Is there an upside to being delusional? According to a new term that's taken over TikTok, the answer is yes — mostly.
Delulu is a shortened version of delusional. Like "bussin" and "IJBOL," it's an instance of Gen-Z slang that seems to pop out of nowhere, before it's suddenly everywhere.
Since its debut, delulu's meaning continues to evolve, as TikTokers and social media users probe the upside, and downside, to a delusional degree of self-confidence.
Sabrina Bahsoon, a.k.a "Tube Girl," has become the poster child for delulu thanks to her videos of her unapologetically dancing on the London subway. She inspired a trend of people doing the same in far-flung places like New York, Perth and Romania.
Her goal is to inspire followers to “stop caring what people think," she told TODAY.com in a previous interview.
“At the end of the day, I’m a delulu girlie,” Bahsoon wrote in a TikTok caption. “But I won’t falter again.”
Here's how to embrace your own sense of playful delusion — and a debate about whether you should.
How 'delulu' evolved from K-pop term to confidence booster
Delulu first sprung up within K-pop community around 2013, and was used to describe obsessive fans.
When it spread into the mainstream years later, in 2023, it became more associated with a mindset that could result in positive outcomes.
“In this generation, I believe that being delusional is one of the key factors to be happy,” TikTok user Moses Wong said. “Remember guys, staying delulu is the solulu (solution). Think positive.”
Delulu often comes up in the context of relationships — or, more specifically, crushes, where it's easy to start reading into what eye contact or ellipses could possibly mean. On TikTok, people freely share the most delulu thoughts about their crushes.
"If he responds with one-word messages, it's because he doesn't want to be selfish and talk about himself," TikToker @n00rrrm said in the self-aware video, which has laughs scattered throughout. “I choose to live like this because it’s so much easier to live stress free,” she continued.
Delulu is linked to the concept of main character energy — or thinking things really are all about you. “Be delusional”, TikTok user @crystalmarie753 said. “It is your world, it is your life, it is your movie.”
So, is delulu the solulu?
Is being delusional the solution (or solulu) to your problems, as some TikTokers claim?
The debate is unfolding on TikTok, with some revealing the toxicity of "bad delulu," and others saying it's an effective way to become more confident.
Similar to the idea of manifestation — the concept of shifting your thoughts to attaining your desires — embracing delulu gives some the permission to go after what they want, and never thought would work out.
Demo Gakidis, a 31-year-old from New York working in tech, says embracing the delulu mindset, within reason, has been a helpful motivator.
"I think belief is very powerful," Gakidis tells TODAY.com. "It allows you to do so much and it gives you the energy to keep going as well. We have a limited time on earth, why not do things for yourself?"
Gakidis says he doesn't fully identify with "delulu is the solulu," but thinks the argument is compeling.
"To live life to the fullest, you kind of have to be a little delusional. You have to believe that things are possible and then you've got to make the path for it," Gakidis says.
What a therapist makes of delulu
Psychotherapist Alison McKleroy says embracing delulu can, indeed, lead to confidence.
"Being delulu is almost like a self-efficacy tool," McKleroy says. "Being able to own your choices, take action and be fulfilled."
McKleroy says the conversation around the term — which tends to be vulnerable and self-effacing — can also be a way to address insecurities, all while dispelling them.
"The spirit of it and even the humor and the playfulness in it — it's kind of what we're needing right now," McKleroy says. "Playfulness is how we learn best, and it brings some lightness to what has been a dark time for the last few years and to the shame or insecurities that we might be experiencing. It can be really healing having this shared experience together. Inspiring one another with all of our actions, can make a huge impact."
McKleroy says the concept of delulu is actually linked to building resilience, and "dealing with the disappointment that comes when we don't get what we wanted or are embarrassed."
"That's what being delulu over the long term means — to develop that resilience, and to get back up and try again, be bold again."
How to get in your delulu era
Creators are listing their methods for entering into your blissfully delulu era.
“Rid your mind of all negative thoughts ... just all the thoughts you have, get rid of it,” TikTok user @gsgetlonelytoo said about getting in your delulu era. “You could only be delusional with a clear mind, and overthinking and thinking at all about things is not gonna get you anywhere.”
Delulu also involves interpreting happenings as signs from the universe to go in a certain direction.
Delulu doesn't necessarily mean self-deception. Rather, the work — according to TikTok — involves re-writing deep-seated negative beliefs for more positive ones, and by changing the narrative, changing your life.
You have to believe that this is something that can happen, and then you also have to believe that it’s something that deserves to happen to you
Demo Gakidis
“You have to believe that this is something that can happen, and then you also have to believe that it’s something that deserves to happen to you,” Gakidis says.
But even as you shed your worries, McKleroy says it's important to maintain your self-awareness. Get carried away — but not too carried away.
“Go into it with a balance,” McKleroy said. “Be able to identify, in what areas am I holding myself back and playing small? What is it that I’m telling myself?”
Then, ask what you want to get out of this mindset.
“When we’re going to be delulu and follow our dreams, we have to be really clear about what those dreams are and whether they’re really our dreams and not dreams from our parents or from our culture,” McKleroy said. “And then, take on a little delulu and embolden yourself to push yourself out of that comfort zone. Get unstuck. Take new risks.”
And if it doesn't go to plan, remember: You were just being delulu.
