People Name 23 Things That Society Tends To Romanticize That Are Actually Toxic

Naya said she came up with the idea for the now-viral TikTok accidentally. "We're in a time period where tons of things are romanticized especially on social media, so I just thought shedding some light on the truth behind those things would be an interesting conversation," she told Bored Panda.

"I chose [my own answer] because where I live that's actually a very common quality people want in a partner, don't ask me why. But there's this fear that if they're friendly to the everyday person that means they’re just bound to cheat on you," Naya explained. 

The singer is shocked at the attention her TikTok has received. "I didn't make the video with any real intent behind it and that's the beauty of TikTok—it can reach people who feel the way you feel and gives people room to get some stuff off their chest."

"Apparently, I'm not the only one who finds certain things toxic but also that the word toxic is definitely a matter of perception. Two completely different minds can have opposing opinions on the same thing that is toxic but I found it cool to see both ends of the spectrum. The comment section became real informative really quickly. It was awesome," Naya concluded.

Mental Health America (MHA), the nation's leading community-based nonprofit dedicated to addressing the needs of those living with mental illness and promoting mental health in general, highlights that certain people and situations in life can trigger us to feel bad about ourselves or engage in destructive behaviors.

According to the organization, identifying the toxic influences in our lives and taking steps to create boundaries or a new life without them can improve mental and physical health over time.

People can be toxic too. We've all met that person — the one who constantly leaves you feeling worse off after interacting with them. It can be a manipulative family member or a co-worker who won't stop complaining about every little thing.

But keep in mind: this term isn't grounded in psychology and doesn't have one simple definition.

That being said, if you have a hard time dealing with someone toxic in your life, it's helpful to start by pinpointing problematic behaviors, rather than simply labeling them as being toxic.

Barrie Sueskind, a therapist in Los Angeles who specializes in relationships, shares some key signs of toxicity: self-absorption or self-centeredness, manipulation, and other emotional abuse, dishonesty and deceit, difficulty offering compassion to others, a tendency to create drama or conflict.

If these sound familiar, you can read fire up this article on how to respond to this type of behavior.