In some situations one might feel like there’s no other option but to lie; for example, when your mother-in-law serves her famous stew you don’t like that much, but say how much you enjoy it every time nevertheless. (As a matter of fact, people reportedly tell anaverage of 1.08lies per day.)
However, sometimes, the white lie is completely uncalled for or unnecessary, especially when a person tries to prove just how much they enjoy an activity, even if they don’t (and there’s nomother-in-lawto impress). People on Redditrecently discussedsuch situations after one of them asked netizens what activities many people only pretend to like. Reddit users covered all sorts of scenarios, from talking about kids to social media use, so if you’re curious about what else was there, wait no longer and scroll down to find out.
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Happy birthday song at a restaurant.
Networking and making sure you know people that know people. Job politics etc.Can I just get a job based off experience and not who I know ?
Office get togethers.
In a recent interview withBored Panda, the OP shared that they decided to pose this specific question because they were curious about what people actually think of the things we do in society. “Plus I wanted to see if it wasn’t just me that thought some things were just things we pretend to like,” they added.
Watching NASCAR. I don’t know how anyone can sit there and watch those cars go around and around for hours.
Smoking cigarettes.Pretty much every smoker I’ve ever known wants to stop doing it and would prefer to never have started in the first place.
The curious redditor shared that if they themselves had to pinpoint a thing that most people only pretend to like, it would be going to clubs. “I don’t think people enjoy getting drunk and dancing around a bunch of strangers for no reason at all. It usually doesn’t end well and I think it’s just a desperate attempt at immediate social interaction,” they said, adding that in their opinion, people pretend to like things “either out of social pressure or to follow traditions in our society that they don’t want to challenge out of fear of ostracism.”
New years in times square.
Golf.I would literally rather s**t in my hands and clap than walk around in the sun hitting a ball.Now, everyone I’ve said that to in RL says ‘but U drink heaps of beer!" Well I tell them I can drink beer at home where it’s cheaper and doesn’t require driving a buggy and walking around.
Going to hot, overly crowded bars, paying $12 for a beer with the music too loud on s****y speakers.
Discussing the reasons why peoplepretend they likesomething in front of others, Dr. Richard Wiseman, Professor of the Public Understanding of Psychology at the University of Hertfordshire, compared everyday life to going to the theater: “Offstage the actors have a certain personality and onstage they pretend to be someone else. In everyday life, there is the way that we really think and feel, and the image that we give to other people.“We often do this in order to give the impression that we are especially tolerant, or cultured, or happy, and so on. In social psychology this is sometimes referred to as impression management, and nearly everyone does it most of the time as a way of connecting with others and projecting a certain identity.”
Discussing the reasons why peoplepretend they likesomething in front of others, Dr. Richard Wiseman, Professor of the Public Understanding of Psychology at the University of Hertfordshire, compared everyday life to going to the theater: “Offstage the actors have a certain personality and onstage they pretend to be someone else. In everyday life, there is the way that we really think and feel, and the image that we give to other people.
“We often do this in order to give the impression that we are especially tolerant, or cultured, or happy, and so on. In social psychology this is sometimes referred to as impression management, and nearly everyone does it most of the time as a way of connecting with others and projecting a certain identity.”
Hearing about people’s kids.
Social networking.
While in some people’s eyes pretending to like something you actually don’t is equal tolying, Dr. Wiseman suggested that it could be considered more of a part of the human psyche than lying. “I guess that some people are more honest and have a more ’take it or leave it’ approach, and others are more concerned about making a good impression.“There might be lots of psychological factors at play,” he continued. “For instance, the former group might be happy to have a small group of friends that value their authentic self, whilst the latter group might want to know lots more people and so are more motivated to project a sense of self that appeals to more people.”
While in some people’s eyes pretending to like something you actually don’t is equal tolying, Dr. Wiseman suggested that it could be considered more of a part of the human psyche than lying. “I guess that some people are more honest and have a more ’take it or leave it’ approach, and others are more concerned about making a good impression.
“There might be lots of psychological factors at play,” he continued. “For instance, the former group might be happy to have a small group of friends that value their authentic self, whilst the latter group might want to know lots more people and so are more motivated to project a sense of self that appeals to more people.”
