29. June 2026

A Love Hate Relationship With End of Year Summaries! 

Why We Love (and Loathe) End‑of‑Year Roundups

’Tis the season to be bombarded by TV programmes and magazine articles reflecting on how 2025 unfolded — or, in some cases, the past five years. Everywhere you look, someone is asking: 

What was your favourite TV programme? Which articles topped the charts? What podcast did everyone rave about? And of course… what’s your New Year’s resolution?

It’s a familiar ritual. As soon as December arrives, we’re nudged toward reflection, review, and reinvention. And strangely, we lap it up.  But why?

The Strange Comfort of Benign Direction

On the surface, these roundups seem harmless. Fun, even. Yet there’s something curious about how eagerly we consume them. Humans generally dislike being told what to do. We bristle at anything that makes us feel like sheep being herded into a tight enclosure. 

We pride ourselves on autonomy and independence.  And yet, when the media hands us a neatly packaged list of “Top 10 Moments of the Year,” we click. When a presenter asks about our resolutions, we answer. When a magazine tells us what everyone else loved, we pay attention.

Part of the reason is that these prompts don’t feel like orders. They feel like invitations—gentle nudges that help us organise our memories and make sense of the year gone by.

Looking to Others for Direction

There’s another layer too: many of us naturally look to others for guidance. It’s part of being human. In a world overflowing with information, opinions, and choices, direction can feel grounding.  But it can also feel overwhelming.

The world we live in sometimes creaks under the sheer weight of self‑help manuals, motivational podcasts, and websites promising to teach us how to live our lives “properly.”  Everywhere we turn, someone is offering a blueprint for happiness, success, productivity, or inner peace. It’s no wonder we occasionally feel like we’re being pushed, pulled, or shaped by forces outside of our control.

So when the end‑of‑year content arrives, it can feel like yet another wave of guidance—wanted or not.

Do We Really Choose These Reflections?

Many people describe this time of year as overwhelming, as though all this reflection is being handed to us against our will. The sheer volume of “must‑watch” lists and “must‑improve” resolutions can feel prescriptive, even intrusive.

But here’s the twist: following instructions is something we’ve been trained to do since childhood.

From the moment we’re born, we learn to listen to parents or caregivers. As we grow, we follow the rules of school, society, workplaces, and communities. Instruction—whether we like it or not—is woven into the fabric of being human.

And sometimes, we follow instructions even when they conflict with our personal preferences or values.

A Lesson from the 1960s:

 The Milgram Experiment

This brings us to one of the most famous psychological studies of the 20th century: Stanley Milgram’s obedience experiments in the 1960s and 70s.

Milgram wanted to understand why ordinary people obey authority figures—even when the instructions feel wrong. His findings were unsettling: many participants continued following orders simply because someone in a lab coat told them to, despite feeling uncomfortable or distressed.

While today’s end‑of‑year media frenzy is nowhere near the moral weight of Milgram’s study, the underlying principle is similar. Humans are wired to respond to cues from perceived authority—whether that authority is a scientist, a government, a cultural tradition, or a seasonal ritual.

We don’t always like being directed. But we’re surprisingly willing to accept it.

So Why Do We Keep Coming Back for More?

Because these rituals offer something we crave:

🟦 A sense of belonging

When everyone is talking about the same shows, articles, or podcasts, we feel connected.

🟦 A moment of pause

Year‑end content gives us permission to reflect in a world that rarely slows down.

🟦 A gentle nudge toward self‑improvement

Even if resolutions fade by February, the act of setting them can feel hopeful.

🟦 A curated sense of order

Lists and summaries help us make sense of a messy world.

🟦 Relief from decision fatigue

Sometimes it’s nice when someone else tells us what was “good” this year.

A Final Thought

Whether you adore year‑end roundups or roll your eyes at them, they reveal something deeply human: our complicated relationship with guidance, authority, and reflection. We resist being told what to do—yet we also seek structure, connection, and meaning.

So if you find yourself scrolling through “Top 20 Moments of 2025” or pondering your next New Year’s resolution, you’re not being herded. You’re participating in a shared cultural rhythm that helps us all make sense of where we’ve been—and where we might be heading next.