Current:Home > StocksTaylor Swift, Travis Kelce and finding happiness and hatred all at once -GrowthProspect
Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce and finding happiness and hatred all at once
View
Date:2025-04-27 19:10:01
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are adorable – or they're cringey? They're beautiful – or they're repulsive? They're giving you hope – or they're making you feel lonelier than ever?
When happy couples hold hands, share a smooch, make heart hands and more, people on the sidelines form opinions about their interactions. Some are positive and supportive. But often people pass judgement and have negative thoughts while watching a happy couple be, well, happy. Why?
"She’s a woman supporting her boyfriend, just as he’s supported her," one mom of a Swiftie wrote in a public Facebook post. "Maybe it’s love that will last, maybe it won’t, but can’t we be hopeful and happy for someone else’s happiness?"
Experts say your take on happy pairs, like Swift and Kelce, may reveal way more about you than the couple in question.
"Our tendency to be happy for others or experience jealousy is strongly related to how we are experiencing our lives and relationships in the present," says Miranda Nadeau, a licensed psychologist.
Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce and finding joy in 'Swelce'
Maybe you're one of those people who can't stop gushing over Swelce or a couple more close to home.
"How people react to seeing other's joy and happiness is very telling," says Maryanne Fisher, a psychology professor at St. Mary's University in Canada. "Some people are genuinely happy at seeing other's (including celebrities) happiness." You might be feeling "freudenfreude," or "a vicarious experience of another's joy – think opposite to schadenfreude, where one gets pleasure from another person's misfortunes," Fisher adds.
If you are a Swiftie, you may feel this more pronounced. "It is likely that the effect is increased when we feel a connection with the person involved, which fans may certainly experience with celebrities," Fisher says. "This sharing of joy has all sorts of positive effects; it makes us believe things are positive and good, and relatedly decreases stress and the associated cortisol hormone."
Are you 'unconsciously projecting?'
On the flip-side: Finding yourself feeling bitter?
"It could stem from displeasure in one's own life – for example, secretly thinking that one's own relationship is unsatisfying may lead to them feeling deep-seated envy toward those who express affection, and this envy may be presented as low-grade anger, or displeasure," Fisher says. You may also experience fear of never finding love of your own, or fear of betrayal from a now-distracted friend.
Dig deeper:The Taylor Swift jokes have turned crude. Have we learned nothing?
It's easy to see yourself in other people – especially when they're as famous as Swift and Kelce, who likely have no connection in your life beyond the parasocial. Maybe you're a Swiftie, but in one of your sad girl eras.
"A lot of people may be unconsciously projecting," says Cecille Ahrens, a licensed clinical social worker. "We often project our fears and desires out into the world. We also tend to displace our feelings, our unmeet needs, our grievances onto the wrong people. (Swift and Kelce) are great targets for these defense mechanisms."
These reactions, too, could mean you're living with a scarcity or abundance mindset. "With a scarcity mindset, we may believe on some level that happiness or love are finite and limited, and that someone else being happy means we're that much more unlikely to experience similar joy ourselves," Nadeau says. Social or financial circumstances might affect how you look at the world and prompt this attitude.
As for an abundance mindset: "We're more likely to be happy for others in their contentment," Nadeau adds. "There's no threat to us or our attainment of love and satisfaction. And it's a lot easier to be happy for others when we're in loving, generous, exciting relationships ourselves."
Cuffing season has arrived.Don't jump into a relationship just because it's here.
Or maybe it's not that serious
It's possible to oscillate between feelings – to begin accepting others' love stories even when you are jealous – though it's easier said than done to adjust your mindset. "Still, we can deepen our sense of what we do have in our lives and grow our abundance mindset by practicing gratitude," Nadeau says. "Feeling deep appreciation for what we already have helps us to want the best for others too."
Your feelings may not signal any kind of deeper trauma to work through, either.
"Someone who does not really care about someone could just think it's sweet to see happy people and leave it at that," Fisher says. "Also, we need to remember that it can also mean that they really did not like the person to start with, and the change of events has just simply given them a way to express this dislike. It's hard to believe, but not everyone is a Swiftie."
Seriously:The Taylor Swift jokes have turned crude. Have we learned nothing?
veryGood! (59)
Related
- Can Bill Belichick turn North Carolina into a winner? At 72, he's chasing one last high
- Transgender Day of Visibility: The day explained, what it means for the trans community
- Police searching for Chiefs' Rashee Rice after alleged hit-and-run accident, per report
- Biden says he'll visit Baltimore next week as response to bridge collapse continues
- Finally, good retirement news! Southwest pilots' plan is a bright spot, experts say
- Stephan Jaeger joins the 2024 Masters field with win in Houston Open
- What kind of dog is Snoopy? Here's some history on Charlie Brown's canine companion.
- What is meningococcal disease? Symptoms to know as CDC warns of spike in bacterial infection
- Former Syrian official arrested in California who oversaw prison charged with torture
- Jared McCain shuts out critiques of nails and TikTok and delivers for Duke in March Madness
Ranking
- As Trump Enters Office, a Ripe Oil and Gas Target Appears: An Alabama National Forest
- Kristen Stewart, Emma Roberts and More Stars Get Candid on Freezing Their Eggs
- 2024 men's NCAA Tournament Final Four dates, game times, TV, location, teams and more
- Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra's Chef Michael Dane Has a Simple Change to Improve Your Diet
- Residents worried after ceiling cracks appear following reroofing works at Jalan Tenaga HDB blocks
- Women's March Madness highlights: Caitlin Clark, Iowa move to Elite Eight after Sweet 16 win
- How to watch Iowa vs LSU Monday: Time, TV for Women's NCAA Tournament Elite 8 game
- Oxford-Cambridge boat racers warned of alarmingly high E. coli levels in London's sewage-infused Thames
Recommendation
2 killed, 3 injured in shooting at makeshift club in Houston
Beyoncé fans celebrate 'Cowboy Carter,' Black country music at Nashville listening party
'One last surge': Disruptive rainstorm soaks Southern California before onset of dry season
Elaborate scheme used drones to drop drugs in prisons, authorities in Georgia say
Don't let hackers fool you with a 'scam
13-year-old girl detained after shooting sends Minnesota boy to the hospital
Jared McCain shuts out critiques of nails and TikTok and delivers for Duke in March Madness
LSU's X-factors vs. Iowa in women's Elite Eight: Rebounding, keeping Reese on the floor