AAccording to my Instagram feed, I’m not doing enough. Not spending enough, not saying enough, not caring enough. I feel more certain about this than anything else. And it’s bringing out an irrationality I’m not proud of: One afternoon, amid a carousel of screengrabs of masked men snatching citizens from their homes, videos of wellness influencers promoting “anti-trauma” hip stretches, and political action items disguised as cute memes, I was presented with a targeted ad for the “Don’t talk to me about AI or I’ll kill myself” crochet pattern; And even though I’ve never crocheted anything in my life, I’m looking for materials to get started on Etsy to avoid supporting any big, MAGA-oriented corporations.
It’s tremendous, this general pressure, evident not just on social media but throughout larger culture: Today’s most pressing issues, from technical downtime to hard work, can only be solved by squeezing as much into the day as humanly possible.
Balancing political engagement with mental peace is one of the biggest and most intangible challenges of my generation, but according to psychology research, a “more is more” approach may not be the most effective. And yet, studies have shown that when faced with a problem – or several, all at once – the human brain naturally moves toward solving it by adding elements to the mix rather than removing existing elements. For example, to soothe burnout, most people will add an hour-long meditation class to their calendar before removing a stressful, low-priority commitment. They’ll buy an expensive sleep supplement to improve their rest before deciding to cut down on the time they spend at the computer. To prevent food waste, they will seek out a complex TikTok recipe for leftover products, instead of resisting the impulse to buy more of the perishable items.
This tendency to do the most work is called “”.additive bias“. Those of us who live in highly consumerist societies, particularly social media users who are encouraged to compare their lives to the lives of others online, may be even more susceptible to this mindset, which ironically can weaken problem-solving skills.
According to a report by diana kwon For scientific AmericanPeople generally find faults in subtractive solutions more easily than in additive solutions. When a problem arises, our tendency to focus on “more resources, more rules, more habits and responsibilities” as opposed to evaluating options with more balance can prevent or even worsen the issues we are trying to fix. Studies show that if problem solvers “increased cognitive load”, because when they have a lot on their mind (preparing a healthy dinner, work deadlines, global war crimes), the effect becomes even more extreme.
A collection of 2025 studies was published communication psychology looked at additive versus subtractive treatments for mental health struggles and found that participants consistently recommended additive solutions, such as meditation and exercise, over subtractive ones (e.g. quitting smoking and limiting alcohol). They also rated additive solutions as more “viable and effective”, even when measurable easier and more efficient solutions came from the opposite approach. Researchers have determined that people become more prone to addiction as they age. Even ChatGPT’s advice is biased towards additive solutions, which it quickly and confidently recommends, even when they do not provide the best service to the user. Additionally, participants were more likely to accept additional mental health advice for themselves and to recommend it to strangers; The only people to whom participants gave inherently poor advice were close friends.
The study’s authors concluded, “This bias has the potential to create a social context in which we are always advising each other to do more.” “In a world where we already feel we’re short on time and overworked, feeling like we have to do even more to deal with life’s sorrows and anxieties… will likely leave us even more overwhelmed.”
One of the study’s lead authors, Dr. Tom Barrie of the Department of Psychology at the University of Bath, concluded that although people recognize the value of removing harmful or unnecessary elements from their lives, this is not what their instincts tell them to do. “Despite good intentions, (it) may be unintentional mental health It feels like there’s an endless to-do list,” he said. “Good advice should balance doing more with less.”
In a way, this sentiment can also apply to political action. How could I have better spent my time and money dedicated to an anti-AI crochet kit that I would never use, if I had simply stepped back and evaluated my options more deliberately? How can we use what we know about subtraction solutions to better represent our values? What advice would I give to a close friend?
while writing my book age of magical overthinkingI talked to a therapist Linda SandervilleAbout “How to Take Advantage of the Philosophy of”original idea” – How to develop a vision for a more equitable future during a fast-paced and often pessimistic-looking digital age. Sanderville naturally offered a bleak perspective. She told me she makes sure to carve out periodic chunks of time in which she doesn’t consume any media — no Internet, no television, no news.
“It is difficult to consume and create in the same state,” she explained. “If you value any kind of creativity, and I don’t just mean art, give your brain a break from consuming, as this gives you space to process all that you’re learning.” We have to consciously afford this space, Sanderville said, because ultimately, our instincts direct us toward consumption, not away from it. “Ask how you can find a way to grind less so you can be more creative, more impactful,” she said. “How can you spend your energy on the things that matter most to you?”
Amanda Montell is the author of The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality (Atria).
Further reading
There’s nothing: How to Stay Away from Overwork, Do More and Live Less, by Celeste Hadley (Piatkus, £12.99)
The Anti-Burnout Book: How to Avoid Burnout and Your Recovery Toolkit If You Do by Emma Hepburn (Greenfinch, £10.99)
the beginning comes after the end: Notes on a World of Change by Rebecca Solnit (Granta, £14.99)
