Arguably, we're all amateur conspiracy theorists when it comes to everyday life.
In the sense that we've subconsciously mastered the art of turning mundane moments into elaborate psychological thrillers that only plays in our heads.
It's always a fun exercise for me to observe people going about their day and wondering to myself what's going through their mind based on their bodily expressions.
As an example, there are some of us out there writing entire dissertations in our heads about why the barista drew a slightly wonky heart in our latte, while in reality they've already forgotten our name.
Social Media Detective Agency
I think social media has revealed more of our innate tendency to overcomplicate simple actions than any psychological study ever could.
One could argue that this is one of its downsides, we've more than enough material for our mind to play with, no wonder we overthink and see connections even in instances where there are no connections.
You're scrolling through Instagram at midnight when you notice your friend just liked your ex's new gym selfie from last year.
The brain immediately launches into full CSI mode: "They must be meeting secretly. This is clearly a signal. But why post it at this hour? Is this related to that cryptic tweet from last Tuesday about protein shakes!?"
Lol, the reality check could be your friend was probably just in that state of mind where he/she ended up looking at videos of people making a quick grab at 3 AM, thumbs operating on autopilot. Brain rot, so to speak.
And it isn't unlike that person who took six hours to respond to your message. In that time, you've sketched out what seemed like a realistic outcome:
- Reviewed all your previous conversations for hidden red flags
- Consulted three friends and a magic 8-ball
- Analyzed their zodiac sign's compatibility with your rising moon
- Drafted seven different scenarios about why they're "obviously" not interested
- Started planning your new life in a different city
I know, it's obviously a bit of an exaggeration here, but that's precisely what the mind does when we let it.
I don't know, it could've been they were watching cat videos, fell asleep, phone died, or literally just living their life. No hidden meanings, no secret codes, no elaborate schemes. Just a person doing "person things".
In both cases, especially the former, I used to be very anxious on the in between state of striking a conversation and reaching an intended outcome.
Turns out I was super bored and didn't had anything interesting going on for myself. The moment I fixed the latter, things change gradually for the better.
Not Thinking Too Hard
Here's a rather interesting thought stream: What if we all agreed to take things at face value sometimes?
Of course, I'm not saying we should never analyze things deeply – there's definitely a time and place for that.
But just maybe, we could save our overthinking engine for the things that actually matter, like deciding what to watch on Netflix (that's a joke – just pick something, we all know you're going to end up scrolling for an hour anyway).
For me, it's a bit liberating whenever I take the approach that most people are too busy navigating their own overthinking mazes to orchestrate the elaborate social chess games I tend to imagine they're playing.
We're all just trying our best, occasionally failing, frequently overthinking, and hopefully learning to laugh at ourselves along the way of this uncertain and chaotic journey we call life.
Thanks for reading!! Share your thoughts below on the comments.
