Lifestyle
A little too obsessed with Taylor Swift? It might be a coping mechanism
While researching “Cultish,” her book on “the language of cults from Scientology to SoulCycle,” writer Amanda Montell kept coming across studies on cognitive biases, or common errors in thinking. Montell couldn’t help noticing that cognitive biases explained more than why some people became fanatics — they also explained many of her “own daily decisions in the information age” and the “seemingly confounding” behavior of other people in her life.
Montell’s new book, “The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality” (Simon & Schuster), is her attempt to help people notice and name how their minds are making them miserable, and then, hopefully, learn to avoid the traps.
Montell spoke to The Times about the particular challenges of social media, what Taylor Swift has to do with the author’s mom, and more. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Psychologists and economists and other social scientists have been researching cognitive biases for decades, but you argue that understanding them is more important now than ever. Why is that?
Cognitive biases, like the sunk-cost fallacy or recency illusion, are these innate psychological shortcuts that we’ve always taken to make sense of the world enough to survive it. These behaviors have been observed and documented for over a hundred years. But they can newly explain so many of the irrationalities that are directly a product of the digital age. While the democratization of information has been incredible and a net positive thing for society, our minds, our amygdalae have not caught up with the culture that we’ve created.
These psychological shortcuts that we once made to process a much more limited amount of information from the physical world are now being applied to more abstract information — some of which is true, some of which is not — and causing us to have really miserable reactions. So we’re feeling a sort of nebulous, can’t-quite-put-our-finger-on-it sense of ennui, sense of languishing, sense of panic, fear for the future. We’re using these age-old shortcuts that were once very helpful in a new context in which they’re becoming slightly out of date. Cognitive biases can really explain so much of the nonsense that we are exposed to in society these days.
Amanda Montell.
(Kaitlyn Mikayla)
In each chapter, you analyze a different behavior — sometimes cultural, sometimes personal — through the lens of a cognitive bias. The first chapter is about Taylor Swift fans, but it’s also about your mom. How does that chapter’s specific cognitive bias, the halo effect, explain both Swift stans and your own family dynamics?
The halo effect describes our penchant to admire one thing about a person and then jump to the conclusion that they must be perfect overall. This bias stems from the ways we used to identify role models in our communities for survival purposes, but now we’re applying the halo effect to modern parasocial relationships, namely celebrities, in a way that is having serious deleterious consequences.
I came across this pretty fascinating research reflecting how increasing stan worship is actually correlated in interesting ways to parent-child attachment. If we don’t experience enough “positive stressors” from our parental figures and communities in real life, we often look for those things in online spaces and virtual spaces and that can really set us up for major side effects from narcissistic tendencies to poor body image to criminality.
The relationship between the surrogate “mother” — that is, the female pop star — and our attachments to our actual mothers is something I was really interested to explore. I talk about my personal experience involving those ideas and my own mom and finally coming around to the notion that my mom was a real person and we were able to move through that with empathy and communication. That goes two ways, but the fact that so many stans perceive celebrities like Taylor Swift as surrogate mothers of sorts is setting everybody up for psychological failure because the mode of communication is one-sided. The surrogate “mother” could never fulfill their wishes or live up to their standards and could also never humanize herself in a way that a mother could.
“If we don’t experience enough ‘positive stressors’ from our parental figures and communities in real life, we often look for those things in online spaces and virtual spaces and that can really set us up for major side effects from narcissistic tendencies to poor body image to criminality.”
In another chapter, you delve into the world of manifestation gurus and argue that their rise can be explained by “proportionality bias.” What is that and how does it work?
Proportionality bias describes our proclivity to assume that a big event or even a big feeling must have had a big cause. It just makes proportional cause-and-effect sense to us to assume that, “Oh, a massive earth-shattering pandemic broke out, that couldn’t have been the result of a bunch of small random minor tragedies all adding up to this big one, instead the government must have engineered it on purpose.”
Manifestation is another misattribution of cause-and-effect, just with a more positive spin: if I got a promotion, it’s because I put a dollar sign on my vision board. But in this time of mass isolation when we feel incredibly out of control and lacking agency in our futures, so many online manifestation gurus have seized our proportionality bias en masse by communicating this very absolutist idea that you can actually control your outcomes and improve your circumstances with your mind as long as you sign up for my $25-a-month course.
One of the major features of the information age, as you call it, is social media. How does social media hijack our mind’s wiring and how can recognizing cognitive biases help us there?
I can talk about this in a personal context. My day job for many years was working in the beauty industry. I thought, “I’m a mole and they’re not going to be able to get me” and the joke was surely on me because just a couple of years into the beauty industry I felt like someone else’s blond only made me brunet-er.
Then I left the beauty industry to write and thought, “Oh, thank god I’ve been freed from social comparison purgatory.” And again, the joke was on me because now I was comparing myself to other writers, nonfiction authors who are my age and had my same haircut. That was really devastating and caused me a lot of psychological turmoil. In the book, I offer some solutions to combat that zero-sum bias that causes you to go down a spiral.
That’s the false perception that another person’s gain means your loss. And there was a time when another person’s access to food and mates really would mean your deficit, but that is not true in our modern economy. There’s actually a way to build more wealth no matter what area of life you’re talking about, but it’s innate to our species that we experience “win-win denial.”
Especially during times of sociopolitical turbulence, we feel that if the government is helping one group, surely another group must be suffering. There’s fascinating research reflecting that when we feel culturally unmoored, people are more resistant to immigration because they start feeling that scarcity mind-set.
You know, as I’m launching this book, you start to feel a little bit more competitive than you ordinarily would, so I’m truly returning to the ideas of zero-sum bias and win-win denial myself. It’s an ongoing process.
Does knowing and naming these ideas help you fight them?
I will never be able to prevent my instincts that point me in the direction of zero-sum bias or confirmation bias, but I will say that the awareness of them has been so soothing. When someone else’s behavior seems truly inexplicable or evil, even, I can pinpoint, “Oh, that is just overconfidence bias at play” in the same way that I noticed overconfidence bias in my own behavior. Or “that is zero-sum bias, that is the recency illusion.” It just feels good to have an excuse not to write off your fellow humans being as defective.
TAKEAWAYS
from the Age of Magical Overthinking
But I’ve also come across so many studies that had these actionable tidbits of wisdom. One I keep returning to is about additive versus subtractive solutions. I came across this really fascinating study about the tendency to solve problems by adding more variables to the equation even when a much simpler solution would involve taking one or two things away. The study involved a spatial puzzle involving colored blocks and the vast majority of the participants opted for the much more cumbersome additive solution instead of subtracting, because subtraction is just not how our minds are oriented.
It reminded me of a relationship that was not serving me. I thought during our miserable times that what would help us would be adding a vacation or replacing our furniture or some totally over-the-top additive solution when the much better way to approach the problem would be to take something away, to break up, potentially.
I have applied this framework even to minor problems. I was looking at my junk drawer and my first impulse was, I need to go to the Container Store and get some really beautiful drawer organizers. But the much simpler and more effective solution would be to throw this junk away.
Angela Chen is a journalist. Find her work at angelachen.org.
Shelf Help is a new wellness column where we interview researchers, thinkers and writers about their latest books — all with the aim of learning how to live a more complete life. Want to pitch us? Email alyssa.bereznak@latimes.com.
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On-air challenge
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Last week’s challenge
Last week’s challenge comes from Joshua Green, of Columbia, Md. Think of a popular film franchise with many sequels. Hidden in consecutive letters inside its name is a place mentioned multiple times in the Bible. Replace that place with a single letter and you’ll name a Major League Baseball team. What franchise and team are these?
Answer: “The Avengers” –> (Detroit) Tigers
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This week’s challenge
This week’s challenge comes from Joseph Young, of St. Cloud, Minn. Name a famous actor of the past, seven letter first name and seven letter last name. Remove three consecutive letters from him last name and the remaining letters in order will be the well known lead character from a long running series of films. What actor and character are these?
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Lifestyle
For Tory Burch, a 20-year fashion career is a sport driven by endurance, discipline and grit
Clarke wears Tory Burch multi screw heeled sandals and Gemini Link pendant necklaces.
This story is part of Image’s May Momentum issue, which looks at art as a sport and sport as an art.
It’s 2 p.m. on a quintessentially balmy Los Angeles afternoon when I spot fashion designer Tory Burch in the lobby of the iconic Beverly Hills Hotel. She’s wearing oversize sunglasses, a crisp collared shirt, an even crisper pleated navy skirt and leopard-print pumps. I start walking over to introduce myself, but a fan gets there first. This would happen several times during our meeting at the hotel — wherever Burch goes, a small flock of admirers form.
Burch is in town for the Fashion Trust U.S. Awards, where she was recognized with the designer of the year award. Ever since she took back creative control of her brand about six years ago, Tory Burch is back at the center of the American fashion zeitgeist. Compared to the resort-ready tunics and preppy Reva flats that embodied Tory 1.0 in the 2000s, Tory 2.0 has evolved into a “weirder,” more innovative version of itself. Think: a jersey dress with knotted ruching in an unexpected shade of green, or leather mules with an inverted heel that makes you look twice. While the Tory customer of the past felt neatly aligned with the country club aesthetic, the Tory customer today embodies a modern sensibility of polish and dynamism. You could easily imagine these clothes on a marketing exec at the office, a buyer at fashion week or an author on book tour.
There’s no doubt the “Tory-ssance” is in full swing. During New York Fashion Week, my TikTok page was flooded with behind-the-scenes clips of model it-girl Alex Consani getting ready for Tory Burch’s runway show. On the nouveau fashion blogs of Substack, women exchange styling ideas for the brand’s signature pierced mules. And on the streets of L.A. — from Sunset and Rodeo to Melrose and Wilshire — colorful Tory Burch logo sandals abound.
Clarke wears Tory Burch Mellow Mary Jane jellies, Gemini Link pendant necklace, and printed asymmetric viscose dress.
We sat down for tea at the Polo Lounge and talked about her design instincts, what women actually want to wear, freaky footwear and how a long career in fashion is its own kind of sport.
Viv Chen: Hi, Tory, it’s a pleasure to meet. Congratulations on receiving the designer of the year award from Fashion Trust U.S. this week. What does that kind of recognition mean to you at this point in your career?
Tory Burch: It’s a huge honor, and to be recognized by your peers is even more special. Being in that room and meeting some of the up-and-coming new designers, the creative energy was just palpable and super exciting to take in. I love what Tania [Fares] has built to support emerging designers.
VC: I heard you got to dress Pamela Anderson.
TB: Yeah, she presented the award to me. Pamela and I met through our boys, so it was very special because we have a friendship and I admire her so much.
VC: This award feels like another marker of the “Tory-ssance.” There’s been such a compelling story over the last few years about how you’ve reinvented the brand to feel fresh and relevant again. How do you see that evolution?
Clarke wears Tory Burch beaded heel sandals and cotton jacquard shirtdress.
TB: We’re just starting in many ways. When I first started the company 20 years ago, it was very much a creative journey. As time went on, I was also running the company and became the CEO. After a certain point, managing both was not doable. About six years ago — it was probably the one silver lining out of COVID — I had the opportunity to reset and give up my role as CEO. Now, 100% of my time is dedicated to the creative process. It’s something we’re still very much in the process of — not at the peak. I still have a lot I want to do.
VC: You redesigned your Rodeo Drive store last year. What is it about the L.A. market that influenced the design decisions you made?
TB: First of all, it’s really funny because a lot of people think I’m from L.A. I love the casual elegance of L.A. I’m very outdoorsy, I’m very sporty, so there’s a lot of things that I relate to from a design standpoint. And I’ve always been obsessed with interior design. It wasn’t as much about L.A., but it was more about using the light here. We opened up the top of the store with skylights, so it had shapes that the front of the store brought in with the light.
VC: You seem to have unlocked what women actually want to wear. Tell me more about your design perspective.
TB: I like an ease and a realness to what we do, but balanced with creativity and innovation. So it’s taking things that are classic in spirit, but then giving a strangeness to it. Like something where you look closer and see an interesting fabric or different stitching. I like tension.
Melissa wears Tory Burch pierced strappy heel sandals and printed silk dress.
Clarke wears Tory Burch Hank ballet sneakers.
VC: I want to talk about footwear, because you’ve designed some major hits. The Reva flat was such an iconic shoe in the 2000s. And now, your pierced mules are fueling the contemporary rise in “freaky footwear.” What is it about footwear that is such a powerful category for you?
TB: I’ve always loved footwear. When I started with the pierced [mule], I was looking at toe rings. I thought, how do you incorporate the concept of that into a mule? It was like an exercise in architecture. Ever since I’ve taken back the reins of the creative process, I’ve focused on how footwear makes your leg look and how it feels. The Reva is interesting because it was meant to be a foldable shoe to throw in your bag, but also something you could walk in all day.
VC: What shoes are you wearing today?
TB: I’m wearing the pierced pump.
VC: How do movement and women in motion factor into how you design? I’m thinking about Tory Sport, which I think was ahead of the curve of the athleisure boom.
TB: We started in 2015. It was me and a very small team starting with what I felt like was missing in the market — which was great-looking clothing that was not restrictive, but also technical. Something you could move in from morning until evening. I also saw the prevalence of streetwear and the way women were dressing at the time.
VC: Culturally, when we talk about fashion designers, we focus on skills like creativity and artistry. Whereas in the language of sports, we talk about endurance, discipline and grit. Do you view your 20-plus year career in fashion as its own kind of sport?
Melissa wears Tory Burch jelly heel flip-flops.
