文字讨好症

• Pinyin: wén zì tǎo hǎo zhèng
• Hanzi breakdown: 文字 (written words) + 讨好 (please others) + 症 (syndrome) -> people-pleasing in text.

Meaning

The habit of over-softening messages to please others or avoid sounding cold.

It describes adding too many particles, exclamation marks, thanks, or emojis in text. The term is casual self-diagnosis, not a clinical condition.

Examples

1. 我发工作消息总有文字讨好症。 I always get 文字讨好症 when I send work messages.
2. 她把“好的”改三遍，文字讨好症犯了。 She changed 'okay' three times; her 文字讨好症 kicked in.
3. 文字讨好症让我每句都想加谢谢。 文字讨好症 makes me want to add thanks to every sentence.

Usage Guide

Context: social media, friends, lifestyle

Tone: self-aware, anxious

Do Say

• 我有点文字讨好症，发消息会反复改。（I over-polish messages to sound nice.）

Don't Say

• 把它当正式医学诊断。（It is a casual label, not clinical terminology.）

Common Mistakes

• Assuming politeness equals 文字讨好症; the key is anxious over-adjusting.

Origin & History

Built from 讨好型人格 and online reflection on chat tone in work and social messaging.

Cultural Context

Era: 2020s

Generation: Gen Z and young Millennials

Social background: Urban internet users and students

Regional notes: Common among young workers navigating tone in chat-heavy workplaces.