validating joy
convincing other we're happy đ
many of us donât really enjoy the things we do. instead, we signal that we enjoy them, and wait for that signal to be reflected back as âpermissionâ to actually feel happy.
iâve been seeing this funny template on tiktok where creators ask if anyone still do a study abroad semester if they couldnât post it on instagram. obviously, a lot of people still would, but i imagine thereâs also a decent number of people it would genuinely give pause to.
not because the experience itself isnât valuable, but because part of what makes it feel real or worthwhile is the ability to show it, be acknowledged, and affirmed by other people.
for the majority, i wouldnât say itâs necessarily faking enjoyment. it feels more subtle than that. we kind of outsource the final step, like we get 80% of the way there on our own, and then wait for other people to close the loop.
our own joy is positioned around ensuring others are convinced that weâre happy.
over time, that does shift things. youâll start choosing moments for how theyâll land, how they look, and how easily they can be translated into something shareable. eventually, this makes it harder to even tell the difference between what you actually like and what youâve just gotten good at presenting as likeable.
todayâs drops đ
rsvp to socraticaâs symposium in a few days!
information security internship @ the city of new york
apply to the pearx accelerator summer 2026 cohort