10 Quirks Of Evolution That Are Ruining Your Life
2. You're So Judgey
Nobody likes a hypocrite but, unfortunately, it's just in our nature. It is what is known as the fundamental attribution error.
Generally speaking, humans will mercilessly criticise others for their perceived failings, but will excuse the same behaviour in ourselves. Despite the fact that we learn that other people are separate humans with their own agency when we're toddlers, our brains don't actually seem to get the hang of it at all. This means we tend to apply our own current circumstances to other people and find it very difficult to really, truly be able to walk a mile in another's shoes.
If somebody else is drunkenly running around the city centre singing nursery rhymes, it's because they're an inebriated idiot and a symbol of Broken Britain, but if you do it then it's obviously because you're a zany and exuberant raconteur who is just having a good time.
There are many theories as to why we do this, but it basically seems to boil down to our tendency to try and spot patterns and order in the world. This is basically a shortcut your brain uses to try and understand the world with as little effort as possible. For this reason, when somebody behaves in a way that is inappropriate to the situation as you perceive it, your brains puts this in the "wrong" category rather than attempting to figure out the many different scenarios that could have led to it.
In short, you're a judgemental ass, but it's okay because everyone else is too.