Current:Home > StocksTaylor Swift, Travis Kelce and finding happiness and hatred all at once -Mastery Money Tools
Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce and finding happiness and hatred all at once
View
Date:2025-04-12 23:26:07
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! (7)
Related
- DoorDash steps up driver ID checks after traffic safety complaints
- USWNT star Alex Morgan announces retirement from soccer, second pregnancy
- A woman pleads guilty to trying to bribe a juror in a major COVID-related fraud case
- Selling Sunset's Chrishell Stause Says She Has Receipts on Snake Nicole Young
- 2025 'Doomsday Clock': This is how close we are to self
- Video game performers reach agreement with 80 video games on AI terms
- How Travis Kelce does with and without Taylor Swift attending Kansas City Chiefs games
- Gen Z is overdoing Botox, and it's making them look old. When is the right time to get it?
- The Louvre will be renovated and the 'Mona Lisa' will have her own room
- New Mexico starts building an abortion clinic to serve neighboring states
Ranking
- Buckingham Palace staff under investigation for 'bar brawl'
- New Mexico starts building an abortion clinic to serve neighboring states
- Soccer Star Alex Morgan Reveals She’s Pregnant With Baby No. 2 in Retirement Announcement
- Caitlin Clark returns to action: How to watch Fever vs. Lynx on Friday
- From family road trips to travel woes: Americans are navigating skyrocketing holiday costs
- Boeing Starliner to undock from International Space Station: How to watch return to Earth
- Freshman classes provide glimpse of affirmative action ruling’s impact on colleges
- The New Jersey developer convicted with Bob Menendez pleads guilty to bank fraud
Recommendation
Federal court filings allege official committed perjury in lawsuit tied to Louisiana grain terminal
Marc Staal, Alex Goligoski announce retirements after 17 NHL seasons apiece
Michael Keaton Isn't Alone: Gigi Hadid, Tina Fey and Tom Cruise's Real Names Revealed
Noah Centineo reveals when he lost his virginity. There's no right age, experts say.
Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
NFL schedule today: Everything to know about Packers vs. Eagles on Friday
Matthew McConaughey's Son Levi Proves He's Following in His Dad's Footsteps With First Acting Role
Get a $48.98 Deal on a $125 Perricone MD Serum That’s Like an Eye Lift in a Bottle