Why everyone suddenly wants a cold plunge and a podcast.

Social mimicry is what happens when people copy the behaviour, beliefs, or preferences of others — not because they’ve thought it through, but because everyone else seems to be doing it.

It’s the human version of, “Well, if they’re jumping off a bridge…”

Of course, no one ever admits to it.
They say things like:

“I’ve always been into minimalism.”
“I just feel called to ayahuasca.”
“It’s not a trend — it’s a lifestyle.”

But what it means is:

“I saw someone else do it, and now it’s my personality.”

It shows up everywhere:

• Laughing at jokes because everyone else does.
• Believing opinions before examining them.
• Dressing like everyone else at art galleries.
• Pretending to like jazz.

It’s how humans try to survive socially — by blending in and avoiding the shame of being the one weird fish in the wrong-coloured stream.

“Original thought is risky. But copying? That gets likes.”

Why it matters:

Most people think they’re making choices.
They’re not. They’re borrowing behaviours from whoever looks confident, attractive, or just loud enough to drown out doubt.

Social mimicry is how bad ideas go viral,
how cults get cosy, and how everyone ends up with the same haircut.

It’s also how decent people justify awful things:

“Well, everyone else clapped.”

In short:
Social mimicry is evolution’s way of saying, “You’ll be safer if you just blend in and shut up.”
And society’s way of saying, “We’re all individuals — now conform immediately.”