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30 Controversial Things People Don’t Believe Others Actually Enjoy
CuriositiesAUG 21, 2023

30 Controversial Things People Don’t Believe Others Actually Enjoy

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Doing only what everyone else tells you to do is no way to go through life. Instead, it’s important to develop the confidence to embrace your true passions—and pursue them without embarrassment or guilt. Just because society tells you something is cool doesn’t make it so.
Jake Okechukwu Effoduh, a Ph.D. candidate at the Osgoode Hall Law School of York University, recently went viral on X (formerly Twitter) when he asked everyone for their thoughts on what they’re convinced people only pretend to enjoy. Camping, situationships, trips to Miami, and oysters are just the tip of the iceberg. Scroll down to see what everyone else had to share.
Bored Panda reached out to Jake and he was kind enough to share a few thoughts with us. Read on for his insights!
Image credits: effodu

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30 Controversial Things People Don’t Believe Others Actually Enjoy
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We were interested to get Jake's thoughts on the massive popularity of his online thread. "I wonder why it resonated with so many people. I guess many people have thought about the question too!" he told Bored Panda.

"I didn't expect the tweet to get any attention, so seeing 38M views is shocking," he said.

Meanwhile, we were curious as to why people have such different opinions on various foods and activities. Here's what the author of the viral thread had to say: "As they say: 'One person's meat is another person's poison.'"

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30 Controversial Things People Don’t Believe Others Actually Enjoy
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#3

30 Controversial Things People Don’t Believe Others Actually Enjoy
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According to Jake, "People find it hard to think that something they dislike so much is enjoyed by other people. For example, I love avocados but was surprised to see many people think those who enjoy avocados are pretending," he explained.

Though he has gone viral on Twitter, Jake doesn't consider himself a content creator. Instead, he used the platform to keep up with the news and to share his insights with others.

"I use Twitter to catch up with what's happening in the world and share my thoughts sometimes," he told Bored Panda.

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30 Controversial Things People Don’t Believe Others Actually Enjoy
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30 Controversial Things People Don’t Believe Others Actually Enjoy
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If we sit down and think hard about our goals and priorities, then we can come up with a list of things that we genuinely enjoy doing. This might mean different things to everyone. Some, for instance, might be passionate about art and writing, while others might want to focus on music and dance. 

Most of us also want to have good, strong relationships with others because we’re social animals. Having an active social life isn’t just pleasant, it’s good for our health. The BBC stresses that loneliness can be just as dangerous as smoking. Leading a lonely life leads to more health problems, and shorter, lower-quality lives. According to health experts, around half of the American population is thought to be affected by this. 

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However, it’s because our social lives are so important that we might be overly worried about our reputations and that others like us. Instead of being 100% authentic and true to ourselves, our aims, and our values, we may adapt our behavior to fit in better. This might mean copying our social group’s interests to leave a positive impression, whether it’s suddenly trying to enjoy camping or some other activity. 

Here’s the thing, though: it’s perfectly fine to try out new and unexpected activities. Embracing a sense of adventure and surprise, and living curiously, are all wonderful things. However, pursuing specific activities just because you’re scared your friends and acquaintances might judge you otherwise isn’t healthy.

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30 Controversial Things People Don’t Believe Others Actually Enjoy
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#12

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It’s perfectly fine to say ‘no’ if you’ve tried, say, golf, but it never really clicked. On the flip side, if you did enjoy the activity like your friends do, then that’s wonderful, you’re on the same page. The point is, friendship—true friendship—means setting and enforcing boundaries, and feeling comfortable enough to be honest about what you enjoy and absolutely do not. So you might not like camping—that’s fine, you’ll bond with your pals over hiking or cooking.

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Verywell Mind points out that herd mentality, also known as mob or crowd mentality, can be observed everywhere we go. That’s how fashion trends, investment decisions and political affiliations can spread: people set aside their personal judgments and individuality in exchange for adopting the beliefs of the majority. 

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30 Controversial Things People Don’t Believe Others Actually Enjoy
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Folks who are victims of herd mentality tend to conform with the rest of the group, even if they had very different opinions before joining it. They often have a fear of being excluded and may adopt more extreme opinions in order to fit in better. Not only that, members of these social mobs also suppress dissent by stamping out contrary opinions. 

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