Many young people today tend to talk big, and this is becoming a worrying social problem, says an article on gmw.cn. Excerpts:

An online survey conducted by China Youth Daily recently showed that 62.9 percent of 10,208 respondents were worried about young people bragging about their achievements and 40.6 percent said they disliked such habits.

However, some people may disagree and argue that this is like making a mountain out of a molehill, because it's not uncommon to see some people boast about themselves and talk big.

Talking big on certain occasions is understandable, because it helps make social communication more interesting.

But we should be alert on such occasions so as to not allow unnecessary misunderstandings.

The respondents to the survey were worried because they found people who brag mainly talk big about their social networks, incomes and consumption capacity, factors that are closely related to one's social status. This suggests a person's desire to show off as well as his anxiety for being treated as successful.

Such traits in individuals reflect the rampancy of utilitarianism in today's society.

Bragging is always accompanied by lies, and lies need more lies to cover up. The mask of lies will ultimately ruin a person's credibility and life.

(China Daily 08/23/2012 page9)