Psychology reveals why people who interrupt aren’t always rude, and when it should worry you

Interruptions in conversations are not always rude. Psychology reveals they can stem from internal pressures like anxiety or ...

Miss Manners: Why is it rude for me not to want to chit-chat, but not rude for you to insist on it?

Miss Manners assures you that you are not being impolite if, after one or two short responses, you find something to do that ...

Miss Manners: Why is it rude of me to avoid talking to strangers, but not rude of them to keep bugging me?

Why do strangers want to make small talk with me while waiting in grocery checkout lines, at bus stops, at the bank, during flights, etc.? STOP!

Miss Manners: My hints to be left alone go completely ignored by strangers

In today's Miss Manners column, advice columnist Judith Martin responds to politely avoiding small talk with strangers in public places.

Dear Miss Manners: How can I politely convey that I don’t want to chat?

Why is it not considered rude to engage me in conversation against my will, but it is considered rude to tell people you don’t want to talk?” ...

Miss Manners: Hostel turns hostile

She went on a yelling, screaming rant, saying that I hadn’t left my private room (which I paid $100/night for) clean enough ...

Miss Manners: I’m furious after being berated for not cleaning my $100 hostel room

In today's Miss Manners column, advice columnist Judith Martin responds to when hostel staff confronts someone aggressively ...

Miss Manners: I thought loyalty, money and friendship meant something at hostel, then this happened

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I am a freelance journalist who has been living, off and on, in the private room of a hostel off the ...

Miss Manners: Hostile hostel worker yelled at me for not cleaning my room well enough

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I am a freelance journalist who has been living, off and on, in the private room of a hostel off the beaten path. I love the place because it’s gorgeous and usually has excellent ...

Miss Manners: I was accosted by a volunteer at a hostel for not cleaning up before I left

I am a freelance journalist who has been living, off and on, in the private room of a hostel off the beaten path. I love the ...

Miss Manners: Can I host my own baby shower or is that tacky?

Is it in bad taste to throw yourself a baby shower? GENTLE READER: Yes, whether you are the baby, the embryo or the mother.