30 Things That Are Pretty Much Universally Hated By Most People For No Good Reason

Entertainment and pop culture expert Mike, aka Hollywood's Ultimate Insider, told Bored Panda that people enjoy hating individuals, things, and trends on social media because mob mentality is at play.

"People enjoy being part of a gang that can pile on, and hate things, on social media. Plus it can be done anonymously, from behind a screen, in the comfort of your home," he explained.

"It’s much harder for positive, wholesome news to stand out. The negative tends to upset us or anger us, which grabs our attention viscerally."

Entertainment expert Mike said that fans tend to look up to celebrities, and some even put them on a pedestal.

"So when they fall from grace and mess up, there’s almost a sense of relief. It can be enjoyable to some people because the celebrity becomes more relatable. People realize things can go wrong in a celebrity’s life, so they’re really not that different from myself," the expert said.

In Mike's opinion, probably the best example of a celebrity who fell from grace but was later vindicated is Robert Downey Jr.

"He had crashed and burned, and his career hit rock bottom," the entertainment expert said. "Everyone thought it was completely over for him, but he completely turned his life around and reached extraordinary professional success, reaching the peaks of Hollywood stardom."

Oh, it’s definitely fun to grumble about something or other, and spend a good minute fuming about the state of the world and that darn [insert least favorite public figure and/or celebrity]. Most of us enjoy letting off a bit of steam and complaining about this and that. It’s the national pastime in many a country.

However, holding on to all of that hate, constantly living with so much anger, is really an awful way to treat your body and mind. Not to mention that you might make your friends and loved ones reconsider spending time in your company if all you do is moan about everything. There’s a golden balance to be found between being a serial Hater-of-all-Things and someone who’s so happy-go-lucky that they close their eyes to legitimate flaws in people, trends, and things.

Professor Suzanne Degges-White, from Northern Illinois University, recently explained to Bored Panda why we’re drawn more to the negative than the positive in the news. The licensed counselor also shared exactly how too much anger can harm us in a very real way.

“Constant anger can lead to metabolic diseases, cardiovascular problems, and digestive issues. For some people, health concerns are the reason that they may learn to let go of anger,” the professor warned.

“While being angry can lead to social change and begin to topple barriers and other aspects of injustice, we also know that anger isn't going to be the best choice to build alliances or convince others of the need for change. Finding common ground is essential in making true, collaborative change. This requires us to let go of anger, whether that is finding a way to sublimate it or overcome it, or just put it aside for the time being,” she said.

As for why we enjoy hearing negative things more than wholesome stories, well, we’re hardwired that way.

“When it comes to hearing information about the darker aspects of humanity, our brains experience greater stimulation when we hear stories of depravity than of kindness. It also has a ‘feel-good aspect’ for some folks as it normalizes and minimizes their own dark aspects or negative traits,” the professor explained to Bored Panda.

“Whether it's greed, anger, promiscuity, and so on, when we hear just how bad someone else has been, it can make us feel better about our own tendencies towards the dark side traits. It also lets us imagine vicariously what it would be like to be ‘that bad. It's kind of like watching all the true crime shows—we enjoy being scared, we enjoy seeing into the minds of people doing things we never would, and it's exciting and novel to see just how far people can go in terms of their dark sides.”