5 most tactless questions (and the correct answers to them)

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

Tactless questions are always terrible. Even the excuses “forgive my immodesty” and “I will understand if you don’t want to answer” do not save even if a question follows that you really want to leave unanswered. And what to do is unclear, because you don't want to look like a prude, and you don't want to step on the throat of your own dignity either.

Psychologists are sure - as such, tactless questions do not exist. It all depends on the specific situation and on who exactly is conducting the conversation. It is one thing to hear from a close friend: “How much do you weigh now?”, It is quite another to hear the same from a colleague whom you meet once a day at lunch in the cafeteria. In the end, everything in life should be treated with humor and self-irony, so don't be in a hurry to get annoyed. However, if you see a stranger violating your personal space in every possible way and literally attacking with “outrageous” questions, be prepared to fight back.

1. "How much do you earn?"

Nobody wants to hear such a question from an unfamiliar person. And the reason is quite simple - we are constantly trying to meet other people's expectations and are very afraid that the interlocutor will be disappointed with the answer. Moreover, we do not know what is considered the norm by those who are interested in our monthly income. Hence the whole awkwardness of the situation appears.

And what is the answer? If you are not talking with a loved one, whom you can devote to the secrets of your financial life, but with an unfamiliar person, then do not be rude, do not switch to moralizing in the spirit of "it is indecent to ask such questions." The best option is to name the amount "about that." Let it not be accurate, but hardly anyone will demand a bank statement from you.

2. "How old are you?"

Women are especially outraged by this question, and if you look at it, there is nothing outrageous in it. It is not those who ask him who make it tactless, but those who are embarrassed to name their age. It is important to understand that only those women who, for some reason, are ashamed of her, are afraid to give the true date of birth. And here it is already worth talking about the attitude towards oneself and about self-respect.

And what is the answer? You can subtract 10 years, you can add 5 - it will not change anything. Age is a convention. After all, if you look much younger than your age, why not brag and say that you are actually 45 when everyone is sure that you are not more than 35? If you don't want to voice your age, we advise you to laugh it off somehow. For example, to answer the question with a question: "How do you think, how do I look?"

3. "Why are you still not married?"

This question puts us in a stupor - we just don't know what to answer. Well, really start listing the reasons? Yes, and far from all close people you will begin to discuss your personal life, what can we say about unfamiliar people? In addition, we are not very pleased to remember that we are still lonely (if this is actually the case), and the question “why are we still in girls” is the best way to hit a sick person.

And what is the answer? Of course, you shouldn't be rude, but you can answer something like “yes, there are no suitable candidates for the role of husband”. And it will be absolutely honest - for sure you have not actually met someone with whom you would like to connect your life.

4. "Why are you still without children?"

The situation is almost the same as with the previous question - we just don't know how to answer this “why”. And you never know what the real reason may be. It doesn’t work, the spouse doesn’t want to, or maybe you don’t want to. The latter may even surprise the interlocutor, because a woman who does not want to become a mother yet is “nonsense”. In any case, this question is so intimate that it is definitely not worth asking it at a random meeting at a bus stop.

And what is the answer? If you know the interlocutor quite recently, and he considers it possible to get into the soul, then make it clear that you will not discuss such issues with him. You can do it not roughly, but persistently.

5. "How much are your boots worth?"

The question of the cost of a particular thing baffles us, because we have to consider who exactly asks us. If this is a person who earns about the same as we do, then everything is fine. But what if, for example, a friend who has temporary financial difficulties asks? I really don't want to offend her by saying that the handbag costs the same as she earns in a month. By the way, it works in the opposite direction: for some reason, we are very embarrassed to admit that we bought shoes at a sale when we are talking with a wealthy person.

And what is the answer? Try changing the subject of the conversation: “Oh, their these things are nonsense. The concert, which will take place this Saturday, definitely deserves attention. True, if a person really just wants to know the price of a thing in order, perhaps, to acquire it for himself, then he is unlikely to leave you so easily.