Do you 'push people's buttons' for your own amusement?

[Perfectly Normal Beast]

If so, who's? People who annoy you, people you actually admire/respect or whatever but want to engage with and this (type of conflict) is an easy option?
Is it so tempting because it's just so easy to provoke hysterical/emotional outbursts in some people?

I'm fully aware that it's cruel and manipulative (sociopathic?!). The older i get the more i'm able to control the urges but from around age 9 or so (i have a very emotional family) til early 20's i found it to be quite an irresistible sport.

Anyone else struggle with/thrive on this?

 

[Montresor]

Interpreting the logical form of a statement/argument, deconstructing it, and subsequently rejecting it really seems to push a lot of buttons...

Especially when you actually agree with what was said so you repeat it back after repairing it.

 

[TimeAsylums]

Interpreting the logical form of a statement/argument, deconstructing it, and subsequently rejecting it really seems to push a lot of buttons...

Especially when you actually agree with what was said so you repeat it back after repairing it.

Is it so tempting because it's just so easy to provoke hysterical/emotional outbursts in some people?

I'm fully aware that it's cruel and manipulative (sociopathic?!)
Anyone else struggle with/thrive on this?

Oh you gaisssssss


Yes.

See any number of my "Jester posts"

However, it's not solely for the purpose of my amusement - it's my preferred method of teaching. I love to make people see their own flaws in logic or reasoning instead of just pointing them out myself, isn't that what all teachers desire? I just like to do it in a comical fashion.

 

[Chad]

It depends on the person and how well they can handle it.

I wouldn't push someone buttons unless I was sure they could deal with it.

 

[Irishpenguin]

I don't think I've ever pushed somebody's buttons for the sole amusement of it, though I know a few friends who do just that. Sometimes pushing buttons can come in handy when somebody that I know very well is being completely ridiculous, like if they are already angry so they start talking to be and overexaggerating far too many points of whatever story they are trying to explain to me (I usually use sarcasm for this).

And being honest, out of all of my friends I tend to be a target to poke at. Not that I tend to have overly emotional bursts, but I do tend to get flustered or frustrated easier when I know that my friends are just joking but I really want something answered or explained. (this usually ends in me saying something like "Come on guys seriously?...stooops, ugghhh, I hate you all.")

And I really want to point out that, apparently, the internet generation have defined this act as "Trolling" which is also used for many other purposes and leads to more confusion and blah blah blah

 

[Jennywocky]

I don't push buttons for fun, but I've been surprised lately to discover that I'll specifically say things nowadays (on occasion) in ways I know could get a bad response, mostly because I want to see how the other person might respond.

(It provides me some information about their state of mind / attitude that I might not get otherwise.)

 

[ℜεмїηїs¢εη¢ε]

I do not deliberately try to make others angry. At the same time, I hardly ever deliberately try to make others happy.

 

[TimeAsylums]

I'll specifically say things nowadays (on occasion) in ways I know could get a bad response, mostly because I want to see how the other person might respond.

(It provides me some information about their state of mind / attitude that I might not get otherwise.)

Welcome to Ne world

...I don't suppose you recall @THD or myself specifically mentioning this method not too long ago a la Witch Hunt thread

 

[Thurlor]

I can remember pushing my brother's buttons when I was a teenager. I could say the silliest things (that I can't even remember now) that would easily drive him to such emotional outbursts. It was so funny to see the veins popping out on his forehead.

 

[DrGregoryHouse]

yes. It is interesting.

 

[Duxwing]

I will sometimes crack jokes that I know will be poorly received for the sheer joy of upsetting others. I should stop that.

-Duxwing

 

[Pyropyro]

No. Besides, there are games that produce the same Catharsis without hurting anyone.

 

[Hadoblado]

Do you 'push people's buttons' for your own amusement?

I was always a bit of a button masher.

 

[Polaris]

I don't do it on purpose to people I cannot predict the outcome with. I sometimes do it to close friends/family/partner for my own amusement, and sometimes to make a point that's been missed. There is never malice intended, but I have been misunderstood by people when I have pushed their buttons unintentionally by asking too many questions. Suddenly, their defenses are up and I'm like: "What did I say, what did I do?"

