20 Activities People Only Pretend to Enjoy, According to the Internet

From family photos to pickleball, these are the things most of us smile through and secretly dread.

Some things sound fun until you’re actually doing them. One viral thread asked people what activities they’re convinced most of us only pretend to like, and, honestly, the answers are hard to argue with.

Here are a few highlights that probably hit closer to home than we’d like to admit.

1. Family Photos
A photographer chimed in to say she’s watched these sessions implode in minutes. Parents arrive excited. Kids arrive armed for chaos. Her advice: tell them the day before, not the week before, and bribe with ice cream.

2. Dinner Parties
Someone’s burning the roast, someone else is pretending to love kale salad, and everyone secretly wishes they were in pajamas by 9.

3. Work Christmas Parties
Mandatory fun, weak punch, forced small talk. Enough said.

4. Marathons
You pay money to suffer publicly, then post about it like it was spiritual. Runners, don’t come for me.

5. Being a Bridesmaid
The dresses, the group texts, the expense—sure, it’s an honor. But it’s an expensive one with blisters.

6. Golf
“Look at me, I can smack a ball with a stick.” Someone in the thread said their dog could do better. Not a lot of love for golf in this comment section.

7. The Gym
If people truly loved the gym, motivational quotes wouldn’t be plastered everywhere. (Although, I will say, I am one of those people who secretly love the gym. It’s a great stress reliever.)

8. Socializing
Half the room is having fun. The other half is hiding in the bathroom, rehearsing how to leave gracefully.

9. Pickleball
One commenter called it “tennis for boomers.” Another countered, “I said the same🤣 funny thing is, I enjoy Pickleball…. And axe throwing.🤣 Please, do laugh….🤣🤣🤣”

10. Adulting
Bills, taxes, and endless laundry. Nobody’s thriving here.

11. Winter Activities
Romantic in theory, frostbite in practice.

12. Job Politics
It’s exhausting to say the least.

13. Monopoly
Starts friendly, ends in betrayal. Every. Single. Time. (We’re not allowed to play it at family gatherings anymore!)

14. Crawfish Boils
Peeling your dinner in the heat while pretending this is “fun” is an art form.

15. Carving Pumpkins
Cute idea until you’re wrist-deep in pumpkin guts.

16. Marriage
A few people listed this one. I’m just… moving on before I get in trouble.

17. Being Vegan
According to one of the most popular comments, “being vegan.” That’s all they said. Interpret as you will.

18. Drinking Pepsi
Apparently, even soda can be controversial. The Coke crowd was loud.

19. Working
“If they really love their job,” one person said, “ask if they’d do it for free.” Case closed.

20. Doomscrolling
And finally, the most honest answer of all: “Answering stupid questions like this on Facebook.” Fair.

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It’s hard to argue with most of these. But if I had to add one? Sitting through a meeting that could’ve been an email. And if you enjoy this kind of honesty, you might also like the one about people and things that somehow became unpopular for no real reason—or the list of “magical” experiences that turned out to be total letdowns.

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