A personality meme is a type of specific type of meme. It is a behavior that is passed around like a virus from person to person. This includes manners of speech, actions, expressions, and others. Personality memes are passed from host to host when people interact with each other for some period of time. The time it takes for personality memes to infect new hosts depends on the nature of the meme and the personalities of the people involved. Some people may be resistant to certain memes which do not fit with their personality.
Personality memes can be both detrimental and beneficial, depending on the company you keep and the specific behavior caused. For example, being infected with a meme may allow you to better blend with a group of people by picking up their speech mannerisms or the like. A detrimental meme is one that makes you annoying or that makes you stick out like a sore thumb.
It is possible to cure an infection of personality memes. It is important to scrub the affected area soapy water and... No, wait. You can cure a meme infection by consciously focusing on the behavior the meme causes and forcing yourself to stop doing it. This sometimes takes a long time depending on the degree on infection.
Examples of personality memes:
- Saying "haha" in the manner of Nelson from the Simpsons.
- Pronouncing words in a strange or uncommon manner, such as saying "hotel" as "hoe-tle".
- Using the word "excellent" in a sarcastic manner all the time.
I've been infected by all of these. I was able to eliminate the "ha-ha", which was necessary because it be very hurtful, the second never really took, but I still say "excellent" in a sarcastic way a lot.