people-pleasing
Coverage of people-pleasing in the Nexus archive.
- I spent decades pleasing everyone. Then cancer changed the equation.
The author, a firstborn Gen-X daughter and lifelong people-pleaser, was diagnosed with chronic lymphoma around age 50. This cancer diagnosis provided her with a crash course on setting boundaries, helping her realize that saying "no" to requests—whether from family or for volunteering—was necessary for her well-being.
- High-functioning depression can be hard to spot, a psychiatrist says. People-pleasing can hide it even more.
Dr. Judith Joseph, a psychiatrist, highlights that high-functioning depression, an informal term for depression in individuals who appear successful, is often hidden by people-pleasing behaviors. Untreated, it can lead to physical symptoms and unhealthy coping habits, with people-pleasing exacerbating the risk. The condition is not an official DSM-5 diagnosis but is used informally to describe cases where depression remains unnoticeable despite outward success.
- I’ve worked with over 1,000 kids—the ones with the best people skills use these 6 phrases
Child life specialist and therapist Kelsey Mora highlights that strong people skills in children differ from people-pleasing. She has worked with over 1,000 kids and identifies six key phrases used by those with the best people skills.