Scarlett Johansson shares why she's 'too fragile’ to be on social media
Even celebrities compare themselves to other people.

Actress Scarlett Johansson meeting with service members during a troop engagement at Forward Operation Base Gamberi, Afghanistan, on December 7, 2016.
It seems a little strange that many A-list celebrities don’t have social media accounts. One would assume that someone who makes their living in the public eye would have no problem sharing things about their lives on Instagram or Facebook.
According to InStyle, there are plenty of big-name celebrities who do not have social media accounts, including Rachel McAdams, Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Stone, Kristen Stewart and Brad Pitt.
In a recent interview with 'The Skinny Confidential Him & Her Podcast," actor Scarlett Johansson revealed why she doesn’t use social media. "The Skinny Confidential" is hosted by Lauryn Evarts Bosstick and her husband, Michael Bosstick.
The main reason why Scar Jo doesn’t have a social media account is she doesn’t think it’s good for her mental health.
"I honestly am too fragile a person to have social media. I can’t. My ego is too fragile," she said on the podcast. The hosts couldn’t believe that social media would be a problem for Johansson.
"I can't deal with it,” she continued. “My brain is too fragile. I’m like a delicate flower. I have enough anxiety, honestly."
She admitted to having an Instagram account for “three days,” but things didn’t go well. Even though she has a lot to be proud of in her life, she couldn’t help but compare herself to others on the platform.
"I started realizing that I’d spent 20 minutes looking at somebody’s Instagram page, someone who worked for a friend of mine. I now know you have a pit bull and two daughters and you live in, like, Burbank,” she said.
She also thinks that social media is a huge time suck.
"I was like, what? I just wasted 17 minutes of time," Johansson said. "I now feel like I should move to California, get this specific dog, and change my life in all these ways. I felt so bad. Like I was missing out on this random person's life. I can't do this. I'm too fragile."
However, she thinks TikTok is fun when she uses it for work.
"I then become like a 3-year-old with their mom’s phone where I get completely absorbed into it. So, that’s why I know I can’t have it," Scarlett concluded.
Johansson isn’t alone. Studies show that most people who use social media compare themselves to others on platforms such as Instagram, which can lead to problems with mental health. A big reason is that we are all prone to comparing ourselves to others, whether consciously or not.
"We may not have a direct realization that taking in other people’s highlight reel—or content in general—is causing us to gauge how we feel about ourselves, our appearance and lifestyle, or our progress in life based on others," the BetterHelp Editorial Team wrote.
Social media creates an unrealistic view of other people’s lives because people only tend to share flattering things.
One study found that 87% of women and 65% of men compare their bodies to others when consuming social and traditional media. Another study found that people who use Facebook often believe others are happier.
The good news is that reducing social media use to just 30 minutes a day can lead to lower anxiety, depression, loneliness, and difficulty with sleep.
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."
This article originally appeared in May.