Twitter. The site is full of bots and rageaholics. The UI is frustrating at best. Having a “discussion” in tweet form is tedious as hell. How many hot takes do you really need to satisfy yourself before it’s overkill?
Going to church.
Cruises.You spend how much money to be cooped on a boat with 3,000 strangers, for how long?
In Dr. Wiseman’s opinion,pretendingto like something you don’t can be both detrimental and beneficial, as it all depends on the context. “In general, I think it is good for people to take into account the concerns and thoughts of others, and to find ways of connecting with those people. That is going to require some flexibility in terms of how you project yourself. However, if that becomes too extreme then it will be difficult for people to develop deeper, and more lasting, relationships because these won’t be built on a sense of authenticity,” he said.
I do not understand runners, especially people that run marathons, 5ks, etc. purely for “fun”.
Those people that claim to be able to taste things in wine like sea air and a hint of lemons from a specific tree. Ps off with that ste.
LinkedIn.
Sex on the beach–way too sandy. Sex in the shower or underwater. Never enough natural lube!
Strip clubs. F*****g gross, man.
Anywhere with deafening loud music. I don’t get the appeal of concerts and clubs. Can’t even chat a person up.
Exercising. I f*****g despise it. Feeling hot, sweaty, aching, nauseous. Oh yeah, let’s do this every day!
Watching the 10 million videos someone posts on Snapchat from a concert.
Team buildings.
Chit chat about polite nothings with ppl you barely know.
Hanging out with the parents of your child’s friend.
Nightclubbing, especially the idiotic dancing.
Family Gatherings.
Work.
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Church, it’s miserable and boring. Make it 30 mins or less and I might still be going.
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Commuting. So many of my coworkers talked about missing their commute during lockdown, and I wanted to tell them NO you miss having alone time!
Social media trends that keep coming and going every 3-4 weeks.
Waking up before 7am.
Drinking IPAs.
Smoking cigars. I’ve done it plenty, I just don’t see it being pleasurable. 🤷🏻♂️.
Attending kids birthday parties.
Hating Nickleback.
League of Legends. Every person I’ve met that says they love it turns into an absolute rage goblin when they’re actually playing. I’ve been hanging in Discord with many of them during games - if they’re losing they’re salty, if they win, they’re either still salty because they didn’t win enough, or they’re emotionally neutral. I’ve never once heard a League of Legends player express enjoyment during match or say something like “wow, that was a fun match, I had a good time” after playing one.
Eating Kale.
Looking at other peoples holiday photos when they get back to work. I like how the ones with the holiday photos wait like a predator for the perfect moment to get their phone out to zoom through their 10,000 photos before they think you will be bored looking at your eyes to see if you are still interested. Just a little side note to you all, NOBODY cares and people are only “looking” out of politeness! 😆.
Singing happy birthday in the work break room.
Crossfit.
Posting on social media.
Hustle!
Wine tasting. 99% of people can’t tell a good wine from a bad wine. Most people lie and agree with whatever the “expert” says.
Parenting.
Going to the beach. Hot. Boring. Sand everywhere.
Playing monopoly. Entire generations full of s**t.
Hosting dinners.
Raising kids, probably. Don’t confuse it with not liking kids. Everyone likes them, but raising them is a different game!Edit: Parenting is already an answer so this is redundant.
Cycling - it can be really toxic if you go with a group. The ones I’ve met are super competitive/ egotistical people. Constantly trying to one up each other with the most expensive bikes and fastest times. The opposite of a team sport.
Being a dad.As a childless male, all of my male friends and colleagues seem to hate being a father. They complain all the time that all they do is work, then come home to do more work and they don’t have any time to themselves. I’ve been aware of situations where a colleague came in sick because it was easier than being at home or a friend who took the day off work but didn’t tell his wife so he could just sit in a park for a the day.I also wonder if the situation is the same for a lot of mothers but it’s much more difficult to say negative things about parenthood as a woman.
Dinner with in-laws.
Veganism.
Travelling to poor and dirty countries? Having to worry about food poisoning every time you eat? Nah thanks.
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