Downstairs neighbors call out 21-year-old woman for playing mahjong at 11PM every night, claim the clicking keeps them up: 'How thin are your floors for them to be able to hear your clicking and typing?'

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JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Jan 14, 2026 10:00 AM EST

Everyone has their little bedtime habits. It's healthy to have a bedtime routine that you look forward to doing. It can help you unwind from the day and sleep a little better. Maybe you have an extensive skincare routine you can't wait to get back to. Maybe you read a few pages of a book to help send you off to sleep. Or maybe you play mahjong on your laptop. We all have our own sensibilities. 

You're allowed to do whatever you want to do in your own home, within reason. It's your own home, after all. You would hate to feel restricted. Unless you're making a whole lot of unnecessary noise, then you're in the clear. The last time I checked, clicking on the mousepad on your laptop does not make a lot of noise. I've met loud typers, sure. And that can be monumentally annoying. You know this if you've ever been around one in a class or at work. They attack their keyboards with the force of a thousand suns. And it's all you can hear once you start hearing it. But you're allowed to type as loud as you want in your own house, given you don't have roommates or a partner who greatly objects. If you live alone, though, as the person in this story did, then you should be allowed to game on your computer as late into the night as you want. It wasn't like her volume was on. You can't help but click sometimes! 

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  • A woman wrapped up in a blanket uses her laptop at night
    via Unsplash+ (Stephanie Berbec)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • But if you live below someone, you know how annoying noise can be, especially when you're trying to sleep. Any disturbance in the equilibrium is not appreciated and should be treated with tact. But is there a limit to reasonable behavior? Are you allowed to get mad when it's simply someone clicking on their laptop? The person in this story wasn't sure if the acoustics of her apartment building were betraying her or if there was something more going on. But she wasn't willing to change her behavior. Read on for the full story and decide what you would have done in her shoes. 
     

  • Am I in the wrong for playing Mahjong on my computer at 11:00PM??

    AITA: 1 21(f) love playing on my computer. It is a 2020 macbook air for reference. Currently, is a Saturday night at 11:30pm and I want to play a game I very much enjoy on my laptop in bed, and the game happens to be mahjong. Now mahjong is a lot of clicking because of how the game is, just matching tiles. I
    via u/Voldemortsbigtoe
  • have no other noises going on in my apartment at this time. No music, no tv, no talking, computer volume is muted, and both of my pets laying next to me quietly. Yet, my downstairs neighbors have been complaining about hearing the clicking of my mousepad. They also have been complaining about hearing the
    via u/Voldemortsbigtoe
  • typing of my computer. They shouted through the ceiling "can you do this tomorrow" or "bro you've had all day why are you doing this now" and even "CAN YOU F-ING STOP." When they started pounding on the ceiling is when I finally gave in and closed my computer. Didn't even finish my game of mahjong :(
    via u/Voldemortsbigtoe
  • I just want to know if I am the one being an asshole. I am just playing a game on my computer that I enjoy before bed. We do live in a really old three-story house turned into three separate units. I am right in the middle. I don't know how sound carries through to their apartment, but maybe it is really loud? Is mahjong not a socially
    via u/Voldemortsbigtoe
  • acceptable game to be playing at 11:00PM? I have never even spoken to the people downstairs in real life, just hear their yelling from downstairs. I have talked to the people above me a couple times, and they have not mentioned anything about this being a problem, but they are quite lovely, so maybe they are just too nice to say anything. I would love to hear your guys opinions on this because I genuinely don't know. Thanks!
    via u/Voldemortsbigtoe
  • EDIT: Because I keep getting reoccurring comments about some of these, so I thought I would just put it here. 1) My computer volume is NOT on, my computer is muted. 2) I had never even heard of the tap-to-click settings until posting this. I have since changed my settings, though doesn't fix the sound of
    via u/Voldemortsbigtoe
  • typing at least I will have a little more peace! 3) The house is all wooden floors throughout, but I do have rugs all over in my apartment where is reasonable. My bedroom already has a nice rug in it, my living room has TWO rugs in it. 4) After reading some comments, my friends and I have concluded that it is probably my vents that are the problem. I want
    via u/Voldemortsbigtoe
  • to cover them but I have gas heating in my apartment and I don't want to ruin anything. Any tips on that? 5) Some of you think this is an ad which is HILARIOUS. Yes, I am 21 and genuinely like playing mahjong, whats wrong with that . Started playing. when I was a freshman in college when a friend and I would play
    via u/Voldemortsbigtoe
  • solitaire during our lectures, and then I randomly stumbled onto this game from there. I am now a junior and will continue going strong Imao. Please tell mahjong to run me my check for the free advertisement
    via u/Voldemortsbigtoe

