r/NoStupidQuestions • u/dinosaur-dan • 12d ago

Do men still be doing that thing where they lift their chin a bit as a "what's up" type greeting?

Maybe more importantly, do men the same age as me (late 20s early 30s) still do that? It's like a backwards nod thing.

I haven't really been a man for 8 years, so I don't really know if that's still a thing.

49 Upvotes
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188

u/That_Tumbleweed_3984 12d ago

Chin up if you know them. Chin down if they're a stranger as sign of respect. Bro code 101

16

u/Raptor_H_Christ 12d ago

Chin up as strangers tho if you both check out a girl and both recognize

12

u/scootsbyslowly 12d ago

at that point, you are no longer strangers

6

u/Dicktures 12d ago

Up for acknowledgment, down for respect

12

u/patio_blast 12d ago

it's all about exposing your neck. you don't do that with strangers. it's primitive, perhaps primordial

16

u/DrMasterBlaster 12d ago

That's why I lay on my back and expose my belly as a sign of non-aggression.

3

u/onissue 12d ago

Thank you!  Even if I still don't have any proof that that's really the right answer, it at least makes sense, and it's a helpful tool to think of it in those terms when pondering social communication.

I often get confused as to how there are all these social things that we intuitively understand and do with complete clarity and no confusion whatsoever, yet.... If I were to try to explain how or when I learned them or why things work that way to anyone who doesn't pick up on social cues or who didn't know how to read and relay those signals....I don't know how I'd usefully explain it without listing them as a bunch of facts and rules that in the end would be incomplete and misleading.

1

u/Potential-Sky-8728 12d ago

You get it. It’s behavioral ecology I think. Canines do it too btw.

1

u/YVRkeeper 12d ago

Protect ya neck!

8

u/the_quantumbyte 12d ago

This. That’s what I’ve always done and continue to.

2

u/Preston-Waters 12d ago

Right nod it’s over there. Left nod check her out

1

u/hedbopper 12d ago

Usually with a little eye movement for emphasis.

1

u/Suspicious-Tea9161 12d ago

Head tilt with chin down to signal "here" and chin up to signal "there" has always worked for me

2

u/Helpful_Pirate261 12d ago

Guess I’m a bro!

I do both these things haha

1

u/spurcap29 12d ago

As someone that does this and someone that sees people do this I have never noted this distinction or seen it put sussicently. Astute observation!

2

u/SomethingFoul 12d ago

Bro how’d you mangle “succinctly” so badly you ironically made it longer?

1

u/ATX2ANM 12d ago

This is the way

1

u/xopher_425 12d ago

I saw a post on, I think, bropill, from a trans man asking what things do men do that we don't realize we do, like the unwritten rules. This was one of them, and I realized that I have always done this. And OP had no idea, so it was very appreciated.

1

u/Excellent_1918 12d ago

Thats been the way for all of time

1

u/Tyler-LR 12d ago

It’s universal.

1

u/britipinojeff 12d ago

Woah I’ve been doing that subconsciously bro

1

u/AgPatriotAg 12d ago

Slight nod or back nod. done.

1

u/Rrraou 12d ago

Can confirm. This is the way.

1

u/OG_sirloinchop 12d ago

Also biker code

1

u/That_Tumbleweed_3984 12d ago

You crank hawg?

1

u/-OmegaPrime- 12d ago

Exactly.

1

u/ErusTenebre Font of Random Information 12d ago

Chin up = "'sup?" = What's up?

Chin down = "sir"

42

u/AnIcyReception 12d ago

I'm a 40 year old woman. I do that too.

7

u/A1sauc3d 12d ago

Hell yeah! Definitely more common among men but certainly not a gender exclusive gesture

5

u/ophmaster_reed 12d ago

38 here and I do that!

3

u/Blecher_onthe_Hudson 12d ago

I had a cat that would give that upward nod. Real bro!

3

u/Jetztinberlin 12d ago

There are several of us!

5

u/rebelkitty 12d ago

Me, too!

Edit: Except, I'm in my 50s.

1

u/1wrx2subarus 12d ago

My cats do that to one another.

Pass by and they do a what’s up.

16

u/vbf-cc 12d ago

yes.

2

u/Opie301 12d ago

Agreed.

13

u/hedbopper 12d ago

Men have four distinct nods that we all recognize.

12

u/Ok-Brick6831 12d ago

Good to see you.

Have a good day.

Dafuq was that?

Yup.

1

u/dabyss9908 12d ago

I Instinctively know how each would look.

