Yahoo Lifestyle 19 Things People Are Convinced Others Only Pretend To Enjoy
I am firmly convinced that people who claim to love black licorice only mildly like it or tolerate it because they grew up eating it, and the taste is nostalgic to them.
And recently, I came across a Reddit post that dealt with just that. In it, user questioninghoms asked: "What are you convinced people are just pretending to enjoy?"
The thread got thousands of responses. Below are the top, best, and most-often repeated things people believe nobody actually likes:
1."LinkedIn"
"LinkedIn is the adult career version of those dumb discussion boards you’d have to do in college. Everyone on that site acts like they want to participate on LinkedIn, but everyone knows it’s bullshit. I refuse to participate in it. Still got hired."
2."High heels. They look great, but god, my feet."
3."Family Christmas/Thanksgiving gatherings. I am fortunate to have a wonderful family with no embarrassing relatives. But it is exhausting to pretend to be in a good mood and have forced holiday cheer for several hours."
4."A lot of mobile games and multiplayer games. Specifically, that people have convinced themselves they’re enjoying it when really it’s just become a habit. Some games are so good at getting people into a habit loop. I'm not excluding myself here. I have one game that I know I don’t really enjoy anymore but sunk cost and habit keep me logging on every day, even if my total play time is down."
"I was playing a random game once, luckily didn't spend any money on it, but my husband was like, 'So...what do you like about that game?' just trying to make conversation. And I was like, 'Oh, I don't really like it...' and when I said that/realized it was true, I stopped playing, lol. (I did download it again about a year later and played for a little while until the 'Oh wait, this isn't really fun' feeling hit again)."—rcg90
5."Edible arrangements. Fruit is good, but edible arrangements either have to be eaten quickly, taken apart to be stored in the fridge, or thrown away."
6."Cold plunges in ice."
"I turn the shower as cold as it will get before I get out of the shower, and I hate every second of it. I do feel like it has good benefits, but I sure do not enjoy it."
7."For online dating at least: hiking [as a first date]."
"A dinner, movie, or bar is an easy outing whereas a hike is a commitment that can take much of the day. Just driving to a trail can take an hour-plus, depending on where you live."
8."Running"
"The only time I had fun running was when I was finally able to run like 10km comfortably. That was pretty nice. It's a shame I decided not to keep doing it. I have to begin from zero again, which is shit."
9."Crowded events with hard-to-get and expensive crappy beer."
10."IPAs. You guys in the mood for a cool glass of bread?"
"Thankfully, the IPA arms race is pretty much over in terms of everyone competing to brew the hoppiest beer possible. Now it is more about how high of an alcohol content you can get."—antieverything
11."The Office (the TV show). It's OK and all, I just don’t think it deserves the cult status it has. Some people have to be faking their enthusiasm for fear of being ostracized from their social groups."
"I 100% agree with you." —MementallyExhausted
12."Small talk. I understand the necessity for it, but some people just can't get past it, so you end up having to engage in superficial things. As an introvert, I seek to understand others on a deeper level. In a way, small talks are oftentimes closer to interrogations rather than conversations."
13."Kombucha"
14."Obnoxious oversinging in television talent shows."
15."Voluntarily waking up at 5 a.m."
16."League of Legends. I’ve never encountered a more toxic fandom. There is no way those people are actually having fun."
17."TikTok, I'm 29 and simply don't get it."
"I'm 25, and same. I can open the app and watch for like 10 minutes before I just get bored/angry at something I saw and close it. There is just better shit to do, IMO."
18."Gender reveal parties."
—[deleted]
"I personally do not pretend to like these. I have to clean up after them, and I am angry."
19.And lastly, "Twitter/X"
"I absolutely agree. Twitter has become a cesspool of outrage. I can’t imagine anybody actually enjoys it. It’s more of a community water cooler where everyone goes to publicly rage about something."
You can read the original thread on Reddit.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
