But according to folks under this Reddit thread, some things get more flak than they deserve and could use a little more love. Scroll down to see what they had to say, upvote the ones you agree with, and let us know in the comments if there’s anything else you think deserves more appreciation!
CreativeCat92 , Andre Furtado / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
But why do we experience it? To find out, Bored Panda reached out to Clara Pretus, a psychology professor and researcher in social neurosciences, and the director of the Social Brain Lab.
“We hate things that we perceive as posing an existential threat to us,” Pretus explains. “This could be a physical threat—something that puts our life at risk—or a symbolic threat, something that endangers our values and way of life.”
She goes on to say, “Our response to hate is to either avoid or eliminate the object of our hate because we don’t believe it will ever stop being a threat. This is different from anger; when we’re angry at someone, we’re still giving them a second chance, believing they can change. With hate, the sense of danger is so strong that it activates our fight or flight response, preparing us to either attack or defend ourselves.”
Stormflier , Helena Lopes / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
mrpunukesh , Engin Akyurt / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
Zeki adds, “The putamen, another brain area, could also be involved in preparing for aggressive acts, even in a romantic context, like when a rival poses a threat. Previous studies suggest the insula is engaged by distressing stimuli, and seeing both a loved and a hated face might trigger such a response.”
He further explains, “One marked difference between love and hate is that, while love deactivates large parts of the cerebral cortex associated with judgment and reasoning, hate only deactivates a small area in the frontal cortex. This might seem surprising since hate can also be an all-consuming passion, like love. But in romantic love, the lover is often less critical, while in hate, the hater may become more judgmental, calculating moves to harm or seek revenge.”
CosmoAlways , Andrea Piacquadio / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
Ineedavacation1999 , Andrea Piacquadio / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
Hopeful-Passion-2221 , Magali Guimarães / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
Another aspect of her research explores the rise of hate crimes. While we understand some factors behind these crimes, what people perceive and experience as “hate” at a psychological level is still a gray area.
In one of her studies, Pretus explored the role of morality in hate. Her team analyzed the language used on prominent hate websites and complaint forums, finding that hate sites contained more words related to morality, not just negativity, compared to the complaint forums.
“Morality guides our decisions and actions because it defines what we believe is right and wrong,” Pretus says. “Our moral values, like honesty, justice, and respecting traditions, are a big part of who we are. When someone acts in a way that threatens those values, it can spark hate because it feels like an existential threat to our identity. Hate then prepares us to either eliminate or escape from the source of that threat.”
It’s clear that hate is a deeply personal feeling, shaped by our experiences and values. But we couldn’t resist asking Pretus if there’s one thing people often hate that she thinks deserves more love.
“I would say Mondays,” she shares. “I’ve never hated Mondays, but maybe that’s because I really like my job.”
Titan_Tails , Ilyas Chabli / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
Dream_Fairy04 , Augustinus Martinus Noppé / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
Appropriate-Bad-9379 , Anna Shvets / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
Altoid_Addict , Rosemary Ketchum / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
djb2589 , SHVETS production / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
StayProsty , Ketut Subiyanto / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
Fine_Faithlessness67 , RDNE Stock project / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
PenVsPaper , Lina Kivaka / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
LadyKnightmare , Jack Bulmer / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
Over_Ad_2079 , Pixabay / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
jazmine_likea_flower , Karolina Kaboompics / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
D3dshotCalamity , fauxels / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
r0ckerdud3 , Lisa Fotios / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
stonedngettinboned , Pixabay / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
doobeedoobee , Austin Guevara / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
Hanondorf , Tara Winstead / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
littletrashpanda77 , Ella Olsson Ella Olsson / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
PewterCityPain , JESHOOTS.com / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
reedmama , Humphrey Muleba / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
Kubicek420 , KATRIN BOLOVTSOVA / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
theygotapepperbar , Elina Fairytale / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
rafters- , Polina Tankilevitch / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
UnderstandingFun5200 , Monstera Production / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
lil-munchable , Mike Mozart / flickr (not the actual photo) Report
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