Some say that no good deed goes unpunished, and unfortunately, there are one too many stories that prove it.
Take this redditor's situation, for instance. Living with four other roommates, she was the only one with a job, which allowed her to save up for a TV. But instead of keeping it all to herself, she put it in the living room for everyone to use. And the roommates did, but to an extent which eventually made the OP engage in malicious compliance.
Bored Panda has reached out to the OP and she was kind enough to answer a few of our questions. You will find her thoughts in the text below.
People tend to get used to good things rather quickly
Image credits: Karolina Grabowska (not the actual photo)
This redditor turned to malicious compliance after her roommates got a little greedy with her TV
Image credits: Samsung Memory (not the actual photo)
Image source: Dazzling_Ferret3985
By occupying the TV for hours on end, the roommates seemed to have broken an agreement
Image credits: Alice Simkin (not the actual photo)
The OP told Bored Panda that the thing that upset her the most about the situation was the fact that her roommates went back on their word. “There was an agreement to share [it] before I moved the TV down; I didn’t just assume they would be okay letting me watch a few programs, they explicitly agreed,” she pointed out.
The redditor shared that before the act of malicious compliance, members of the household got along well in general. After it, things didn’t change much, except for that the OP no longer needed to leave her room to watch the programs she liked. “After they had bought a TV, I happily watched mine in my room and they played FIFA almost all the time,” she said.
A roommate can significantly influence a person, sometimes unintentionally so
Image credits: Yan Krukau (not the actual photo)
Living with roommates can lead to having the time of your life or feeling like you’re going through rounds of hell. But whichever it is—even if it’s somewhere in between—it often turns out to be an experience that’s difficult to forget.
It is especially true when it comes to one’s college roommates, as they often face challenges similar to those of your own, be it peer pressure, the toll of studying, or other headaches. That might be one of the reasons people you live with can affect you more than you even realize, whether for the better or worse.
Take video games, for instance. “If your roommate brought a video game, you study a lot less and you do a lot worse in your classes,” economics professor at the University of Western Ontario, Todd R. Stinebrickner told The New York Times. A survey that he has carried out revealed that students with an XBox-bearing roommate spent half an hour less on studying compared to those without one. Moreover, their grade point averages seemed to be lower, too.
Academic results and free time are just a couple of the many aspects of life roomies can influence. Studies found that one’s weight and eating habits can change, too, depending on who they live with. For instance, women living with heavier roommates tend to gain less weight, The New York Time reports. That is because some of them might be on a diet or into exercising, which rubs off on the person they live with, regardless of their physique.
In addition to that, roomies can also significantly affect one’s emotions, as the latter can be contagious, even if not to the same extent as a cold. These examples go to show that it’s important to choose roommates wisely, if you’re given a chance.
Friends and family members seem to make the best roommates
Image credits: Andres Ayrton (not the actual photo)
For those who are lucky enough to get to choose their roommate, going for a friend or a relative seems like the best option. According to a study carried out by Apartment Guide, they make the best companions to share a home with, followed closely by… co-workers. It might be surprising to some, considering that it likely means seeing someone nearly 24/7, but according to the surveyed Americans, they make great roomies.
But choosing a friend to be your roommate might have a flip side, too. The survey revealed that nearly half of the respondents entered such a living arrangement as friends, but roughly one third of those who did weren’t happy with it in the long run. Chances are, disagreements that arise when living together can negatively affect people’s friendships, too.
When it comes to living with family, nearly one in three people seem to be content with their roommate (the same goes for co-workers), and as for strangers, roughly one-fourth of them are satisfied.
There are many factors that determine whether living with roommates will be the time of one’s life or a living hell, but at the end of the day, it all boils down to mutual respect. Whether it’s a friend, a family member, or someone they’ve just met, one thing is clear; sharing a home is infinitely more difficult when people don’t consider each others’ needs, such as wanting to use their own TV, for instance.
The OP provided more details in the comments
Fellow redditors shared their opinions on the matter
Some have gone through similar situations themselves