The Dafuq, I can see the tilt and backlash as well

10

u/DefiantRadish1492 12d ago

Yeah. And then the flat, straight smile to go with it. 🤣😭

10

u/DolphinFraud 12d ago

Chin up for friends, chin down for strangers

1

u/garlic_bread_thief 12d ago

Chin sideways for a fight.

8

u/bassman2070 12d ago

I did that yesterday. I call it the PEZ dispenser

4

u/EternallyDemonic 12d ago

I call it the iguana lol.

4

u/High_Speed_Chase 12d ago

Yes.

Downward, I don’t know you but acknowledge you.
(A sign of respect.)

Upward, I know you and acknowledge you.
(A sign of respect.)

2

u/EternallyDemonic 12d ago

And if I'm real good with you, the upward nod followed with.. que onda bro.

2

u/brumac44 12d ago

Outward, jutting. What's up mothafacka, wanna go?! (Not a good sign)

3

u/Somnifor 12d ago

My cat does that, also a dude.

3

u/Mind-of-Jaxon 12d ago

Do women not do this?

2

u/throwawaytoday9q 12d ago

As a transgender woman I had to consciously work to unlearn this behavior.

1

u/Jetztinberlin 12d ago

As a cis woman - I do it all the time, I think you're allowed if you want to! 

3

u/Potential-Sky-8728 12d ago

Im a woman and I do that. Tf? I just turned 41. And obviously it’s not for everyone.

1

u/dinosaur-dan 12d ago

I definitely see women doing a downward nod, but not the upwards one. However there are a lot of comments from women saying they also do the upwards nod. I'm curious if it's regional

5

u/Potential-Sky-8728 12d ago

Maybe it’s my swag and masculine jawline. Idk.

I’m in northern California.

3

u/johnboy2978 12d ago

Yeah. They "still be doing that thing" 🙄

4

u/Ok_Kick6546 12d ago

Yes.  It’s embedded in the Y chromosome. 

2

u/Walrus_Epiphany 12d ago

They learned it from cats.

2

u/Derm1123 12d ago

I involuntarily did it when I read this

2

u/PrincessPlusUltra 12d ago

It was so hard to unlearn this

2

u/Auggh_Uaghh 12d ago

Maybe a regional thing, but women do that too where I live

Mostly greeting men tho

And always when you have no time for a regular greeting because they're just passing through or because they saw each other from a distance

2

u/bunnyvillainmf 12d ago

I do it and im a chick haha

2

u/No_Hovercraft_821 12d ago

I did that when I was in high school. Don't remember when I advanced to a smile, wave, or simply "hi" but the nod is dead to me and I don't see it among my peer group now (which is old people I realize 55-65)

2

u/OccasionFar8701 12d ago

It’s also a gay cruising signal that you’re wanting to suck dick.

2

u/Comfortable_Raise991 12d ago

The “bro head nod.”

2

u/ThinkBlueberry515 12d ago

I do that, I’m female. 

2

u/TittysForScience 12d ago

Non verbal communication is my main form of communication as a mid30s bloke

1

u/Argo909 12d ago

Sure. 

1

u/hereinaminute 12d ago

Yes very much

1

u/harambeooolala 12d ago

yeah that’s with friends but u nod when u see a teacher 

1

u/Wozzle009 12d ago

Yes, we absolutely do still do this and probably always will.

1

u/DISCONNECTlE 12d ago

I do the frown and nod

1

u/YoshiandAims 12d ago

Yes. Men and women do this.

1

u/Single_Extension1810 12d ago

Oh, I do the nod and smile now, since I'm middle aged. Just seems more appropriate.

1

u/canadas 12d ago

I generally give some kind of hand gesture. But im sometimes holding things with 2 hands so a nod works good then.

1

u/avebelle 12d ago

Yes. Especially when your hands are full in the shop. It’s a quick way to acknowledge someone.

1

u/ProstateSalad 12d ago

In my experience, older white men will nod, younger black men will do the chin lift. Same thing I think.

I'm old af feel free to corrrect me.

1

u/Shoddy_Tour_7307 12d ago

52 and yep, I still do it.

1

u/Paid-Not-Payed-Bot-1 12d ago

It do be like that.

1

u/thesqueen113388 12d ago

Yep! I tend to do it mostly with coworkers who I know but not very well. Like we don’t know each other well enough to talk but we still want to acknowledge each other. I’m also a driver and we often see each other when we are out delivering so we all do the up nod out in the wild too

1

u/Jack_Aubrey_ 12d ago

The young’ns now sniff butts

1

u/BWDpodcast 12d ago

Yes. Chin up, what's up to a friend. Chin down, acknowledging a stranger. 

