1. Auramaxxing. Sometimes seen as the antidote to looksmaxxing, it involves enhancing and intensifying the invisible personal magnetism – your aura – that flows from you. Or does it?

   1. True

   2. False

2. 

   Smellmaxxing. Optimising one’s aroma through the application of perfume is nothing new. But maxxing your smell is a trend among boys, some as young as 11. Forget Lynx – expensive colognes are the new Tamagotchis.

   1. True

   2. False

3. Ethicsmaxxing. This doesn’t mean "Get as many ethics as you can, and quick!" It’s just having a code of ethics and applying it rigorously to every decision you make.

   1. True

   2. False

4. Hobbitmaxxing. The seven habits of highly effective hobbits include going barefoot, keeping warm, prioritising meals and generally tending to the small things in and around your hobbit hole. To be honest, it’s not that different from being a badger.

   1. True

   2. False

5. 

   Sidequestmaxxing. Completing seven marathons in seven days, running away to join the circus, breaking a world record, inventing a new cheese, becoming an astronaut – in one sense, sidequestmaxxing is simply about being open to new challenges. In its true sense, however, it’s about taking your hobby way too seriously.

   1. True

   2. False

6. Bootymaxxing. It’s exactly what it sounds like: engaging in a series of exercises to optimise your bottom, but with an eye toward strengthening your gluteal muscles, rather than simply enlarging them. But also, incidentally, enlarging them.

   1. True

   2. False

7. 

   Tanmaxxing. Tanning your skin to its maximal darkness by spending longer in the sun and ignoring warnings about what an obviously terrible idea this is.

   1. True

   2. False

8. Bum-maxxing. This may sound like the British version of bootymaxxing, but it’s a male fad for deliberately becoming as toxic, self-absorbed and emotionally distant as possible, out of a misguided belief that being an immature pain in the arse makes you more attractive to women.

   1. True

   2. False

9. Solomaxxing. It may seem impossible to be optimally single (you either are or you aren’t), but you can be deliberately alone – either because relationships are too complicated or too expensive – and learn to enjoy your own company. That’s solomaxxing!

   1. True

   2. False

10. 

    Catholicmaxxing. You don’t need to be raised as a Catholic to Catholicmax. In fact, it probably wouldn’t help. This is a hardcore approach to religion that focuses on rules, ritual, deprivation (mostly fasting) and, ultimately, oneself.

    1. True

    2. False

11. Fibremaxxing. A nutritional discipline seemingly designed to test the notion that “there is no such thing as too much dietary fibre”, while causing you to suffer the constipation, bloating and farting that comes with it.

    1. True

    2. False

12. Wokemaxxing. A casually flung accusation that someone is being deliberately or provocatively politically correct.

    1. True

    2. False

13. 

    Chinamaxxing. If you’re hoping this is an innocent ambition to own a complete tea set, or rhyming slang for a desire to increase one’s immediate circle of friends, prepare to be disappointed: Chinamaxxing is about disaffected US TikTokers trying to become more Chinese, mainly by wearing slippers, learning Mandarin or collecting Labubu dolls.

    1. True

    2. False

14. Ballmaxxing. There’s no easy way to put this: ballmaxxing is the practice of making your scrotum appear as large as possible through the injection of saline. Worse still, this seems to be not so much a cosmetic procedure as a DIY project, with all the risks that implies.

    1. True

    2. False

15. 

    Whimsymaxxing. This lifestyle regime calls for a more carefree and playful approach towards anything and everything, although, in practice, it’s largely restricted to menswear: pink-tinted sunglasses, leopard prints, cardigans with hearts on. Think Harry Styles, or even Austin Powers.

    1. True

    2. False

16. Climaxxing. This one isn’t specifically about orgasms – climaxxing just means putting sex higher up your "to do" list, even to the point of scheduling some in if necessary.

    1. True

    2. False

17. Frictionmaxxing. This is based on the idea that our increasingly frictionless lives are turning us into complacent idiots. To grow, to learn, to become resilient, we must actively seek out difficulty – using maps, reading books, cooking food – and systematically avoid ease, pointless convenience and above all AI.

    1. True

    2. False

18. 

    Nothingmaxxing. Logically, we were destined to arrive at this point: sitting in a room, all alone, doing nothing, but to the max. You might also describe it as meditation for people who have never heard of meditation.

