Cultural Forces 2025: Emotions Running High
Is emotional volatility redefining healthcare?
Authored by Meredydd Hardie
What You’ll Learn
Emotions are more extreme than ever. People are not just happy, they are euphoric. Not just angry, they are in full-blown rage. The emotional spectrum is stretching to its limits.
Algorithms amplify intensity by feeding us content that can augment rage (or joy). Social media and digital culture reward emotional extremes, pushing people toward exaggerated joy, sorrow, fear, and love.
Emotional escapism is on the rise. From rage rooms to ecstatic dance, people are seeking visceral experiences that help them feel intensely alive.
Healthcare is being reshaped by emotional volatility. Burnout, anxiety, and overstimulation are increasing the demand for emotion-regulating treatments, from psychedelics to AI-driven mood stabilizers.
The Rise of Extreme Emotions
In a world of constant stimulation, people are feeling everything more intensely. Joy isn’t just happiness—it’s ecstatic, euphoric, almost defiant. Sadness isn’t just melancholy—it’s immersive, sometimes communal, and shared in digital mourning spaces. Fear escalates into paranoia, fueled by information overload. The emotional spectrum is being stretched in all directions, and people are living at the edges.
Signals of Contextual Importance
Resilience Training in Education: Educational institutions have started incorporating resilience interventions to equip students with coping strategies, aiming to prevent long-term mental health issues. These programs focus on teaching mindfulness and emotional regulation to help students manage stress and emotional extremes effectively.
Rise of “Vibes” Over Micro-Trends: In 2024, fashion and cultural expressions shifted from short-lived micro-trends to broader “vibes” that encompass entire lifestyles and emotional aesthetics. This movement reflects a desire for more authentic and emotionally resonant cultural experiences, moving beyond superficial trends to deeper emotional connections.
Prevalence of Societal Anger: A 2024 analysis highlighted a pervasive sense of anger in society, manifesting in both online platforms and real-world interactions. This widespread rage is often undirected, increasing societal frustration and highlighting the need for effective emotional processing mechanisms. We also see an information overload leading to paralysis, leaving people nowhere to discharge their emotions.
What This Means for Healthcare in 2025
Patients are navigating health decisions in heightened emotional states, driven by desperation, elation, or anxiety. They seek validation and emotional resonance from healthcare providers, often turning to AI-driven therapy and social media communities for support. The growing recognition of the mind-body connection means that mental and emotional well-being will play a bigger role in treatment plans.
For Healthcare Providers (HCPs): HCPs must acknowledge that patients are arriving with intense emotions shaped by algorithmic amplification and real-world stressors. Providers will need new strategies for emotional regulation for themselves and their patients and balance empathy with evidence-based care. Expect more demand for treatments that address both physical and emotional health, including the rise of alternative treatments like psychedelics prescribed for mental health.
For Pharma and Marketers: Marketing must resonate with both extremes by acknowledging the deep frustrations and fears of patients while also tapping into the optimism of breakthrough treatments. Emotionally intelligent messaging will be key, and brands that validate, regulate, or enhance emotional experiences will stand out. From anti-anxiety medications to digital therapeutics, the pharma industry will be expected to help patients manage emotional highs and lows.
The Future of Emotions Running High
In 2025 and beyond, people will continue to push the limits of what they can feel by seeking new ways to heighten, regulate, and share their emotions.
Klick Health’s powerful animated short “The Bridge” for PAWS NY depicts the parallel journeys of a man struggling with his mental health and an abandoned dog in New York City. The film taps into the rise of extreme emotions for a strong empathetic experience for the viewer.
We also produced the poetic stop-motion short “18 Months.” Created with Second Nurture, “18 Months” follows Danny and Pete as they discover a newborn in a New York subway and spend eighteen months fighting to adopt him, transforming the classic nine-month pregnancy arc into a visceral quest that confronts outdated ideas of family and channels today’s heightened emotions into a fierce celebration of unconditional love.
Healthcare, wellness, and pharma must evolve to meet this reality, recognizing that emotions are not just a personal experience but a cultural force shaping decisions, behaviors, and even health outcomes. Those who can help people navigate these emotional extremes—without dismissing or dulling them—will define the future of patient care.
Author
Meredydd Hardie
VP, Group Director Strategy
Ready to Drive Life Sciences Forward?
Experience the transformative power of Klick Health, where deep industry expertise meets cutting-edge AI-driven wisdom.
As your trusted partners in life sciences commercialization, we combine a storied history in healthcare with the latest technologies to elevate every facet of your omnichannel strategy. From crafting engaging narratives to enabling data-driven decision-making, our integrated capabilities ensure you lead the way in transforming patient outcomes through digital health innovation.
Let's create something transformative together.
