We don’t crave recognition out of vanity—we crave it because our brains evolved to learn through it. The recognition loop is a universal, inherited mechanism that once helped us adapt and survive within tribes. But in today’s world of fragmented attention and performative culture, this mechanism traps us in endless cycles of expectation, performance, and emotional dependency. Understanding this loop is the first step toward reclaiming a form of self that no longer waits for applause.