    1. True

    2. False

19. Nonnamaxxing. The secret to living a fuller, longer and happier life is to emulate Italian grandmothers: embrace getting old, walk everywhere, shop locally, eat a Mediterranean diet and interfere in everyone else’s business.

    1. True

    2. False

20. 

    Spermmaxxing. Thankfully, this refers specifically to maximising fertility. Adherents may attempt to increase their sperm count by various means, including testicle ice baths and the consumption of raw garlic.

    1. True

    2. False

Solutions

1:A - Auramaxxing is inconveniently based on intangibles – presence, energy, authenticity – that make it hard to quantify. On the other hand, it’s cheaper than getting your teeth straightened. See: https://www.theguardian.com/science/article/2024/jul/17/auramaxxing-will-this-make-you-more-sexually-attractive-or-just-a-bit-tired, 2:A - The pandemic and an online community known as PerfumeTok are apparently jointly to blame for this eye-watering phenomenon. See: https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2025/jun/30/perfume-boom-gen-z-independent-brands , 3:A - If you have no ethics in the first place, it may be difficult to know where to start. Maybe go back to looksmaxxing. See: https://www.forbes.com/sites/bruceweinstein/2026/06/26/forget-looksmaxxing-try-ethicsmaxxing-instead/?ctpv=searchpage , 4:A - Dressing up is optional, and probably to be discouraged, 5:A - If you need more stress and disappointment in your life, this one could be for you, 6:A - Health experts warn that exercising one part of your body to the exclusion of others may cause imbalances that could in turn lead to injury – and a really big arse. See: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2026/06/19/whats-behind-the-glutemaxxing-trend, 7:A - Tanfluencers have a lot to answer for., 8:A - As you might suspect, bum-maxxing holds a certain appeal for men who already have a head start in this arena. See: https://www.vice.com/en/article/bum-maxxing-encourages-men-to-be-their-worst-selves-experts-say-thats-obviously-a-problem/, 9:A - Warning: solomaxxing also involves filming your aloneness constantly and posting the results for all to see. See: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/jun/02/solo-maxxing-gen-z-single-life-sad-reason, 10:A - Interesting fact: Catholicmaxxing runs counter to the general trend of young people leaving the Catholic Church in the US. See: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/07/catholicmaxxing-catholicism--church-religion-tiktok-gen-z-influencers, 11:A - Don’t worry: you probably aren’t getting enough fibre, and when you’ve had too much, you’ll know. See: https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/articles/c5y22vy7ey9o, 12:A - Sean Penn was accused of "wokemaxxing" for daring to write and direct a film about the US capitol riots. See: https://www.msn.com/en-gb/entertainment/news/sean-penn-slammed-for-wokemaxxing-over-upcoming-january-6-movie/ss-AA25RsrH#image=1 , 13:A - Depending on which cultural commentator you ask, Chinamaxxing is either a dopey form of cultural appropriation or straight-up treason. See: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cz6eljqvyp1o, 14:A - Do not try this at home – or anywhere else. See: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2026/05/08/ballmaxxing-trend-has-men-infusing-saline-into-their-genitals/ , 15:A - Beware! Like most carefree and playful menswear trends, it’s expensive. See: https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/whimsymaxxing-menswear-trend, 16:A - The extra X is for extra sex. See: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2026/05/23/climaxxing-is-a-new-social-media-sex-trend/?ctpv=searchpage , 17:A - Like many of these things, it sounds pretty sensible until you start maxxing it. Are we allowed plumbing? https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jan/06/friction-maxxing-could-less-convenience-lead-to-much-more-happiness, 18:A - Just another example of gen Z trying to retrieve its collective attention span. See: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2938509703006208, 19:A - Like so many of these, nonnamaxxing appears to be shorthand for: "Stop looking at your phone all the time." See: https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/what-is-nonnamaxxing, 20:A - It's real, but the methods are mostly fiction … See: https://www.healthline.com/health-news/spermmaxxing-social-media-male-fertility#What-are-some-misconceptions-about-male-fertility-that-could-lead-someone-to-follow-unhealthy-spermmaxxing-advice

Scores

1. 0 and above.

2. 1 and above.