Recently, there was a great conversation on Reddit that falls under the category of “things people think but never say out loud.” The question, posed by a user named Truth-andLogic was: “What’s an activity you are sure that most people only pretend they like? The prompt inspired people to share and discuss the social engagements we are forced to attend to get ahead in our careers, keep our families happy, or be polite, but we don’t really enjoy.
For many, the thread was cathartic by creating an honest and funny discussion about the moments when we often suffer in silence.
The conversation also delved into activities that many of us engage in to present a certain image, such as posting on social media, networking, or publicly embracing hustle culture. These activities, often driven by pressure form others, can feel cringey because they give off a “look at me” vibe.
Here are 15 activities that, according to people in the AskReddit forum, people only “pretend to like.”
1. LinkedIn
“I’m thrilled to announce that im better than you!” — Cardwizard88
“It’s a humble bragging contest.” — Freesgova
2. Hanging out with the parents of your child’s friend
“Correct. Did it a lot. Kids all grown up now. Do I still see these people? Heck no.” — DustyMartinsdad
3. Happy birthday song at a restaurant
“Happy birthday song ever. It’s always the worst part to me, sitting there awkwardly waiting while people sing off-key at me.” — Safetypinss22
4. Networking
“Can I just get a job based off experience and not who I know?” — Delightful_Drantini
“Some people absolutely do enjoy networking. It is a shame because these people are often the ones that tend to be just ok (or worse) at their jobs while those who are great at their jobs tend to be the ones who dislike networking.” — Emu1981
5. Hustle culture
“Hustle culture was just a way for mid-range CEOs of mid-range firms to bleed every ounce of work out of each worker so the VC money sees profit sooner.” — DahJay
6. 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!” — Chaosm0de
7. Kids’ birthday parties
“Go to some germ-filled place and give them a gift they may not even thank you for, and it’s always loud and chaotic, and I fucking hate them. And you have to make the same small talk again and again.” — LittleHungryGiraffe
“You stay because it’s too short to reasonably get any errands done or go home, and you want to make sure your kid is safe. So you sit and make small talk with the one other parent you know for an hour and consider whether or not it would be in poor taste to grab a slice of pizza or cake depending on how much is left over after the kids are served.” — Maxpower
8. Work parties
“My upcoming IT team activity is on a Friday afternoon. We’re doing lunch and bowling. The company-wide corporate summer party is on Thursday after work hours, so I can spend an entire day with work people, go home, immediately sleep, and deal with work people the next day. I get it’s definitely cheaper on a Thursday, but I really lose motivation to go beyond making an appearance to keep my boss happy.” — Racthoh
“I don’t like ya’ll M-F 9 to 5, so why in the hell would I want to see ya’ll outside of those hours!?” — DuperDayley
“Right? Like I wonder who these people are. Do they just crave socialization so hard? Or do they like their co-workers and are completely ignorant of the fact that not everyone wants to hang out with them? Even if you do have a closer relationship with some co-workers, not everyone will always get a long, why force it? Those who want to meet up, will. And those who are forced to will only like each other less.” — Doodleanda
9. Wine tasting
“Those people that claim to be able to taste things in wine like sea air and a hint of lemons from a specific tree. Piss off with that sh***.” — ZeeZeeNei
“They’ve pretty well debunked this. Can’t remember where I saw it but someone ran an experiment on some pretty highly regarded wine connoisseurs and some regular joes as a control to judge wines, some cheap, some expensive. Turns out most of the highly regarded connoisseurs couldn’t really tell which was the expensive and which were cheap/bad. Wine just comes down to preference.” — come_ere_duck
10. Gender reveal parties
“Thank goodness my friends aren’t into gender reveal parties. I have, however, been to my fair share of baby showers and had to play the boring games. Too many times have I played the “identify the melted candy bar in a diaper” game. Funny thing is that, since baby showers have traditionally been attended by only women, at the co-ed ones I’ve been to the guys get really into the games. It makes everything way better.” — Slytherpuffy
11. Hearing about people’s kids
“I try to tell kid stories quite sparingly. And 99% of the time, it’s a short anecdote about something genuinely funny. Not like aww they drew an avocado lol, but like a funny joke they told me. Again, quite sparingly.” — Afoz345
12. Social media
“Having a huge social media presence. It just doesn’t seem worth all the work and effort to keep with it. I’d much rather just enjoy my concert/vacation/whatever than constantly take pictures/videos of it in order to brag about it on social media. And unless you’re some big celebrity or influencer, nobody actually cares about your Instagram.” — TheSnowqueen17
13. Cruises
“It’s like being trapped in a Vegas hotel and only being able to leave for short periods…and only with everyone else trapped in the same hotel. Plus, limited supplies and extra cooties. No thank you. I think the only cruise I could enjoy would be one of those small luxury ones that I could never afford.” — Roopie1023
14. Twitter
“Twitter. The site is full of bots and rageaholics. The UI is frustrating at best. Having a ‘discussion’ in tweet form is tedious as hell. How many hot takes do you really need to satisfy yourself before it’s overkill?” — Soingee
“I’m thankful the place went to hell because I barely click the app now and then vs all the time I spent believing I needed to know everything immediately.” — Frequent_Secretary25
15. Drinking IPAs
“Agreed, they taste like soap.” — Heavy_Following_114
“Why have they taken over so many taps in so many places?!” — Beaspoke