Why We Need To Stop 'Normalizing' Everything

The world can be a dark and scary place. And no, we don't need to 'normalize' or accept it. Here's why.

By Mark Travers, Ph.D. | April 11, 2025

Have you ever looked around and wondered, "How did we get here?"

The world is full of contradictions — politicians can rewrite reality, crises unfold daily and the news feels like a never-ending cycle of chaos. And yet, life goes on. We adapt. We scroll past headlines that once would have shocked us. We hear about injustice but often feel powerless to stop it.

This isn't just apathy. Filmmaker Adam Curtis calls this "HyperNormalisation," a psychological state where people accept false or distorted realities because the truth feels too overwhelming to confront.

The more contradictions pile up, the more we disengage. Originally used to describe the Soviet Union's stagnation, the concept now applies to politics, economics and digital culture today. Most importantly, it also affects our daily lives in ways we rarely notice.

Here are three ways hypernormalization shapes how we think, feel and respond to the world around us — and what we can do about it.

1. You Compartmentalize To Avoid Inner Conflict

Do you ever catch yourself accepting things that once felt absurd or unjust, simply because resisting seems pointless? When everything is normalized to the point of numbness, do you start to wonder what real change would even look like?

When you notice contradictions in the world around you but feel powerless to change them, it can create an uneasy feeling known as cognitive dissonance. A common example of this is how we think about eating meat while also deeply caring about animals — a conflict known as the "meat paradox." To ease this inner conflict, they adopt different coping strategies, often without even realizing it.

Some avoid thinking about where their food comes from or steer clear of information about factory farming or animal cruelty because it feels too uncomfortable. Others distance themselves by using different words — saying "bacon" instead of "pig" or "beef" instead of "cow" — which makes it easier to disconnect from the reality of eating animals while not wanting them to suffer.

Over time, this pattern can lead to a kind of "learned helplessness." Even when faced with clear contradictions, people may stop questioning them, accepting things as they are because challenging them feels too difficult.

Instead of compartmentalizing, try to identify and sit with discomfort rather than numbing it. Engaging in small, meaningful actions — whether it's making informed choices, educating yourself or supporting causes you believe in — helps counteract helplessness.

2. You Become Numb To Repeated Crises

Do you ever feel like you're just going through the motions, watching life unfold as if it's already been scripted? It's unsettling to imagine living in a world where everything feels predetermined, yet we often accept things as they are because resisting seems futile.

Wars rage on, political leaders rise to power and pass draconian laws and crises — both natural and man-made — keep unfolding. At some point, the chaos stops feeling shocking. It just becomes the norm.

The desensitization we experience is the essence of hypernormalization: when constant exposure to crises — be it global conflicts, widespread corruption, misinformation or environmental decline — leaves us numb. Over time, we disengage, tuning out the noise rather than confronting the problems we face.

However, desensitization doesn't mean we don't care — it means our brains shield us from emotional overload as a survival mechanism. The challenge is recognizing when we've become passive consumers of crises rather than engaged participants in change.

A 2021 study suggests that emotional reactions to climate change are a perfect example of this phenomenon. Faced with an issue so vast and complex, people often respond in four common ways. Some become apathetic, seeing the problem as distant or abstract. Others retreat into denial, rejecting climate science because it threatens their worldview or way of life.

Additionally, some feel so anxious and overwhelmed that they shut down entirely, convinced that individual action is meaningless, and then there are those who channel their concern into tangible action, finding ways — big or small — to make a difference.

The key to breaking free from a state of inaction lies in emotional connection and practical solutions. People tend to engage more when they empathize with those who are affected, when they directly experience climate-related disasters (though political views can shape this response) and when they see clear, achievable ways to contribute.

To find the right balance between empathy and overwhelm, engage selectively. Set limits on doomscrolling and take small, tangible steps that align with your values. Activism, community engagement or even talking to friends about your concerns can help rekindle a sense of agency.

3. You Accept What You Think You Can't Control

When you accept contradictions without question, you gradually numb yourself to their impact. Instead of resisting, you adapt — often without realizing it.

This mindset is especially visible in our digital media use. You know your data is being collected, but how do you stop it? You click "accept" on privacy policies filled with legal jargon, knowing you have little real choice. Over time, the inability to change the system leaves you feeling powerless.

Corporations can normalize surveillance through vague policies and limited options, making resistance seem futile. The more people understand digital tracking, the more resigned they become, allowing businesses to continue unchecked.

This is a phenomenon called digital resignation, another form of learned helplessness — where repeated failures to push back lead to inaction and people accept surveillance, misinformation and algorithmic control as inevitable. This can make people feel as though they have little autonomy over their digital lives.

To cope, many turn to escapism — doomscrolling, binge-watching or shopping — to numb the discomfort of these contradictions. But distraction breeds apathy, and over time, apathy cements the status quo. This is hypernormalization in action, keeping us from questioning larger ethical issues — from environmental destruction to privacy concerns.

Being intentional with your digital choices can help counteract resignation. Use privacy tools, be mindful of your online habits, and engage in digital minimalism — reducing passive consumption and focusing on purposeful interaction.

It's understandable to feel overwhelmed by the contradictions in the world. But hypernormalization isn't an irreversible state — it's a psychological adaptation that can be undone with awareness and action.

If you've felt disengaged, numb or powerless, know that these feelings are not personal failings — they are human responses to increasingly overwhelming amounts of stressful information. The world may be complex, but you are not powerless within it. Your choices, no matter how small, still matter.

How concerned are you about global crises like climate change? Take this science-backed test to find out: Climate Change Worry Scale

A similar version of this article can also be found on Forbes.com, here.