We all have a list of small habits that deeply ‘irritate’ us about other people – but why do these apparently minor things have such power over us? Is it less about them, and more about us? In Episode 21 of The Workshop podcast, Alain de Botton and John Armstrong explore the quietly revealing question: What Makes People Irritating? They ask why it is so maddening when people jiggle their leg up and down in the train seat next to us; the way they confuse ‘they’re’ and ‘there’; their habit of saying ‘like’ all the time… We learn about the strange joy of sharing our annoyances with others – and imagine a world where we might gather for ‘irritation meals’ to confess everything that quietly maddens us about being human. | | | For the very first time, join us for a rare and truly special event — the first live recording of The Workshop Podcast. Experience Alain and John in conversation as they exchange ideas, explore new perspectives, and invite you to ask questions that will shape the discussion as it unfolds.
This one-off event is open exclusively to Members of The School of Life. Join us for an afternoon of dialogue, depth, and connection — all in the company of fellow curious minds. | | | | | What to Do When a Stranger Annoys You In every life, we are constantly confronted with situations where a stranger will do something acutely irritating or discomforting. This article helps us understand what’s really going on – and how our irritation can serve as a true test of empathy. | | | | | Why You Are So Annoyed by What You Once Admired We’re often drawn to people because they embody qualities we lack. But over time, these traits can quietly become sources of deep irritation. This article explores how that reversal happens, and how to approach it with emotional maturity rather than blame. | | | | | What irritates us most is sometimes a reflection of our unmet wants and needs. This guided journal offers daily prompts on what we want, long for and wish to let go – helping us connect how we feel with some of the ways we react. | | | | | It’s easy to feel a bit ‘bothered’ – but when we’re asked to elaborate, it can be remarkably hard to tell other people how we really feel. This tool helps identify and articulate what we’re really experiencing, turning vague moods into precise emotional awareness. | | | In this week’s podcast episode, Alain and John discuss how, in an ideal world, we might regularly host ‘Irritation Meals’ – a deeply honest dinner of sorts, where we’d get together, pass the bread, and confess the things that quietly drive us mad. Our Conversation Menus are a step toward that ideal: beautifully designed prompts that open the door to deeper, more revealing conversations about our aches, longings, fears and everything else we usually keep beneath the surface. | | | Irritation has a way of showing up uninvited – sudden, direct, and often specific. This week's episode explores what lies beneath the pettiness of the moment, and what it says about our values, our limits, the gap between how things are and how we wish they could be. | | | |
