'Hustle culture': the risks of seeing hyperproductivity as a formula for success

Barcelona"Work while others sleep. Study while others play. Persist while others rest. And then, you'll live what others dream of." "Men don't have time to sit and cry uncontrollably, deal with their feelings, be sad, or be depressed." "You'll be alone; that's the phase every winner has had in their life." These are the messages that more and more young people are receiving through social media. And behind a cover of personal motivation lies a dangerous message.

The hustle culture (hustle culture) is a trend that worships the culture of effort, with a twist: to achieve success, you have to succumb to a level of productivity that experts describe as toxic. For example, you have to get up at 5 a.m., go to the gym, and have time to read a few pages of a book before 8 a.m. Another message sent is that, when the workday is over, it's not a good idea to hang out with friends and family, but rather to spend time alone to connect with yourself.

Although the movement burst onto the social media scene around 2020, according to Jordi Fernández-Castro, a member of the Stress and Health Research Group (GIES) at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), this trend is not new, but rather an update of Stakhanovism, a Soviet propaganda movement from 1933. "It's the same idea, and it's very dangerous because it means that the more you suffer, the greater your ability to succeed," he adds.

Liliana Arroyo, PhD in sociology and specialist in digital social innovation, attributes the success of the hustle culture that the Z generation – those born between the late 1990s and 2010 – are a "polarized and disenchanted" generation. According to Fernández-Castro, young people cling to the hustle culture Because they see it as a "magic formula" that allows them to avoid having to question anything: "I don't think, I don't look, I don't decide. I follow a fixed path. It's security in the face of a complicated world."

In this sense, Clara Virós, a researcher at Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), explains the logic behind the "magic formula": "I want to look good, look healthy, and be in shape. All of these practices are presented within a routine that supposedly promotes the best version of oneself, and that's what attracts people." On the other hand, Arroyo points to "a theme of belonging and wanting to be loved or the object of desire." "You can't decide the height you're born with or the shape of your eyes, but you can influence aspects such as bodybuilding or attitude," she emphasizes.

The ultimate goal of this wheel is that certain influencers earn money by becoming gurus of the desired formula. "They are users who create online courses in which they sell the keys to success, which supposedly only they have," explains Cristóbal Fernández, Vice Dean of Communication and Institutional Relations at the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM). An example of these influencers It's Amadeo Llados, a mentor who offers a course to become a millionaire in exchange for 1,800 euros.

Men who want to have money to please

In fact, the vice-dean of the UCM states that the hustle culture It has a marked gender bias: it is primarily adopted by men. The concept of success is associated with having money, since "they think women value it highly and they expect to have emotional and sexual relationships with them." Arroyo relates this tendency to the manosphere and incel culture. An example is the 80-20 theory: "80% of women are attracted to only 20% of guys, therefore, hustlers They feel they have to be their best version to attract women," says the sociologist.

The lifestyle promoted by the trend can lead to social isolation because "you can end up feeling more identified with this digital community than with your friends who have other routines," explains Arroyo. The sociologist adds that hustlers They may decide to skip dinner with their family so they don't eat healthy, or skip partying with friends because they can't make it to the gym early the next morning. All of this means that if they don't find anyone around them who shares these ideals, they may end up withdrawing into themselves.

Another consequence of this trend is that, as Virós points out, sports and hobbies are no longer associated with pleasure, but rather as a tool to create "the best version of yourself." In this sense, Fernández-Castro laments that in this downward spiral, people forget that rest is necessary to be productive: "The secret to performance is not to sacrifice yourself, torture yourself, and rest when you've succeeded, but rather to rest first and then perform," the professor insists. He also offers a warning: subjective effort, which is the perception of the sacrifice one makes to achieve something, is not always productive.