Whether in work, school or social settings in general, we find ourselves caught up in a brutal culture of involution (“内卷”)—a vicious cycle of competition and “racing to the bottom”. In a fast-paced, cutthroat environment, we’re made to believe participating in this culture is the best way to prove our worth. For a good grade or college result, we increase the work we do, the extracurriculars we take on, the level of courses we attend to an unreasonably high amount.

The anxiety of being less s than others forces us to accept these increasingly extreme standards as the norm. As a result, we lose ourselves in the nerve-wracking frenzy of meaningless competition, beating ourselves for not being “good enough”.

This month, in Involution: Anxiety Of Our Time, we will discuss the world of involution, how it causes unhealthy relationships, coping mechanisms, and more.