What Vibe Do I Give Off Quiz - WikiHow

You’ve probably seen “good vibes only” captioned along with a ✌️ on social media, or heard a friend say, “I’ve caught a vibe!” or “Not the vibe, bro.” To unpack these phrases, we first need to define “vibes.”

Vibes refer to the spiritual vibrations or frequencies of the world. These frequencies are generated by energy. In other words, vibes are the energetic mood of something or someone. Think of it like a radio connection. With each turn of the knob, you tune into a different station—vibes work the same way! Everything and everyone has energy, and some believe these energies can be good or bad. You can tune into different energies by focusing on positive or negative emotions.

Now that you know what a vibe is, let’s take a closer look at some common phrases:

“Good vibes only!” When someone says “good vibes,” they’re talking about positive energy or happy emotions.[1] People generally use the phrase “good vibes only” to disclose that they only welcome positive thoughts and/or feelings into their space. This phrase may seem innocent but can turn negative in certain contexts. Some people believe that “good vibes only” is a form of toxic positivity because it isn’t realistic to only have happy emotions.[2]

“Catch a vibe” If someone says they want to “catch a vibe” or has “caught a vibe,” it means they’re relating to someone on an emotional or spiritual level. Let’s return to our radio example. Say you have two radios on at the same time. At first, they’re on different channels and playing different stations. But the longer you change stations, the closer you get to playing the same station. “Catching a vibe” with someone works the same way! The longer you talk or chill with someone, the more likely your energies will sync up.

“Vibing” This term is often used interchangeably with “hanging out” or “chilling.” If someone’s “vibing” with someone else, they’re most likely spending time together, having a good time, and connecting on an emotional or spiritual level.

“Chill vibes” If someone has “chill vibes,” they’re super mellow. They’re most likely the laid-back one of the group and like to go with the flow. In other words, they’re as cool as a cucumber!