 

[Rome96]

I mostly do it to people I dislike/who annoy me and only when I'm bored (which is most of the time). Sometimes I do it out of sheer curiosity, to see their reactions and analyze them, but most of the time it's just me being mean without them knowing it. I find it amusing. Dance for me, puppets!

 

[NullPointer]

I guess I do this to a degree. I end up deliberately arguing against a point that we're both actually agreed on, especially if I'm not convinced they have a good reason to support it. If someone states that they support something without giving any reasons, I just can't resist playing the devil's advocate. I wonder what sort of impression that makes, do my friends think I hold all sorts of bizarre views?

 

[Hadoblado]

I guess I do this to a degree. I end up deliberately arguing against a point that we're both actually agreed on, especially if I'm not convinced they have a good reason to support it. If someone states that they support something without giving any reasons, I just can't resist playing the devil's advocate. I wonder what sort of impression that makes, do my friends think I hold all sorts of bizarre views?

My sister now thinks I'm a white supremacist...

 

[Etheri]

I don't push buttons for fun, but I've been surprised lately to discover that I'll specifically say things nowadays (on occasion) in ways I know could get a bad response, mostly because I want to see how the other person might respond.

(It provides me some information about their state of mind / attitude that I might not get otherwise.)

I guess I do this to a degree. I end up deliberately arguing against a point that we're both actually agreed on, especially if I'm not convinced they have a good reason to support it. If someone states that they support something without giving any reasons, I just can't resist playing the devil's advocate. I wonder what sort of impression that makes, do my friends think I hold all sorts of bizarre views?

These two win the thread.

Especially playing devils advocate... However, most of my friends don't like discussions, it seems.

 

[Hadoblado]

These two win the thread.

It was a competition?

And I already lost?

Fuck.

 

[Thurlor]

Due to issues IRL I've actually given this some more thought and I would have to say I actually disagree with the notion of 'pushing someone's buttons'. It implies we are nothing more than machines and aren't responsible for our own actions. Ultimately it is up to the 'pushee' to decide how to respond (if at all) and the concept implies that this control is beyond them.

I wonder how many people who accuse others of 'pushing their buttons' just can't be arsed to control themselves and figure it easier to blame the 'pusher'?

 

[Brontosaurie]

I guess I do this to a degree. I end up deliberately arguing against a point that we're both actually agreed on, especially if I'm not convinced they have a good reason to support it. If someone states that they support something without giving any reasons, I just can't resist playing the devil's advocate. I wonder what sort of impression that makes, do my friends think I hold all sorts of bizarre views?

i usually just feel cute doing that

namely by sounding somewhat naïve, enthusiastic and innocent

the thought doesn't occur to me that such questioning could be inappropriate

 

[MR Softy]

I you find yourself tierd of somebody in the whining mode you can just smile and say "Yes" to everything, including questions. That will make them want to kill you

 

[Assassin]

All the time.

Usually, I do it with people I'm annoyed with(mostly my family). Its just to easy to piss them off. sometimes I push my friends buttons but not to the point of it bothering them that much.

 

[Happy]

I don't have that part of the brain that stops you speaking out of turn. I stopped trying to limit it. So yes, now I like to push people's buttons for my own amusement. Especially work colleagues.

My favourite way to push people's buttons is to correct them - regardless of how correct/incorrect they are.

I found my housemate because he was a work colleague who I teamed up with to push people's buttons. A wonderful friendship evolved.

I'm a terrible human.

 

[inhibitions]

I you find yourself tierd of somebody in the whining mode you can just smile and say "Yes" to everything, including questions. That will make them want to kill you

Usually, when I do this they think I care.

 

[not]

No, I don't make a sport out of pushing other people's buttons.

I am good at it when I need to be. I have to agree with @Jennywocky in that I do on occasion push a button or two to gage where I am at with a person, or more appropriately, where that person might be mentally and or emotionally. When I do navigate that screen, I make sure I have an 'undo' or two saved up.

