It still bothers me. I don't know whether I just don't understand the differences in culture (between theirs and mine), or whether I can't remember how I used t

It still bothers me. I don't know whether I just don't understand the differences in culture (between theirs and mine), or whether I can't remember how I used to socialize back in my high-school days, but the reactions always seems a bit excessive. I wonder if perhaps misdirection would change things? "You have 8 hours of this remaining" would make one very conscious of the experiment, and when it finishes.