What Does This Mean?
Literally "mental internal friction"; everyday shorthand for the tiring state of overthinking, hesitating and fighting with oneself, where energy goes into worrying rather than doing. People also use it for the sense of futility from work they dislike. In psychology articles it is linked to rumination, and it is not the same as a clinical diagnosis such as anxiety or depression.
REAL-WORLD EXAMPLE
"纠结了一晚上要不要回消息，纯属精神内耗。"
LORE & ORIGIN
The phrase spread widely after Bilibili uploader 衣戈猜想 posted the video 《回村三天，二舅治好了我的精神内耗》 on 25 July 2022, as a Beijing News report describes; the same report quotes a counsellor who ties the term to rumination (反刍). A Pengpai (The Paper) explainer describes 精神内耗 or 心理内耗 as a state where psychological resources are used up in self-control, and says it is not equal to depression or anxiety. The term itself existed before the video.
MENTIONS OVER TIME
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