‘Maxxing” may be one of our words of the year – sufficient unto the joyless, self-optimising day, dreary as hell – but I’ve been introduced to some fun future contenders. How about “flawnting”? I’ve certainly rolled my eyes at influencers playing “the new parental status game of publicly performing imperfection to signal authenticity” online. I like “lifehoarding”, too – “optimising so hard for longevity that life itself goes unlived”. And which Guardian reader hasn’t experienced “puregatory” (“The plight of trying to live ethically, where even responsible choices feel........

© The Guardian