Maybe I lean on a button or two to get something accomplished... It's more like nudging someone along than trying to get a rise, like holding down the forward button...

 

[Grayman]

Who else would I be trying to amuse?

 

[Hawkeye]

To prevent another thread derail caused by Grayman and his purposefully out-of-context one liners.

*back on topic*

No I don't.

Spoiler

I'm lying.

 

[Grayman]

To prevent another thread derail caused by Grayman and his purposefully out-of-context one liners.

You don't do much reading between the lines do you?

The translation for my statement is "of course I do!"

 

[not]

Push those buttons!

 

[praisetehsun]

A friend of mine recently posted a Facebook status that read "I have nobody to go to the debs with".
The debs is basically the Irish version of prom. I sent her a message saying that I asked somebody for her, which I didn't, and that they would be delighted to go with her.
Keep in mind she doesn't click with this person at all. ENFP and INFJ.
I phrased the last sentence of my message in such a way so that if you read the initial letter of each word it spelled 'I am joking'. I made sure to make this last sentence look out of place, or strange to say in the context of the message.
Hoping she would catch on.
She didn't, lol.
She called me very angrily asking why and "what the fuck the last sentence meant".
At least she got something from it.
I just listened to her erupt for 40 seconds, didn't say a word and couldn't get one in if I tried, then messaged her detailing instructions to decode the last sentence.
She laughed a lot and now she is fine.
In summary: I do this often enough,setting up something for a person just to judge their reaction.
But what I am interested in is I have no idea why I do it. Probably boredom.

 

[Cognisant]

Do you 'push people's buttons' for your own amusement?

Of course not, I do it to piss them off and my amusement.

 

[Emerson]

I used to push other people's buttons for different reasons other than amusement, initially speaking, but I was often amused by their reactions. Previously in my teenagehood, I used my insightful teenage logicality-- which is quite likely an oxymoron -- as a defense mechanism whenever there was a disagreement between myself and someone else, normally a family member. Often times I'd irritate others when I didn't get my way, most of the time reverting to critiquing their choices-- this could range from them eating an unhealthy meal for dinner to elaborating on their worst failures in life. It was quite cruel of me to do what I did and now I look back on my actions with dismay, but I understand that I was at a different place in my life then and now. I still enjoy poking fun occasionally at the erroneous perceptions of others during their irrational moods, which all of us experience time to time, but I normally do so when the said person is in a more calm state of mind. As it is in my perceived best interest, I do not wish to instigate a temper tantrum for the sheer hell of it. After all, my time is valuable and I'd like not to spend my time aggravating an erzats conversation in the hopes that I can push my friend's or family's buttons. Heck, those aren't the people I want to upset; though I did enjoy sticking up my middle fingers on my head, making them look like horns, when I passed by a bigoted religious Christian preaching "believe now or go to hell, fags are bad, blah blah" on Rodeo Drive-- to which my best friend and my mother looked upon me with a snippet look of horror. I must admit that I did find their reaction funny and joked about it sometime later. I suppose I do enjoy pushing some people's buttons.

 

[StevenM]

No, I generally leave people alone.

People I am very close to though, I sometimes joke around.

 

[Jennywocky]

 

[Pyropyro]

 

[Beowulf]

No, not for my own amusement. At least not anymore. I used to push peoples buttons a lot when i was a teenager but as i got older i realized that i was far to good at it and i actually did hurt a lot of people so i stopped all together because i never could do it playfully. And now in days I like staying as mellow as possible so i tend to ignore that route whenever i can. I find that now i only push peoples buttons when they upset me or anger me in a very personal way but it can escalate pretty quickly so i still tend to watch what i say. And if i know the person well its pretty easy to go straight for the throat and hit that button that makes them implode. But of course with great power comes great responsibility.

 

[BrainVessel]

Not just for fun, but I'll mess with people as a way of seeking out a deeper and more casual friendship, or if someone is having a knee-jerk reaction or being generally inconsiderate to anyone but myself I'll attempt to knock them down a couple levels on their mental self-esteem cornhole.