# Why are people acting like everything’s fine? with Rahaf Harfoush

An episode of [ReThinking](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1554567118), 25 Nov 2025, 41 min.

Audio: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/675858676d1777b3683ec351/e/691cacb3b958098159d0df80/media.mp3

In our rapidly changing world, it might make you feel crazy to look around and see others going about life as usual. There’s actually a term for this phenomenon: hypernormalization. In this episode, Adam talks with Rahaf Harfoush, a digital anthropologist and expert on toxic productivity culture, about the immense pressures of living through “unprecedented times.” Rahaf breaks down the concept of hypernormalization, and Adam explains why it can fuel feelings of destabilization and disconnection. The two challenge the propaganda that promotes productivity for its own sake and explore healthier ways to get things done. Host & Guest Adam Grant (Instagram: @adamgrant | LinkedIn: @adammgrant | Website: https://adamgrant.net/) Rahaf Harfoush (Instagram: @foushy | Website: https://rahafharfoush.com/) Links Newsletter: https://rahaf.kit.com/ Follow TED! X: https://www.twitter.com/TEDTalks Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ted Facebook: https://facebook.com/TED LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ted-conferences TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tedtoks Podcasts: https://www.ted.com/podcasts ReThinking is produced by Cosmic Standard. Our Senior Producer is Jessica Glazer, our Engineer is Aja Simpson, our Technical Director is Jacob Winik, and our Executive Producer is Eliza Smith. For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/rethinking-with-adam-grant-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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