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Why Being Unavailable Has Become a Status Symbol, According to Therapists

Being hard to reach can signal status, but therapists explain why unavailability might also be a sign of burnout or emotional overload.

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I have a confession: Sometimes, I fantasize about being completely socially unavailable. No texts, emails, social media updates, phone calls…just silence. Just ask my friends; I am the absolute worst texter and take about five business days to respond to messages, voice notes, and phone calls (unless it’s urgent, of course).

Apparently, achieving this unreachable state can actually be a status symbol. (Not for me. Mine is the result of burnout.)

“In American culture, unavailability can signal that a person’s time is valuable,” says Dr. Wildaliz Caro, PhD, Medical Contributor at Aura Recovery Center. “A 2017 Journal of Consumer Research study found that busyness and lack of leisure led people to infer status because they associated them with competence, ambition, and being in demand.”

Is Unavailability Really a Status Symbol?

According to Yoni Neff, LMSW,........

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