Dealing with an older man can be a stretch—he’s more easily annoyed than your friends, and you may not understand why this is the case. Well, here are 17 things that are most likely making older men irritable.
Noise
The older you get, the worse your hearing is, and there’s an ironic twist to this. Western University shares that hearing loss causes oversensitivity to sound, and, hence, the older you get, the more irritable you are to noise. Older men will not appreciate your boombox, no matter how awesome the music is.
Forgetting Things
Another normal part of aging is forgetfulness, and this could be either difficulty remembering names, numbers, or even conversations. It hits them annoyingly, and usually frighteningly, that they could remember phone numbers when young, and now they can’t even hold onto three-digit numbers.
Uncomfortable Shoes
We all hate tight shoes or shoes that make our soles burn. Older men take this hatred a notch higher, and for good reasons too. Their bodies aren’t as accommodating to physical stress as before, and this only amplifies the discomfort they feel from uncomfortable footwear.
Modern Slang
You’ve probably had your parents or an older friend ask you what “fr” (for real) means or why people call Muhammed Ali a “goat” today. The older you get, the more out of tune you are with the latest, developing slang, and the more annoying it is to have to ask what an abbreviation means—especially if it’s for a short word.
Disturbing Their Sleep
When you’re old, fatigue is a part of your everyday life. You have weaker muscles and weaker bones, or, in some cases, you’re tired from dealing with illnesses and medications, like the NLM shares. It isn’t hard to see why older men cherish their sleep a lot. It’s the last thing you want to interrupt.
Being Called “Sir”
Some people enjoy the respect that being called “sir” connotes. But one of the last things older men want to be reminded of is that they’re older than the majority of the population. You may want to seem polite while addressing him, but don’t be surprised if it rubs off the wrong way.
Bright Lights
Generally, older people need more light to see properly due to weaker pupils. However, the eyes get more sensitive to light as they age, and for some people, the brighter the lights, the less comfortable it is to see. Sometimes, it’s not just about pain in the eyes; bright lights cause migraines for many, which aren’t easy to deal with.
Gray Hair
Nothing welcomes the onset of old age better than gray hair. And, of course, no one loves to be reminded that they’re old every time they look in the mirror. Older men are like everyone else, wishing they could turn back the clock.
Hair In Unlikely Places
Now, it isn’t enough that they have to cover up gray hair; some also have to deal with hair coming out of their noses and ears. While you may be self-conscious about it, it gets pretty uncomfortable when you always feel a slight tickle beneath your nose. Imagine how annoying long gray nose hair will be.
Crowds
Crowds really get to older men. For one, there’s likely going to be noise, and the BBC shares that crowding can lead to violence. As an old man, you’re not the best person to manage situations like this, as you won’t be able to do much about it.
Technology
Every year, there’s always some new “groundbreaking” innovation we all have to keep up with, and it gets overwhelming sometimes. What makes this even worse is having to change from a device or service they’ve grown accustomed to because “support has been discontinued” or no one uses it again.
Small Prints on Products
As the NLM shares, older men already have to deal with poor vision, making it difficult to see colors or texts up close. With prints on products, you easily understand how annoying small texts can be. Having to strain their eyes just to read a product’s calorie content or disclaimers on a magazine ad will make them irritable, at the very least.
Driving
Driving can cause older men to get angry—poorer vision, poorer hearing, slower reflexes, and a weaker physique to stay at the wheel for extended periods. There are also too many cars on the road sometimes, and road raging at their age may just be too much to bear.
Birthdays
It’s not the birthdays but the excitement about birthdays that gets to older men. They’ve lived through so many that they’ll refer to birthdays as “just another day on the calendar,” and excitement about them becomes totally unnecessary. Sometimes, some even think of it as being one year closer to the end of life, so “why celebrate me dying?”
Social Media
While for some older men, social media has become too complex to maneuver, for many others, it’s just a disconnect from reality. Everyone’s on their phone every time, and no one relates with friends like they’re supposed to. Many also see constant oversharing with strangers as going overboard.
Retirement Home Ads
On the long list of things that remind men of their old age, retirement homes are one of the most frightening. The thing with ads, now, is that they’re so pervasive and accurately targeted that older men somehow can’t seem to escape them. It’s a constant, annoying battle against thoughts of retirement that they have to fight every day.
Subscription Services
Gone are the days when you just bought things to own them forever, and for cheap too. Today, the subscription model has evaded every industry, even down to reading the news and buying clothes. Managing so many subscriptions is extra work that many older men don’t want to have on their plates.
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