‘Look before you leap’ seems to exist only because humans are wired to make dumb decisions and sometimes need reminders to think things through. Still, so many folks act on impulse, and they don’t seem to realize that the consequences can be brutal.
It’s tough to know exactly what choices can lead to what outcomes, but some paths tend to be universally considered the “wrong” ones to take. That’s exactly what folks in this list are trying to warn one another about, and some of the examples given might actually surprise you.
#1
Having a kid to “keep” a man.
#2
Living the constrained ideals of an organized religion which narrows their world view and blinds them to the kaleidoscope of human perception, ideas, and beliefs.
#3
Crippling debt.
Get in an argument with your friend, it goes away in a day or two, get a cold, get some meds, bad weather, it will pass. But debt eats at you until it’s gone. You wake up with it, go to bed with it, and carry that weight, like a mountain on your shoulders, all d**n day.
Being able to make the payment, doesn’t mean you can afford it. Big houses, luxury cars, toys, all that, financed to the moon. Living withjn your means, only way to do it.
It might seem absolutely crazy, but the average adult apparently makes almost 35,000 decisions every single day, so the next time you lie about not having any time, maybe it’s because of the long list of things you’re trying to decide. According to mental wellness experts at Verywell Mind, just because folks have to make so many choices each day doesn’t mean they’ll all be a hit.
You’ll likely look back on some decisions and wonder why you went down that path, and those thoughts can lead to regret. Despite that, it’s important to keep learning from the choices, even if they don’t turn out the way you want them to.
#4
Gambling. With the amount of gambling ads and normalization of it in today’s society. We are about to see lives ruined on the scale of d**g usage.
#5
Texting while driving, same as drunk driving. We forget how dangerous it is to be hurling down the road encased in a ton of glass and steel.
#6
Mismanaging their finances and not preparing for retirement.
Just because some of the decisions you make turn into a mess doesn’t mean that you are one. In fact, there’s a lot happening under the surface that you might not even be aware of. According to Anne-Laure Le Cunff, who explores the neuroscience of curiosity, our emotions might actually be calling the shots.
She shared that studies found that fearful people often made pessimistic judgments about the future, whereas angry people tended to be more optimistic. Even though we might not be aware of it, the feelings in our body that are associated with emotions like anxiety, nausea, or disgust tend to act as guides for how we should behave. So, even if we think we’re being completely rational, a strong emotion could turn the tide of our decision completely.
#7
Letting greed and power consume them, and not being content with simple things.
#8
Marry someone they don’t actually love.
#9
Having kids while still a teenager. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Dumb decisions like the ones mentioned on this list can also happen simply because someone feels overwhelmed. Experts at Quanta Magazine, who are dedicated to advancing the frontiers of scientific research, explain that our decision-making machinery can get thrown off, especially when we are presented with too many options.
This is clear if you look at how the world works, where streaming platforms, delivery services, and social media offer so many options for us to keep consuming. With so many decisions to make, sometimes our brains might pick the most convenient or novel one, even if it’s not the best idea to do so.
#10
Having an affair. This applies to those who actually regret it and feel remorse. It will live with you forever that you made the conscious choice to betray your partner. Not only that, you have to deal with the pain you caused the other person and how much your choices have now affected them.
#11
Leaving a loving home for a hot fling.
#12
Drunk driving.
It might seem like the toughest thing to always keep making the perfect decisions, and that might be kind of an impossible feat. If you’re still holding out hope, there’s a life hack you can try to make high-priority choices go well. Research states that the best way to do this is to make big decisions when you have a lot of energy.
This can help you avoid the fatigue that comes from always having to choose. That’s why you should probably not wait till the end of the day when you are extremely tired to weigh in on something important. This can also help during the workday if you schedule meetings and discussion calls earlier in the day rather than later, so everyone is at their sharpest.
#13
Hitting reply all on a company wide email to roast the boss’s new haircut 💀.
#14
Listening to manosphere influencers.
#15
Resisting arrest and escalating the situation from a $50 fine to a felony.
Most of us feel that every decision about ourselves has to be made in isolation, without help or input from anyone else. Unfortunately, this can lead us to make the same mistakes over and over again. That’s why Scott Mautz, who’s an expert on mental health, mentioned asking other people for their opinions, especially if you’ve come to a standstill on your choice.
This kind of collaborative decision-making can have a huge impact in groups where everyone has a chance to share their input, leading to far more ideas. In our own lives, this could mean getting another perspective on something we are struggling with, which could help guide us onto the right path.
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#16
Not ruin but make a lot more difficult, unnecessary purchases on credit. Have a family member who wracked up $50,000 in credit card debt across multiple cards because he spent it on vacations + buying stupid stuff because he thought he was smarter than everyone else and could flip it. For example, he bought a car on an online auction with a credit card for $5,000 because he as convinced he could sell it for $10,000. He called my brother who owns a dealership first and was advised it was a bad idea. He did it anyway and a year later the thing sits in his driveway because no one will buy it from him. Both him and his wife already had a good running vehicle. He also bought a bunch of sports memorabilia he bought at auction that he thought he could sell easily but it’s stuff that there are likely thousands of and again, no one wants to buy it from him.
