1. Dating
Especially with the rise of social media platforms, the obsession with dating is more real than ever. Several users have expressed their exasperation at how people seem to never be okay with being single anymore these days.
2. Settling for Less
Settling for someone based on the appearance of a “healthy relationship” seems to be the consensus on what not to do. That said, many people are addicted to the ideal-looking family, including who they choose as a partner.
3. Riding The 24/Hour News Rollercoaster
24-hour news cycles were the top response. And why not? You could get whiplash, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and Crohn’s disease simply by paying attention to the news for a few days straight.
When news-watching reaches that “so horrifying I can’t look away” level, it’s reached unhealthy obsession territory.
4. Retail Therapy
You’ve had a long week – it’s time to kick back, binge-watch your favorite show and enjoy some “retail therapy.” Stop right there. Emotional spending is a bad habit. Do you need new clothes for work every week? Save that hard-earned money and stop living paycheck to paycheck.
5. Only Eating at Restaurants
Along with over-shopping, learn how to cook meals at home. Eating out at every meal is a really expensive habit to have. It’s not that good for you either. Save going out to eat for special occasions.
6. Social Media Clout-Chasing
How many relationships have fizzled out because one partner couldn’t stop taking pictures for the gram rather than living in the moment? What would a generation of online pranksters accomplish if clout-chasing had never been monetized?
There was a time when lives and careers did not revolve around social media. But whatever you may think about the net impact of social media influencer culture, there’s no denying: When clout-chasing becomes an obsession, it becomes a bona fide problem.
7. Youth
A healthy desire to remain young can be extremely beneficial, serving as a catalyst for physical exercise, healthy eating, wanderlust, and seeking novel experiences.
However, on the flip side, an unhealthy obsession with youth fuels endless cosmetic surgeries, irresponsible Corvette purchases, and other tragic symptoms of Peter Pan syndrome.
8. Being First
Where does healthy competition morph into an unhealthy obsession with being first? Is it when you find yourself camping out in frigid temperatures two weeks before Black Friday? Or when you’re a mid-shouting match with someone you cut off while squeezing into a parking space? If you have ever commented “first” in any comment section, you’re guilty.
9. Celeb Stalking
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“Did you see what Kanye said?!?”
“Have you seen Madonna’s face?!”
“Why hasn’t Kim Kardashian DM’d me back?”
As the term “celebrity” has gotten looser and looser, normies have dedicated more and more of their time to tracking celebrities’ every word and movement. There’s an entire television show (TMZ) dedicated to celeb stalking! It’s a full-blown obsession on a societal level.
10. Productivity
Thanks, Gary Vee. Way to go, Grant Cardone. Everywhere you look, there is an internet-famous influencer piling on anyone who hasn’t made a million by the age of 23. There is no limit to human productivity, and they claim—no limit besides your mental weakness!
When you find your quality of life suffering in the name of productivity, consider that burning the candle at both ends has become an unhealthy obsession.
11. Being Haters
Based on social media dynamics, you’d think that Haterade has been buy one, get one free for the past decade.
Hating has never been so safe, thanks to the no-consequences nature of keyboard warfare, leading to a veritable pandemic of hating. As the pop philosopher known as Fergie once asked, “Where is the love?”
12. The Shrinkflation of Attention Spans
Not to be confused with consumer shrinkflation, the shrinkflation of attention spans comes in the form of bite-sized YouTube shorts, Instagram Reels, and TikTok clips. If you haven’t lately, try reading a book. See how far you get before picking up your phone.
The obsession with shorter this and smaller that could be taking an evolutionary toll, and it’s an obsession we’d be wise to drop before it’s too late.
