Most Social Trends Aren’t What They Seem
Why Read This
What Makes This Article Worth Your Time
Summary
What This Article Is About
Social psychologist Adam Waytz challenges widely accepted narratives about social change by examining the empirical foundations of popular trends like the “crisis of democracy,” the “loneliness epidemic,” and the “decline of empathy.” Drawing on research by scholars including Andrew Little, Rachel Meng, and Sara Konrath, Waytz demonstrates that many of these supposedly robust trends rest on questionable data, subjective measurement, or selective interpretation.
The article attributes the persistence of these illusory trends to pareidolia—our psychological tendency to impose meaningful patterns on ambiguous information. Waytz argues that humans are fundamentally poor at processing nonlinear information and instead perceive linear trajectories even when reality is far more complex and multidirectional. This cognitive bias provides psychological comfort amid information overload but leads to widespread misperceptions about social change.
Key Points
Main Takeaways
Democracy’s Flat Trajectory
Global democracy trends are largely stable when measured objectively through electoral competitiveness and leadership constraints, contradicting subjective expert assessments.
The Loneliness Illusion
Meta-analyses of global loneliness studies show inconsistent findings that fail to support claims of an epidemic, with most countries showing stable levels over time.
Empathy’s Reversal Pattern
Self-reported empathy among college students declined until 2009 but has since rebounded, while behavioral measures like volunteering and charitable giving trend upward.
Complexity Versus Narrative
Research across 76 countries shows people’s values diverged wildly between 1981 and 2022, revealing that global change is fundamentally nonlinear and multidirectional.
Pareidolia as Explanation
Our tendency to impose meaningful patterns on ambiguous stimuli drives us to perceive linear trends even when confronted with complex, contradictory data.
The Stability Beneath
Many social and psychological phenomena remain remarkably flat over decades, contradicting widespread perceptions of dramatic societal transformation and moral decline.
Master Reading Comprehension
Practice with 365 curated articles and 2,400+ questions across 9 RC types.
Article Analysis
Breaking Down the Elements
Main Idea
The Illusion of Linear Social Change
Waytz’s central argument is that popular narratives about sweeping social trends—from democratic backsliding to loneliness epidemics—are largely cognitive constructs rather than empirical realities. These perceived trends emerge from pareidolia, our psychological need to impose linear patterns on fundamentally complex and nonlinear social phenomena, providing false comfort amid information overload.
Purpose
To Challenge Oversimplified Narratives
The article aims to cultivate critical skepticism toward widely accepted social trend narratives by demonstrating how measurement issues, selective data interpretation, and cognitive biases combine to create compelling but inaccurate stories about societal change. Waytz seeks to redirect public discourse from pattern-seeking toward embracing complexity and acknowledging the precedented nature of current experiences.
Structure
Case Studies → Psychological Explanation → Broader Context
The article employs a systematic debunking structure, presenting three detailed case studies (democracy, loneliness, empathy) before introducing pareidolia as the unifying psychological mechanism. It then expands to a broader analysis of nonlinear information processing and concludes with research on global value divergence, moving from specific examples to general principles about human cognition and social complexity.
Tone
Scholarly, Skeptical & Reassuring
Waytz adopts an authoritative yet accessible tone, leveraging empirical research to challenge conventional wisdom while maintaining a measured, evidence-based approach. The writing balances critical analysis with subtle reassurance, suggesting that recognizing the “precedented” nature of our times may be as comforting—and more accurate—than perceiving unprecedented crisis.
Key Terms
Vocabulary from the Article
Click each card to reveal the definition
Build your vocabulary systematically
Each article in our course includes 8-12 vocabulary words with contextual usage.
Tough Words
Challenging Vocabulary
Tap each card to flip and see the definition
Favoring or enforcing strict obedience to authority at the expense of personal freedom; characteristic of governments that concentrate power and suppress dissent.
“…the world has experienced democratic backsliding, with countries becoming more authoritarian and repressive.”
A widespread occurrence of something, typically used for diseases but increasingly applied metaphorically to social phenomena perceived as rapidly spreading.
