Idol Psychology

Forbes

5 days ago

How does one conquer inner demons? Not the TikTok scrolling kind. I'm talking real, animated demons. The kind taking over Netflix and Spotify. KPop Demon Hunters is annihilating records while inspiring us to ponder surprisingly philosophical questions.
The movie is newly crowned Netflix's most-streamed original movie of all time and recently surpassed 100 million views. And it's not just a movie. The main song Golden has topped the Billboard 100 and together the songs of fictional bands HUNTR/X and Saja Boys have beat a billion streams across Spotify and YouTube.
Spoilers ahead!
Perhaps it's not surprising that the movie went viral. The songs are fire. The characters and story? Fantastic. It's hilarious. Gorgeous. Unexpected. The choreography is borderline inhuman. The boy band? Definitely not human. Yet oddly satisfying. And can we talk about the tiger and hat wearing magpie?
The tiger and magpie are inspired by Korean folklore. Learn more from kenji_kun on TikTok: ... More https://www.tiktok.com/@kenji_kun/video/7521889017818795278 ©2025 Netflix
The secret sauce that makes this movie stick, in my opinion, is that the audiovisual pizzaz is matched by the film's philosophical undertones. It echoes themes of conquering doubt, accepting self, and of course saving the world.
Does any of it make the leap to real life? Heroes in movies inspire us by standing up for what they believe is right, even against huge crowds and majority opinion. Many researchers say that moral engagement, which is an activation of one's values to a degree that it drives behavior, can be the influencing factor in whether or not someone takes the terrifying step of standing up against a crowd. I wondered, is it possible to make oneself braver? Turns out, the answer is yes.
Enter the numerous research findings of how Value Affirmations improve people's lives. From helping students score higher on tests to helping overweight women lose weight to reducing stress, a wide range of peer reviewed publications have found that reflecting on core personal values can strengthen an individual.
How then does one embrace their inner Rumi with a little mental tai chi? Take a few minutes to write or record a voice memo about whatever comes to mind. Be kind to yourself. Reflect on who you are and what matters to you, and why. It appears that the mere act of contemplating itself makes a mind stronger. And helps the mind grow philosophically over time. Science backs this up. Affirmation of personal values literally alters one's neuroendocrine system. One study found a significant reduction in the stress hormone cortisol when participants did value affirmations before a stressful task. Self affirmation 'counteracts ego depletion' and some have referred to affirmation as a form of 'self-defense' against adversity.
Turns out that fictional heroes aren't too different from us. Rumi's musical lyrics beautifully parallel her personal journey of self acceptance. The songs were written and lead vocals performed by EJAE, who has been called the Benny Blanco of KPop. She may be a master of her own mind. No one can doubt that she is a master of voice. If you want to be humbled, try to sing along to Golden.
We can only hope that the song receives award nominations so that we'll get to see it performed live. EJAE's soaring voice as Rumi singing is so phenomenal that the character losing it is core to the conflict in the movie. And of course it comes with a dash of philosophy: Rumi loses her voice as she tries to hide herself.
When they aren't selling out stadiums, Kpop superstars Rumi, Mira and Zoey use their secret ... More identities as badass demon hunters to protect their fans from an ever-present supernatural threat. Together, they must face their biggest enemy yet – at first glance, an irresistible rival boy band of demons in disguise. But the biggest battle is the one within. ©2025 Netflix ©2025 Netflix
Toward the end of the movie, when Rumi returns to her group bearing demon patterns and posture, she is perceived as having collaborated with 'them.' I get demonizing the demons. I mean, eating souls does not land one on the nice list. But as she begins to question what is 'known' about demons, Rumi is shunned… but later her bravery and boldness activates a response in the stadium that is replicated in social science. Albeit, not as stylishly.
You've probably heard of the infamous 1960's shock experiment by Milgram whereby participants were told by authority figures to administer (what they didn't know were fake) electric shocks to others. Many continued to shock other study participants (who only pretended to be shocked) even after they screamed and it seemed that they had passed out from pain. It's been referenced in every 'I did it because they told me to' situation and cited nearly 10,000 times.
But it's not just authority that shapes behavior. Witnessing resistance also changes us. A 2025 study showed a 30 % jump in willingness to confront bias after witnessing an act of courage from someone else. A highly cited social simulation found that if 10% of a population are 'zealots' (i.e., agents that promotes their own ideas without allowing their mind to be changed), the consensus of the crowd can be flipped. Another study of online groups found a higher threshold, though still perhaps lower than expected. When 25% of people go against consensus, they can flip majority opinion.
It's like the classic dude dancing on a hill. One bold leader making a clear, concise, continuous point. Dude got the hill to dance. Leaders do the same, just on a bigger scale. They become the gravitational pull that forms a group.
So why has the world fallen for KPop Demon Hunters? Because beyond the beautiful animation and herculean heroines lies a mirror. Not just who we are, but who we could be if we faced our inner demons.
May "your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more," as John Quincy ... More Adams said. ©2025 Netflix
Finally, since we're all about conquering demons, I would be remiss to end this post without a little pop poetry. I'll leave you with these lyrically luminous lines to live by from HUNTR/X: