"It’s not delusion if you’re willing to work for it—it’s vision."

"When reality is broken, dreaming big isn’t crazy—it’s survival."

<a href="https://summarize.ing/video-85221-How-Gen-Z%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%98delulu%E2%80%99-culture-impacts-their-reality-Justine-Danielle-Reyes-TEDxADMU#:~:text=%F0%9F%92%AD%20The%20speaker%20suggests%20that,challenge%20of%20achieving%20traditional%20milestones.">Source</a>🌐 The rapid pace of social media means ideas can spread quickly and then fade, challenging our ability to process and absorb information.🔥 The term 'delusional' has been repurposed by Gen Z to mean dreaming big and defying realistic barriers, contrasting with its traditional medical definition.

Key Takaways (1/5)

"When the system fails you, the bold rewrite the rules and call it destiny."

🌱 The script touches on societal pressures and expectations that Gen Z faces, such as economic insecurity and the challenge of achieving traditional milestones.🌟 The idea of 'being delusional' is presented as a form of escapism that allows Gen Z to envision a better reality amidst current global challenges.

Key Takaways (4/5)

"When the rules are built to break you, breaking the rules is survival."

🔑 The speaker calls for a collective change, suggesting that individual efforts are not enough and that societal structures need to support a brighter future for all.🌍 The script emphasizes the importance of hope and the need to redefine what is considered 'normal' in society, advocating for a collective effort to build a better future.🎯 The final message is one of optimism, urging Gen Z to embrace their dreams and not to let the label 'delusional' undermine their aspirations for a better world.

Key Takaways (5/5)

"Dreams don’t wait for permission, and neither should you."

📊 Gen Z, born between 1997 and 2012, is characterized by a desire for diversity, collaboration, and authenticity, and is highly practical due to inheriting global issues.🏆 The speaker, identifying as Gen Z and delusional in a positive sense, uses personal experience to explore the generation's perspective on 'delusional' as a motivational term.

Key Takaways (2/5)

🤔 The debate around the use of 'delusional' raises questions about the generation's understanding of the term versus its clinical meaning, highlighting a potential educational or critical thinking issue.💭 The speaker suggests that Gen Z's use of 'delusional' may reflect a refusal to accept an untenable reality, rather than a pathological state of mind.

Key Takaways (3/5)

The speaker explores the term 'delusional' as used by Gen Z, contrasting it with its clinical definition. They argue that the younger generation's 'delusion' is a form of dreaming big and defying limits, rather than a pathology. The talk delves into the practicality of Gen Z, shaped by global issues, and questions the societal norms that limit aspirations. The speaker calls for collective change to build a hopeful future, urging to reframe 'delusional' as a source of motivation, not a mental disorder.

In her thought-provoking TED Talk, Dani Reyes, a licensed psychometrician and researcher based in Manila, delves into the phenomenon of "delulu culture" and its impact on Generation Z's reality. Dani, who has dedicated her career to mental health awareness and education, explores how the term "delusional" has been adopted by Gen Z as a mantra to defy limits and dream big, despite practical challenges. Drawing from her experience as a mental health professional and educator, she highlights the cognitive dissonance this creates, as delusions are traditionally seen as pathological in the field of psychology.

Dani argues that the rise of this culture reflects Gen Z's response to societal dysfunctions like climate change and economic insecurity, which make traditional aspirations seem unattainable. By embracing delusions, Gen Z resists accepting a bleak reality and instead holds onto hope for a better future. She calls for a deeper understanding of this cultural shift and urges societal changes to support young people's aspirations. Dani concludes by emphasizing that what her generation truly seeks is hope—a belief in the possibility of positive change and a brighter future. Justine Danielle Reyes is a licensed psychometrician and researcher based in Manila who works in education. As a psychology undergrad, Dani began to raise awareness on mental health through social media, which eventually led to speaking engagements in different institutions. She worked as a high school teacher for three years, teaching mental health and character education, before she ventured into the world of testing and research in higher education. In 2023, she presented her first research paper about the lived experiences of college students during the pandemic at the 10th National Social Science Congress held in Silliman University, and she was one of the eight emerging film critics who joined the inaugural QCinema Critics Lab. On social media, Dani posts educational content about psychology and mental health on TikTok, runs a blog on Substack and hosts a podcast, both called Therapy for Takeout, where she shares lessons learned in therapy as well as her love for psychology. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

Understand yourself and those around you.

psychology

Psychology

mindfulness

Mindfulness

movies

Movies & Shows

teamwork

Teamwork

videos

Videos

TEDx is an international community that organizes TED-style events anywhere and everywhere -- celebrating locally-driven ideas and elevating them to a global stage. TEDx events are produced independently of TED conferences, each event curates speakers on their own, but based on TED's format and rules.

TED's videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy (https://www.ted.com/about/our-organization/our-policies-terms/ted-talks-usage-policy). 

For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request here: https://media-requests.ted.com.