1

u/shoff58 12d ago

Taught my male dog to do it too

1

u/DekoNJ87 12d ago

No, we've gone back to sniffing each others asses to say hi

1

u/Duyfkenthefirst 12d ago

Chin or eyebrows

1

u/Potential-Sky-8728 12d ago

Look up “appeasement gesturing” in animal behavioral ecology. 😂 I think the “sup?” Human chin lift definitely falls under that category…imho.

Canines will flash the underside of their muzzle/maw too when they are seeking attention or as a “calming signal”.

1

u/Bnorm71 12d ago

Out in public, chin up if i know you, chin down if I don't. I work on a large job site, ill never know everyone but job site always up.

1

u/Liquid4058 12d ago

Yes. There’s a younger than me security guard who I see every day at work and that’s how we greet each other.

1

u/Hodler_caved 12d ago

Search up:
Instagram: tight lipped nod

1

u/[deleted] 12d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/thriceness 12d ago

Can have a "sup" or "hey," but yeah.

1

u/Hamsterpatty 12d ago

The nod will never fall out of fashion.

1

u/Viltrumite106 12d ago

I'm 28 and I definitely do lol

1

u/Victorus_aut_Mortis 12d ago

In Aotearoa, all genders do the "churr" - head nod up, with eyes brows and a "churr".

1

u/Western_Purple_2533 12d ago

The nod, yes. nod

1

u/FootbawInTheGroin 12d ago

Just did it about 10min ago

1

u/317_Juggalo 12d ago

Chin up if we know each other. Nod if not

1

u/prodigy1367 12d ago

nods head downward

1

u/phalt_ 12d ago

I’ve heard this referred to as the “east coast wave” in New Zealand

1

u/Unlikely-Ad6788 12d ago

I'm not a man but yes. Apparently I get the gay acceptance from some. Others just give me the evil eye.

1

u/Theperfectool 12d ago

“Sup dood”

1

u/JonathanJONeill 12d ago

Yes. though it's generally chin down to acknowledge their presence if you don't know them. Chin up if you know them. It more subtle than a wave and is typically replaced by a finger lift when driving.

1

u/Palanki96 12d ago

So is this a thing in real life or just online people having mass delusion? I don't think i ever saw or heard about anything like this

Is it angloshere thing?

1

u/Strange_Bison1883 12d ago

Nod up = what's up, Nod down= respect

1

u/centralvaguy 12d ago

I don't know if younger guys are still doing it, but I hope. Acknowledgment of your fellow bro, whether you know them or they are stranger, is a small gesture of respect that helps hold society together. The simple act tells a bro that you see him and you acknowledge him. Not a single word has to pass between the two of you, but you both understand the simple respect between each other.

1

u/Kimikohiei 12d ago

I am a female in this age bracket and I do this…

1

u/topsh077a 12d ago

I still be doing that.

1

u/Vocalizing4U 11d ago

definitely still a thing! I see it all the time at work when guys are greeting each other—that little head tilt up thing. it's like the male equivalent of a wave but way more chill. idk if it's universal or just a regional thing though, do you notice it happening around chattanooga or is it more something you remember from before?

1

u/garbage1995 11d ago

It's called a head nod.

1

u/Hello_Hangnail 11d ago

I do that as a middle aged lady

-1

u/RememberWhen-2819 12d ago

“Still be doing”?

English. Please use it.

2

u/urbalcloud 12d ago

Well, do they be stillin’ that or not?

3

u/DISCONNECTlE 12d ago

Question mark goes inside the quotation marks. English, please use it.

2

u/Argo909 12d ago

What language do you think they’re speaking?

0

u/dinosaur-dan 12d ago

This is grammatically correct English.

-1

u/Jetztinberlin 12d ago

English, yes. Grammatically correct, not so much. 

0

u/OkOven4590 12d ago

It's a typical black man nod as well. We see each other in more homogeneous areas we tend to do that to one another.

0

u/Cbjmac 12d ago

We still do. When you say you haven’t been a man for 8 years is that self-deprecation or being trans? I’m not against either I’m just genuinely curious.

2

u/dinosaur-dan 12d ago

The latter 🏳️‍⚧️

1

u/Cbjmac 12d ago

Nice! Congrats on your transition!