“Have you heard of the crisis of democracy, the loneliness epidemic, or the decline of empathy?”
In a manner that is widely and unfavorably known; used to emphasize a well-recognized negative characteristic or tendency.
“Humans are notoriously bad at processing this type of nonlinear information…”
Moved or developed in different directions from a common point; separated or moved apart over time.
“…people’s values have diverged wildly across countries on issues ranging from abortion to immigration…”
Having previous examples or instances; the opposite of unprecedented, indicating that similar situations have occurred before in history.
“…it might be just as comforting, and certainly more accurate, to remember that much of what we are experiencing now is quite precedented.”
To engage in a struggle or wrestle with something difficult; to attempt to deal with or understand a complex problem.
“…to grapple with such complexity, we seek out and perceive linearity, even when doing so is misguided.”
Reading Comprehension
Test Your Understanding
5 questions covering different RC question types
1According to the article, Andrew Little and Rachel Meng’s research confirmed that global democracy has been declining since the early 2010s.
2What did Sara Konrath’s updated analysis of empathy data reveal?
3Which sentence best captures Waytz’s central explanation for why illusory social trends persist?
4Evaluate these statements about the research cited in the article:
A 2022 meta-analysis found inconsistent evidence for a global loneliness epidemic.
The 2024 World Happiness Report showed declining life satisfaction among young people since 2006.
Jackson and Medvedev’s study found that people’s values diverged across 76 countries between 1981 and 2022.
Select True or False for all three statements, then click “Check Answers”
5Based on the article’s argument, which approach would Waytz most likely recommend for understanding contemporary social issues?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Pareidolia is the psychological tendency to impose meaningful interpretations on ambiguous stimuli—like seeing faces in clouds. Waytz argues this cognitive mechanism drives us to perceive coherent social trends even in contradictory data. When confronted with overwhelming information complexity, our minds instinctively seek patterns and linear narratives, providing psychological comfort but often generating illusory trends that don’t reflect empirical reality.
Their landmark research revealed that most evidence for democratic backsliding came from subjective “democracy scores” based on expert opinions about whether elections were free and fair. When they examined objective measures like electoral competitiveness and constitutional constraints on leaders (such as term limits), they found global democracy trends were largely flat rather than declining. Some countries experienced backsliding while others saw democratic gains, contradicting the sweeping crisis narrative.
Waytz acknowledges the youth mental health crisis has robust empirical support documenting rising depression and anxiety globally over 15 years. However, he highlights an overlooked counterpoint from the 2024 World Happiness Report: young people aged 15-24 experienced improved life satisfaction between 2006 and 2019, with stable satisfaction since then. This illustrates how even valid trends are more complex than single-dimension narratives suggest, with rising distress coexisting alongside rising happiness measures.
Readlite provides curated articles with comprehensive analysis including summaries, key points, vocabulary building, and practice questions across 9 different RC question types. Our Ultimate Reading Course offers 365 articles with 2,400+ questions to systematically improve your reading comprehension skills.
This is an Advanced-level article requiring sophisticated comprehension skills. It synthesizes multiple research studies, employs specialized academic vocabulary (pareidolia, meta-analysis, nonlinear), and presents complex arguments about cognitive biases and social science methodology. The article demands ability to track nuanced distinctions between subjective versus objective measures, recognize ironic reversals in trend data, and synthesize evidence across multiple disciplines including psychology, political science, and sociology.
As a social psychologist whose research examines how people impose meaning on difficult-to-understand phenomena, Waytz is well-positioned to contribute to Big Think’s mission of making complex ideas accessible. Big Think specializes in expert-driven content that challenges conventional wisdom and promotes critical thinking—perfectly aligned with this article’s goal of questioning popular social trend narratives through empirical analysis and psychological insight.
The Ultimate Reading Course covers 9 RC question types: Multiple Choice, True/False, Multi-Statement T/F, Text Highlight, Fill in the Blanks, Matching, Sequencing, Error Spotting, and Short Answer. This comprehensive coverage prepares you for any reading comprehension format you might encounter.
