The Instinct to Tidy Up Before the Cleaner Arrives
There is a behavior, common enough to be unremarkable, in which a person spends thirty minutes cleaning their home before
The Tendency to Soften a Refusal by Pretending You Lack the Ability Rather Than the Willingness
There is a small dishonesty that hides inside politeness. It goes like this: someone asks for something you won'
The Impulse to Warn Someone About a Film You Have Already Ruined
There is a particular kind of person who, midway through describing a film to you, will pause and say: "
The Habit of Reading Tone Into Punctuation That Was Never Meant to Have Any
There is a period at the end of a text message that has, in certain circles, come to mean something
The Urge to Prepare a Room for Someone Who Has Already Left
There is something particular about the urge to prepare. To buy the good soap before the guest arrives, to fold
The Need to Acknowledge a Mirror Before Walking Past It
There is a behavior that seems almost universal, and it is this: upon passing a mirror, most humans look. Not
The Reluctance to Use the Last of Something You Can't Easily Replace
There is a jar of something on a shelf — jam, perhaps, or a particular spice brought back from somewhere — and
The Refusal to Throw Away a Pen That Might Still Work
There is a pen in a drawer somewhere — there is always a pen in a drawer somewhere — that has not
The Instinct to Soften Bad News With Weather
There is a pattern worth noticing in how humans deliver difficult information. A doctor pauses before speaking and glances toward
The Compulsion to Hum When No One Has Been Humming
There is a particular moment in a quiet room when someone begins to hum. Not a song exactly — more like