  • Commenters gave their takes on the situation.

    Basictakes How thin are your floors for them to be able to hear your clicking and typing?
    via u/Basictakes
  • A woman in a yellow shirt uses a macbook in bed
    via Hao Pan

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • Dreamling- This reminds me of when my parents told me about an argument they had. My dad would be in the basement playing a tower defense game, when my stepmom was in bed, on the second floor. She yelled at him for the noise, and he couldn't
    via u/Dreamling-
  • believe she could hear him, because there were two floors between them. Turns out that the noise was coming up the heat vent. The vents were lined with metal, so the sound bounced up and was just audible enough to be annoying.
    via u/Dreamling-
  • I experienced something similar, when I had an attic apt (third floor) and a vent connected me to the first floor kitchen of a different apt. Not only could I smell their cigarettes, but I could hear them talking. (but not well enough to eavesdrop. Just enough to be aggravating since it was my bedroom)
    via u/Dreamling-
  • I'd check to see if there's a vent near your bed that could be carrying the noise. If so, blocking the vent while your playing might solve the problem.
    via u/Dreamling-
  • IMakeThings|Guess If your downstairs neighbors can hear the clicking they must have Superman hearing. You're in your own space minding your own business. You're NTA here. It's not as though you're doing a Riverdance impression at 2am.
    via u/IMakeThings|Guess
  • If you want to be nice (and not because you need to) there are quiet-clicking mice. Logitech has a few. But honestly, your neighbors are free to purchase a pair of headphones if they're unable to cope.
    via u/IMakeThings|Guess
  • Shatterpoint887 Tell them to turn a fucking fan on or something. You can't control the thickness of your floors. NTA.
    via u/Shatterpoint887
  • ihatejerries That's ridiculous. What you do (within reason) in your own space is your business, and what you're doing isn't even disruptive. If you were running a 24 hour tap- dancing school from your apartment or breeding elephants or something, I'd
    via u/ihatejerries
  • see an issue, but clicking? NTA. However, you may want to consider changing your Mac settings so that you only have to tap the trackpad, not click, so that it no longer makes a noise. It could settle the issue, but don't feel obligated to adjust
    via u/ihatejerries
  • your activities to accommodate your neighbors; they're being unreasonable, not you. Have fun with your mahjong!
    via u/ihatejerries
  • Hairy-Truth-5143 NTA, there is no way they can hear your clicking in a way that bothers them that much. I'd assume that if they can, then there are plenty of things you can hear from them. Playing mahjong at 11:30 is not unreasonable, and there's nothing you or the can do if your apartment doesn't have any sound deadening
    via u/Hairy-Truth-5143
  • itsmeowth69 This is unhinged. NTA. Your neighbors would loose their shit if they had someone playing league upstairs lol
    via u/itsmeowth69
  • Secret-Albatross NTA Its not like you have loud music playing or thumping on the floor. Makes me wonder why they havent complained about your footsteps or every other noise that you make if they can hear the keyboard clicking.
    via u/Secret-Albatross
  • what_is_this_ruc... NTA- if someone in a different apartment complained about mouse clicks, I'd give them a WHOLE bunch of other things to complain about until the literal end of time.
    via u/what_is_this_ruckus
  • Elegant Anywher... NTA. Play all goddamn night if you want. They're welcome to move or set up sound buffering.
    via u/Elegant_Anywhere_150

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neighbors neighborhood neighborhood-drama community drama bad neighbors neighborhood-stories karen neighbor Bad Neighbor karen
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