The Mystery Of Social Norms

From the moment we are born, we are ready to learn. We pick up the language around us and learn the rules of our society, what behaviour is allowed, what’s considered good or bad. We’re absolutely built that way: to learn norms and to comply with them.

Understanding where these expectations come from, and how they differ from the reality we live in now, is important for making personal milestones that are meaningful, instead of clinging to outdated expectations.

As it turns out, these all-important deadlines are often arbitrary, and the pressure to achieve them sometimes comes from amorphous, unidentifiable places. They also aren’t as set in stone as they may seem.

From generation to generation, changes in technology and the econ...