Are We Really Having Fun at Bars or Just Escaping Reality?

Taking a hard look at how we socialize helps us spend time the way we truly want.

Nir Eyal
Forge
Published in
6 min readFeb 24, 2022

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Photo by monica di loxley on Unsplash

The coronavirus pandemic gave us a pause to ask ourselves if we really should go back to the old way of doing things.

For example, many people ditched their traffic-snarled commutes for work-from-home jobs.

The pandemic also drastically altered our social lives. When bars, restaurants, and most other venues shut down, many resorted to catching up with friends and family over video calls or by taking socially distant walks.

While Zoom calls leave much to be desired, it’s worth asking whether the pre-pandemic way of socializing over drinks was much better.

Asking ourselves some potentially uncomfortable questions about the way we get together could help us make important changes now that the world is entering the new normal.

The Sober Test

Why do we go to bars?

Of course, not everyone does, but according to a 2017 report, 51 percent of Americans age 21 to 26 typically go to a bar at least once per week, followed by 42 percent of all millennials, 24 percent of Generation Xers, and 19 percent of baby boomers.

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Nir Eyal
Forge
Writer for

Posts may contain affiliate links to my two books, “Hooked” and “Indistractable.” Get my free 80-page guide to being Indistractable at: NirAndFar.com