TB: I do. It is a sport, and there’s a physicality to it as well. I think some people question whether I still go to the office. I don’t think I’ve had lunch in the last 21 years. I can be at the office for 10-hour days, which is like an athlete where it’s about discipline and grit and endurance.
VC: Athletes always get asked about the unglamorous work behind the wins. What’s your equivalent of daily reps?
TB: The mental capacity you need to have. Sometimes I make 4,000 decisions in a day. I touch every product. But I’m also lucky in that my days never really look the same either, because I do so many different parts of the business — whether it’s store design, marketing or the actual design of different categories.
VC: Beyond your brand, what is the impact you are trying to make with the Tory Burch Foundation?
TB: We launched it in 2009 to support women entrepreneurs through mentoring, capital and community. We’ve committed to adding a billion dollars to the economy by 2030 through our fellows and entrepreneurs. We’re having a breakfast in three weeks honoring Anna Wintour. It’s our second fundraiser — last year it was Martha Stewart.
VC: What is the long game for Tory Burch?
TB: I don’t know that I’d sit and think about the long game as much as I think about trying to be present. I’m always interested in the zeitgeist and how we fit into that, but not necessarily to be on trend. I just am someone that has that curiosity to push things forward.
Viv Chen is a Bay Area–based fashion writer, and founder of the Molehill newsletter.
Photography Jennelle Fong
Styling Bin X. Nguyen
Talent Melissa Baltierrez, Clarke Brown
Nails Lila Robles
Videography D.J. Theriot
Lighting Assistant Phillip Acevedo
Dara and her song “Bangaranga” skyrocketed Bulgaria to first place at the 70th Eurovision Song Contest
Helmut Fohringer/APA/AFP via Getty Images
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Bulgaria has won the 70th Eurovision Song Contest — the country’s first-ever win.
The achievement surprised many because Bulgaria wasn’t among the favorites to win in 2026. But with its catchy “Welcome to the riot!” refrain and bouncy vibe, performer Dara’s banging anthem “Bangaranga” bested 24 other nations for the glittery global musical crown at the finals on Saturday in Vienna, Austria.
Israel came in second, as it did last year. Ten competitors were eliminated from the original group of 35 in the semi-finals earlier this week.
In his appraisal of his 10 favorite Eurovision 2026 songs, NPR critic Glen Weldon called “Bangaranga” an “insanely catchy bop” and praised its “deep, profound, abiding grooviness.”
“Oh my god!” Dara yelled, as she accepted the Crystal Microphone, the event’s glass trophy, from last year’s winner, JJ of Austria.
As with other global cultural events, such as the Venice Biennale currently underway in Italy, the glittery annual songfest is intended as a display of goodwill and togetherness between nations. “In a world often divided, we stand united by music,” said host Michael Ostrowski at the conclusion of this year’s event.
Last year’s contest, held in Basel, Switzerland, saw record viewership, reaching 166 million viewers across 37 markets.
Israel prepared for ‘boos’
Eurovision has long strived to prioritize artistry over political antagonism. However, as with the Biennale, Eurovision 2026 found itself at the center of protests related to the war in Gaza.
Five countries — Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain — pulled out between September and December 2025 in protest over event organizer European Broadcasting Union’s decision to allow Israel to participate amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
In this year’s finals, Israeli singer Noam Bettan performed the romantic breakup song “Michelle” in French, Hebrew and English. Unlike in the semifinal, when the artist sang over chants of “stop the genocide,” Bettan was not booed — at least audibly. The artist told The Times of Israel last month he had been practicing performing in front of hecklers.
There were both anti- and pro-Israel demonstrations in Vienna this week.
Pro-Palestinian protests at the last two contests called for Israel to be disbarred from Eurovision over its role in the conflict, as well as allegations it attempted to manipulate voting to favor its entries. The European Broadcasting Union changed its voting rules in response. Among other requirements, contestants and broadcasters are prohibited from taking part in promotional campaigns by third parties including governments. Countries outside of Europe, such as Israel, participate in Eurovision because eligibility is based on European Broadcasting Union membership, not necessarily geographics.
A double standard?
Although Israel’s participation is the biggest cause of dissent in 2026, the country avoided being banned from the event.
That was not the case with Russia, which was disbarred indefinitely from participating in the contest soon after launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
European Broadcasting Union deputy director general Jean Philip De Tender defended his organization’s decision to allow Israel to perform, the European edition of Politico reported ahead of the contest’s final, because Israel’s public broadcaster KAN, the body behind its entry, is independent, whereas Russia’s state broadcaster, VGTRK, is run by the Russian government.
In a social media post on Friday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez decried the European Broadcasting Union for its “double standard.”
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