"Lying flat" refers to the attitude and behavior of young people towards life and the future, adopting a state of no desire, no pursuit, and no resistance. Rosa's theory of social acceleration is an important social critical theory in contemporary Western society, with significant influence. According to Rosa’s theory, one of the main characteristics of modern social life is acceleration, which is characterized by the acceleration of technology, social change, and pace of life. In accelerating society, people generally face fierce competition, and the logic of competition is the driving force of social acceleration, then ultimately it leads to alienation, where people are not close to but far away from the good life. This article attempts to use Rosa’s social acceleration theory to analyze the phenomenon of lying flat, pointing out that lying flat is a rejection of sustained competitive pressure in life by young people, Which manifested as two different types: intentional deceleration and forced lying flat, but it also demonstrates new thinking and pursuit of a good life. The theory of social acceleration helps to understand the phenomenon of lying flat among young people and has important implications for China's goal of building a good life for the people.

Yun Wang, Xiaoguang Wang. Lying Flat: Accelerating Society's "Refusal" and "Welcome". International Journal of Frontiers in Sociology (2024), Vol. 6, Issue 8: 6-10. https://doi.org/10.25236/IJFS.2024.060802.

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