People Who Read Text Messages But Forget To Respond Until Way Later Almost Always Have 11 Highly Specific Personality Traits
ShotPrime Studio / ShutterstockI don’t know about you, but if there’s one thing I hate, it’s the feeling of waiting by the phone for a text message. It happens all the time: a friend promises they’ll text, then days pass, only for you to still wait for the text. A nudge later, and they apologize, following up after you have to nudge them.
In many cases, the people who forget to respond to text messages are an odd bunch of people. They tend to be the ones who end up being great friends in person, but terrible online. Wondering what’s going on with the friends who do this? Well, they might have these personality traits to thank for their absent-minded behavior.
People who read text messages but forget to respond until way later almost always have 11 highly specific personality traits
1. They get lost in their own thoughts
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Did you ever meet a person who gets so lost in thought that they forget what they’re doing in the moment? They are the type of person who will get so lost in thought about the meaning of life that they accidentally forget to turn off the stove.
If your friend looks a bit zoned out on a regular basis, it might be because their mind is wandering. They’re thinking about a million deep things, and maybe it could be why they left you on read. That’s why the trope of the “Absent-Minded Professor” is as popular as it is. There is some truth to that trope.
2. The phrase 'deep thinker' describes them to a T
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While we’re on the topic of forgetting due to deep thoughts, let’s talk about the actual type of thinking they do. People who tend to forget text messages are often deep thinkers. While they may get preoccupied with thoughts on the day-to-day minutiae of things, they tend to get very lost in thought over bigger questions.
If you find yourself talking to them about “big picture” questions like the meaning of life, don’t be surprised if they forget to text you back in a timely manner. They are likely to be in their own little world.
3. They have difficulty focusing
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“Focus apps” are starting to become increasingly popular among those of us in the workplace. For those not in the know, this is a genre of apps that block text message alerts and calls until you manually stop the app. Some even gamify your ability to focus.
If your friend forgets to answer your texts or you notice the messages are delivered but not read, they might be using a focus app. When this happens, they might forget to turn it off. Or, in some cases, they may feel like it’s too late to reply by the time you call back.
4. They run late
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Most of us had a coworker who seemed to have a knack for being late on everything while also not getting fired. While I wish I could explain how they manage to fly under the radar, this isn’t that type of article. No, this is about personality traits that often accompany people who forget to text back.
They just tend to be chronically late. Being on time doesn’t really score high up on their priority list. Why that happens to be the case remains to be seen, but if they’re late on replies, they also tend to be late on most other departments in life.
5. They might be social perfectionists
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Imagine the following situation: you get a text from your crush. It’s a bit cryptic. You start reading it and re-reading it, trying to figure out what it means. You want to reply in a way that makes you look awesome. You sit there, mull over it, mull over it, and mull over it… until you realize you’ve spent an hour looking at that message without a reply.
This is actually a scenario that goes through the mind of a typical perfectionist, particularly when they tend to get nervous about interactions. They keep thinking, thinking, thinking, and then they realize it’s now awkward to get a reply.
6. They got swayed by texting culture
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If you’re a Millennial or older, chances are that you noticed a subtle decline in relationships since the start of cellphone use. Believe it or not, it’s not your imagination. Relationships have been wearing down over text. Studies have shown that texting actually has a major negative impact on all relationships, platonic and otherwise.
Texting has this weird way of encouraging people to get lazy or passive-aggressive with their replies. If your friend was swayed by the laziness of texting, this could be a good explanation for why they tend to reply late or not at all.
7. You often hear they’re better in person
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Some people truly sparkle through the written word, but fall flat on their faces when they are put in front of people. Others are the polar opposite. They tend to be awkward via texting, which often leads them to bad situations.
People like this tend to forget to text back until it’s too late, not because they are lazy but because they genuinely don’t do well at texting. They end up choosing to explain things in person, especially if the topic is a bit deeper or heavier than you’d want to discuss via text.
9. Conflict-avoidance might be an issue
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Conflict isn’t something anyone wants to deal with. At best, you have to deal with an awkward confrontation that you don’t want to have. At worst, you might have to deal with a tough talk that will eventually break your relationship with the person that you’re confronting. It is never pleasant, even when it’s necessary.
All things considered, it’s not surprising to hear that conflict avoidance is on the rise. More and more people are just afraid to say what is on their mind. An easy way to avoid tough talks is to simply not respond to the person who just texted you. When you think about it, these two traits make sense when they work hand in hand.
10. They tend to have an introverted streak
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It’s common knowledge that introverts need to recharge after a lot of socializing. They get their energy from solitary, quiet experiences. Considering they need to get a break in order to keep functioning well among people, it’s not surprising to hear that they may take a while to text you back.
At times, putting down your phone can be an act of self-love and self-care. Most people who are like this tend to tell others ahead of time that they are terrible with texting. If they can’t manage that, it’s usually because they are just rude.
11. At times, they may forgot to tell you their thoughts, too
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I’ve done this before! I’ve had a text message, only to think to myself of a reply. Then, I just put the phone away to remind myself to text them later, or put the phone down, thinking that my thoughts should be obvious to them. I don’t look at the phone. I just keep on keeping on until I realize I should have texted the person back. Oops.
People like me often space out during conversations when they forget to reply. So, how do you figure out if it’s a personal issue or a matter of manners? It’s simple. If they apologize and do this with everyone, it could just be that they’re that spacey.
Ossiana Tepfenhart is a writer whose work has been featured in Yahoo, BRIDES, Your Daily Dish, Newtheory Magazine, and others
