This social media habit we all have, but is actually very bad for you
Do you follow people on Instagram just to follow them? And not because you actually find their posts nice or interesting? Guess what: we all do it. Somehow, we enjoy following people we actually want nothing to do with. I'm talking about that classmate from ten years ago who shows off how much he has to spend on his socials, that influencer who seems to be on vacation all the time, or that distant relative who is all too eager to share his political preferences. You actually find them really annoying, but you keep following them anyway. This has a name: hate-following, and often you don't even realize you're doing it.
Denise Dudley, an American behavioral psychologist, said to Huffpost that hate-following starts off very innocently — often it's just a guilty pleasure that keeps us occupied on a boring day. You can take it a step further with schadenfreude. Think about secretly hoping for an unflattering photo or a politically incorrect blunder. Deep down, you hope the other person fails so that you can feel a little better about your own life.
Although all of this seems quite innocent — as long as you keep your unfiltered opinions to yourself, of course — it does more mentally than you think. Continuously exposing yourself to things that irritate you can significantly increase your stress and anxiety levels. Moreover, it's also a downer for your self-confidence. You might feel better than the other person at certain moments, but that's because you're comparing yourself. Continuously comparing yourself to others is a sign that you are not satisfied with yourself and you will never be completely happy.
According to Dr. Nancy Cetel, an American physician, hate-following can even be bad for your brain. It creates a negative mindset because you are constantly judging others negatively. While commenting might give you a short dopamine boost in the moment, in the long run, you only have yourself to blame if someone calls you out on it. And let's be honest: do you really have nothing better to do during the time you're scrolling? Before you know it, you've spent half an hour deep in someone's Instagram stories. And do you really feel better afterwards? I doubt it.
The next time you open your Instagram page, pay attention to how you react to posts. Ask yourself if you genuinely like and find this person inspiring. If not, then just unfollow them. Before you know it, your following list is halved, trust me on this.
A little tip: if you really can't bring yourself to unfollow this person, I recommend muting their account. This way, you still follow them, but you won't see their posts and stories on your feed anymore.
