much and season every conversation with colorful words. This makes swearing counter-productive as well as tedious.

Studies have shown that swearing helps to reduce stress, builds bonds among peers, and is often a sign of fluency, intelligence, and honesty. Naturally, you have to use swear words sparingly and save them for the right moment. In other words, swearing as a habit just makes a public spectacle of the swearer. Shakespeare was the master of the right word at the right time.

8 Where Did I Put It?

My wife refers to my office as “the black hole” because my desk is heaped with papers, stationery, and books. This untidiness in an open office means that your work (and yesterday’s lunch) is in public view. You should never leave confidential stuff lying around for anyone to see—nor yesterday’s lunch, for that matter. While leaving private information, lying is always bad form, and in some cases, it’s illegal. HIPPA and FERPA laws protect patients’ and students’ information, for example.

An untidy desk may show you are creative and too busy to tidy up. On the other hand (which is true in my case), it may simply show that you are lazy. Whatever the reason, it is a very public demonstration of your personality.

People who keep their desks tidy might be more organized if not as creative as their messy colleagues—there is room for both types of people in an organization.

7 What Did I Say?

Most people—96%, according to some studies—have conversations with themselves. But these chats go on in the head. Some 25% of people talk to themselves out loud regularly. This habit can help you work through problems and hear how a phrase might sound. A lot of people will mutter the opening words of an email to themselves before they start clattering away on the keyboard.

When you think about it, it’s a strange habit indeed. Why should talking aloud to yourself clarify things better than just thinking about them? But it seems to work for many of us.

There’s a big difference between rehearsing the first line of an email out loud and constantly talking to yourself disjointedly about anything and everything. The second might indicate a mental health issue, although nowadays, with mobile phones and Bluetooth hearing devices, it’s difficult to be sure.

6 This Is My Lunch

Open your Facebook page, and I am sure that you will find that one of your contacts has posted a photo of some trivial aspect of their life that few, if any people, will have any interest in at all. Do you really want to know what Tom had for lunch?

According to a report in The New York Times, 94% of people post on social media because they want to inform, amuse, and help others. That’s all well and good, but some people take the habit to extremes and post the most trivial rubbish. Others share posts and photos they may regret one day—and the internet never forgets.

Social media platforms have become an important part of our lives in a very short period. That people enjoy using them and find them useful is certainly true. Unfortunately, they have their dark side, and young people can be especially vulnerable to abuse.

We need to educate our young people about appropriate use and the need for caution when using these platforms. This includes parents who post content such as a back-to-school picture with their kid in front of a school sign. A quick Google search will show any creep where your child now attends school. Not cool.

5 Text Me

Next time you are in a restaurant, look beyond the guy talking too loudly on his phone, and you will see a group of people all staring at their screens. Chances are that some of them will be texting their friends.

Why? Are the people at their table too boring to talk to? Why do we need to know exactly what our friends are doing at all times?

And why don’t people send all the information in one text? Why do they message us sentence by sentence? This is not a face-to-face conversation, with texting you answer the first point and then discover that it’s irrelevant because the sender contradicts the first:

A: Is there a meeting on Monday?

B: Yes, there is.

A: Or Tuesday?

B: Monday afternoon.

A: Because I can’t go on Monday.

A: morning.

4 Gossip

We’re social creatures, and connection with others is very important. Most of us can’t resist a good piece of gossip. It’s a social lubricant that is usually harmless enough. However, we should always be aware that gossip implies that an aspect of another person’s life is now in the public sphere.

The problem with gossip is that it is rarely based on complete information, and as it spreads, it becomes more fanciful until, like Chinese whispers, it bears little relationship with the facts.

We should be mindful of what we say and the damage that gossip can cause.

3 Smoking

Smoking, many people will tell you, is a filthy habit. Over recent years, smokers have found that they are not welcome in public places. This should have the effect of driving smoking underground to become a private vice. But this isn’t what happens.

Smoking is addictive; some say it’s easier to quit taking heroin than to give up smoking. A heavy smoker can’t go through an entire workday without a cigarette, so smokers leave the workplace and walk to the nearest place where they can indulge their habit. Here, in all weather, smokers gather in groups exposed to the disapproving eyes of the public.

Smokers reinforce each other’s addiction and form an “us versus them” mentality. Meanwhile, they’re not getting any work done.

Interestingly, psychologists have discovered that putting horrible photos on packs of cigarettes often has the opposite effect to that intended. After a short while, a dedicated smoker associates the photo with cigarettes, and this serves to reinforce the habit.

2 Keep Going

Some people have the habit of persistence. This can take various forms, from the irritating person who won’t stop going on about the same tired subject to the person who keeps trying until they get something right. This habit can keep someone in a job they hate for years or drive a scientist to keep trying until they reach the desired result.

Strangely, many people will simply keep going and never give up. It can be very admirable in many ways, but sometimes it can be very irritating. Regardless, the person will seek out others to share their woes or triumphs with in great detail—ones we really don’t want to know or have any business knowing. The trick is to know when to stop.

1 Me, Myself, I

In search of a perfect selfie to post on Facebook, Anna, an 18-year-old Romanian, lay on top of a train car. She stretched out a leg to get the ideal pose but touched an overhead wire. She burst into flames as 27,000 volts coursed through her body. She didn’t live to see her photo posted.

Selfies are everywhere. Fortunately, not many are as deadly as Anna’s, but most are intensely irritating and very public. Why do people think others are so interested in their badly-centered, unfocused portraits?

Taking selfies is a narcissistic habit that only feeds our desire to be the center of attention. It also reveals a lot about our lives and where we are at any given time. Planning a vacation? Hold on to those selfies to post when you return. Or you might just return to an empty house.