Your verbal tics might annoy you, but not all of them are as bad as you think.
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We asked BuzzFeed employees what words they consider negative self-talk. But are the things that annoy us really that egregious?
Before you flagellate yourself for using "like" or "um" too much, a lot of linguistic devices don't necessarily undermine what you're saying. "Instead, they are a natural way to negotiate social encounters so that you don't threaten or offend the person you're speaking with," Laurel Smith Stvan, a linguistics professor at the University of Texas at Arlington, writes in an email.
Here are some words and phrases that we could use less of — or maybe not worry about as much:
Chris Ritter / BuzzFeed.
Overly apologizing can be a self-defeating habit that you don't notice until someone points it out. Not all apologies are bad: Easing into conversation with "Sorry to interrupt" or "Excuse me, do you have a minute?" can be signals of respect to the person you are addressing, says Stvan. And if you mess up, of course you should 'fess up.
But if you're atoning for things that aren't offenses, jot every time you do it in your phone's notepad. As the list grows, you'll see how much you can snip out. (If this feels embarrassing, read 31 things I apologized for and you won't feel so alone.)
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