#17
Freaking out on a plane and becoming clown of the week when the footage drops.
#18
Choosing to marry someone when they already know the person is “bad with money”, “can’t keep a job”, and/or “has a lot of credit card debt”.
Similarly, marrying someone they know/suspect has already cheated on them.
Even if you’ve ever made the wrong decision, do not despair; there is always a way to make things right. Connie Podesta, who’s an expert keynote speaker with an uncanny insight into human nature, explains that if you’ve made a mistake, it’s best to accept responsibility for it right away rather than making excuses.
If you keep avoiding your role in the decision, you might not learn from it or understand how to do better next time. That’s why getting rid of any excuses can help free you and then propel you toward better choices and opportunities in the future.
#19
I think the dumbest way someone can ruin their life is to not take care of themselves. Whether it be physically or mentally. I think each can make life significantly more difficult to experience. I also think surrounding yourself with bad people can also ruin your life.
#20
Be on parole and still do dumb s**t.
#21
Women who keep having kids with guys who are obviously OBVIOUSLY not gonna stick around. I never understand it.
All of these dumb decisions could have been impulsive, or they could be choices folks kept making over and over again. If it seems like you can’t stop yourself from making the wrong decision, researchers from Walden University explain that taking some time to think before you go ahead with a choice could actually be beneficial.
This is because impulse decisions might be strongly connected to and influenced by our emotions, so this may not always be the best route to take. If it’s possible for you to wait a bit and then make your choice, this could give you time to research, consult others, and also clear your head.
#22
Ruining a good opportunity because you were too lazy to take it seriously.
#23
Looking at CP chat rooms on a plane and getting fired from your Wheel of Fortune job.
#24
Not fixing your trauma (dumb is too harsh a word, but if you don’t deal with trauma, at some point trauma will deal with you).
Humans have the complete freedom to pick any path they’d like in life, but some choices just seem so obviously fraught with difficulties that it’s a wonder folks still keep ignoring the red flags. Hopefully, this list makes it clear which big life decisions could be a trap, so you can choose the best path for yourself.
Do you know of any dumb choices folks have made that turned their lives upside down? Do share those examples or stories with us in the comments below.
#25
Perhaps doing some kind of internet challenge or road rage. people are saying d***s, gambling, crime, but i believe these are a bit context dependent, as the reasons aren’t guaranteed to be about a lack of intelligence but more about sad circumstances.
#26
Getting rid of all of their friends even the good ones and finding a terrible group of people.
#27
Being consumed by hate.
#28
Get a******d to gambling. Money in the bank now, gone in days or hours. Saw that once in a Casino, guy totally lost it (money and mind), pretty sad to see.
#29
Pointing a laser at an airplane.
#30
Sending their SSN to a scammer.
#31
Doing something dangerous for social media likes.
A lot of people have ended up d**d or seriously/permanently injured that way, such as the five teenagers in Ireland who recently d**d because they thought it would be a good idea to drive the wrong way down a motorway at 3am, leaving the four occupants of the car that had been coming the other way seriously injured.
#32
D***s.
I knew a successful guy who got into d***s and destroyed his entire life. He lost his house and family, and then he destroyed every personal connection who tried to help. One of the saddest things I’ve seen in my life. He used to be my hero.
#33
Staying with the dangerous and hot boyfriend. Started a long line of bad decisions.
#34
Being unfaithful to someone you claim to love more than anything in the world and being sneaky behind their back seeking out others and knowing your partner would never ever do something like that. That is the worst.
#35
**Making one stupid decision because of a temporary emotion, then doubling down on it because of pride**.
#36
Marrying or dating the wrong person.
#37
Pushing the good people around you away.
#38
Spending all your time on Reddit.
#39
Tell your manager or senior management “GO F YOURSELVES I QUIT” that’s a permanent career altering moment.
#40
Being peer pressured into doing something.
#41
Any type of crime. Its not worth it.
#42
Coldplay couple. That clip is still funny every time.
#43
For women specifically, dating the jerk everyone tells you to stay away from.
#44
Heavy debt.
#45
Consciously starting an a*******n.
Not working on obvious problems.
Not thinking about being mortal.
#46
Street fight.
#47
Falling in love with a horrible monster creature.
#48
D***s or gambling (to include bad investments).
#49
Having an affair, especially if you have kids. It’s extremely destructive to oneself and those closest to you.
#50
Joining the military.
#51
Taking a dangerous “perfect” selfie.
#52
Earning yourself a preventable felony.
#53
Cheating on a spouse.
#54
Self-hatred. You’ll only have you at the end of the day, might as well be friends with it.
#55
Freaking out on a flight and having to be duct taped to your seat.
#56
Road rage.
#57
Screen time when outside is right there. Pick up disc golf get social.
#58
Overthinking and falling into depression.
#59
Ride a motorcycle. We call them organ donors in the ER.
#60
Being a follower instead of running your own show.