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 an average of 1.08 lies 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 no mother-in-law to impress). People on Reddit recently discussed such 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.
Below you will find not only the netizens’ answers but thoughts shared by the OP themselves as well as by the Professor of the Public Understanding of Psychology at the University of Hertfordshire, Richard Wiseman, who was kind enough to answer a few of Bored Panda’s questions about why people pretend to like certain things.
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In a recent interview with Bored 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.
“I wasn’t exactly surprised by the redditors’ responses because all of them were things that I think most of us were in silent agreement that we didn’t like but just put up with because of social pressure or desire to keep the peace.”
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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.”
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Discussing the reasons why people pretend they like something 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.”
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While in some people’s eyes pretending to like something you actually don’t is equal to lying, 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.”
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In Dr. Wiseman’s opinion, pretending to 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.
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Those people that claim to be able to taste things in wine like sea air and a hint of lemons from a specific tree. P**s off with that s**te.
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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!
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