Anna Holmes defines 'hype aversion' as a reflex against being told what to like, suggesting that popularity can create pressure rather than signal quality. This feeling can lead to a deliberate choice to resist mainstream culture.
"We have a great opportunity in our movements to learn how to be opponents without being enemies," says Tanuja Jagernauth. This perspective emphasizes the importance of maintaining respect and understanding even amidst conflict.
Los Angeles County's population has now dipped to just under 9.7 million, marking a continuation of a steady slide for the nation's most populous county. The raw number of departures is eye-catching, but experts say the broader trend may be even more concerning: fewer people are coming in to replace those who leave.
The better you are at managing your emotions, the less emotional support people offer you. It's not cruelty. It's perceptual bias. People take your composure at face value because it's efficient for them to do so. A study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that people consistently underestimate the emotional needs of those they perceive as high copers.
The air feels heavier. And the struggles are changing shape. Beyond my office walls, the world is shifting, and my clients sense the tremors. The things they once trusted, global order, democratic norms, and even their own personal safety, no longer feel solid. They feel brittle, as if one strong wind could bring it all down. And what they're sensing isn't imagined.
I, too, have been having difficulty conjuring up visions of a better future either for myself or in general. I posted this insight on social media in the final throes of 2025, and received many responses. A lot of respondents agreed they felt like they were just existing, encased in a bubble of the present tense, the road ahead foggy with uncertainty.
