Published on 12, July, 2020
Are these the same thing or is there some subtle difference that I'm missing? To me "I don't mind" is what NTs say when they don't care, whereas I just say it like it is. People always seem slightly taken aback when I say I don't care, but it's honest—maybe too honest.
Examples: What would you like for dinner? Which shops would you like to browse in? When would you like to book a holiday? How would you like the flower girls to have their hair at our wedding?
I often use "I don't mind" as a passive statement where if someone asks me for my input on a decision I leave up to them and will be happy either way. e,g, "Would you like to walk to the park or to the river?" "I don't mind, either will do."
"I don't care" is more aggressive and I would use it in frustration at something which bothers me. "If you keep eating sweets you will put on weight." "I don't care."
I have actually thought about this before and the phrase "I'm not bothered" comes to mind. Since I have quite a laid back and passive nature I often found myself saying this and changed it for "I don't mind". Thinking about it, this phrase could be use in place of either of these. I suppose depending on the context it could be seen as passive or aggressive.