Gaze upon photos of Earth's coolest mountain and just try to not say one of these 9 things.
Mount Everest isn't kidding around.
Photo by shrimpo1967/Flickr.
At over 29,000 feet high, it is nature's single greatest achievement.
(Sorry, grapes!)
Its scale is staggering. Its peaks magnificent. Its snow supremely powdery.
Only a lucky few ever get to see it in person.
In case you become one of those lucky few, here are the nine reactions you are, statistically, most likely to have, as studied*. By scientists**.
1. "Whoa."
Photo by rdevany/Wikimedia Commons.
When you catch your first glimpse of the tallest peak in the known world, whose summit would virtually scrape the bottom of a 747 at its cruising altitude, your first reaction will likely be a standard, "Whoa."
It's basic, but — no judgment — entirely appropriate.
2. "Whoa. Wow."
Human beings, walking as high as a plane flies. GIF from "Everest"/Universal.
Similar to the standard, "Whoa," but also with a "Wow."
According to experts, this is a normal reflex reaction to the experience of laying eyes on a towering monument of granite and limestone that is 10 times taller than the tallest building in the world and getting taller every year, making a complete and utter mockery of human ingenuity, especially when you stop to consider that over 4,000 people have been on top of it.
3. "..."
Snow coming off the top of Mount Everest, an event for which there are no words. GIF from "Everest"/Universal.
It is also natural to be totally speechless.
4. "I think I left the toaster plugged in."
Oh no. Photo by Eric March/Upworthy.
There's nothing worse than getting all the way to Nepal and then realizing you forgot something important at home. But now you've thought about it, and you can't unthink it. And there's a good chance you're going to spend your whole vacation worrying about the small, but non-zero likelihood that you will return home and find all your earthly possessions destroyed by a raging fire.
The most annoying part? You probably didn't leave the toaster plugged in. But now you know it's possible.
Either way, now you can't be sure, and you'll just have to wing it.
5. "Ummm."
Photo by Lerian/Wikimedia Commons.
I mean ... just...
Yeah.
6. "I'mma ski down that!"
Photo by Ian Gad/Wikimedia Commons.
For a number of reasons related to wanting to live to a ripe old age, see one's children have children, and collect Social Security, most people don't have this reaction. But Davo Karnicar did.
In 2000, Karnicar, who was born in Slovenia and now lives in a beer commercial, became the first person to ski from the summit of Mount Everest all the way back to base camp. It took him five hours.
He subsequently commenced smiling for the rest of his life.
7. "I wonder what global warming will do to this thing."
Photo by Bernard Goldbach/Flickr.
At some point, you will probably be a buzzkill. It's hard to blame you. Someone's got to think about this stuff. Might as well be you.
And it's a good thing you did, because the glaciers on Mount Everest are in some seriously deep crud. Some projections have them melting 70% to 99% by 2100.
You will be glad you got the gawking in while the getting's good. But also, it will inspire you to go home and raise hell! Beat the drum! The change begins with you! Get that butt moving, Charley! Mount Everest needs you.
8. "Holy moly."
Photo by Luca Galuzzi/Wikimedia Commons.
It's a little old fashioned, but yeah, holy moly! And, like, forget its sheer size. Mount Everest has been around a long time. Over 60 million years, to be kinda sorta exact. When Mount Everest was invented, there were no humans (but lots of bear dogs!), but now you can get 3G on the summit.
I guess human ingenuity is good for something after all — and that is playing competitive Words with Friends on the top of Mount Everest. Holy moly!
9. "Jeeeeeeeeeeeeee..."
Photo by Dnor/Wikimedia Commons.
Upon turning a corner near some rocks and realizing that Mount Everest is right in front of you, there's a good chance you will want to exclaim, "Jesus!" but will be too overwhelmed to even finish the whole word as your voice trails off into a weird mush of vowels. And that's OK. We get the point.
You've seen Mount Everest. And you feel not unlike this:
GIF from "Everest"/Universal.
Who can blame you? I certainly can't.
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."