HBO Max’s medical drama The Pitt is known for its nail-biting moments and catchy memes (Baby Jane Doe, anyone?). But there’s one surprisingly quiet scene with Dr. Jack Abbot (Shawn Hatosy) that’s stealing the hearts of viewers and making women, and even some men, swoon. When Dr. Samira Mohan (Supriya Ganesh) is upset that her uninsured diabetic patient left before she could give him the supplies she’d gathered, Abbot suggests Ubering them to the patient’s home. Mohan, skeptical, then asks whether the hospital will cover the cost, and Abbot — with zero fanfare and his voice barely above a whisper — says, “I’ll pay for it.”

The scene, which aired during Season 2, Episode 7 on Feb. 19, is fueling a wave of chatter on social media. A TikTok clip zeroing in on that exact moment has racked up nearly 900,000 views and hundreds of comments. One user wrote: “‘I’ll pay for it’ does something to me.” And clearly she’s not alone. “I hope you know I’ve watched this more than a hundred times,” another fan admitted. “I would’ve fallen in love then and there,” read another comment, while one user summed it up: “I’M OBSESSED.”

It would be easy to dismiss the moment as a guy offering to pick up the tab, but it’s not about the money. (And sure, he’s shirtless and in great shape, but it’s not about showing off his pecs either.) Under a video by TikToker Andrew Bridges, where he encourages men to ”stop listening to alpha male podcasts” and instead look at Abbot’s response, a commenter named Jessica explained it all: “And, to be very clear, it was not about him actually spending money, it was about his empathy and nonchalant willingness to help someone he doesn’t even know but needs help.”

Abbot embodies “competency porn” — the sheer pleasure of watching someone who is exceptionally good at what they do, without any need to show off. He just quietly does the thing. In Abbot’s case, that’s taking care of the Uber so a patient he doesn’t even know gets the medication he needs. TikTok user Mandysbookss posted that “I’ll pay for it” is one of the “sexiest things a fictional man has ever said,” with one commenter adding: “Unbothered man finding solutions just like that.”

So why does something as simple as Abbot saying, ‘I’ll pay for it’ strike such a chord?

Sanam Hafeez, a neuropsychologist and director of Comprehend the Mind, says it shows responsibility without needing attention or praise, which many find not only refreshing but also, well, hot. It’s not performative — it just means it will get done. “The quiet delivery also makes it feel more genuine,” Hafeez tells Yahoo. “That restraint makes it feel more powerful, because it mirrors how real strength often shows up in everyday life.”

The combination of empathy and quiet confidence feels like an antidote to the rise of looksmaxxing and hyper-performative alpha masculinity — and it’s increasingly what many single people want. The Kinsey Institute at Indiana University conducted a 2025 survey of 5,001 U.S. singles age 18 and older and asked them what they consider to be healthy examples of masculinity. While “kindness and empathy toward others” took the top spot at 34%, 28% said “quiet confidence (i.e. not needing to show off)” was key. As Yahoo Creator Balazs Balint writes, “Nowadays, women want gentle confidence, not arrogance or posturing.”

Tara Suwinyattichaiporn, a professor of human communication at California State University, Fullerton and certified sexologist who goes by Dr. Tara, says this kind of understated competence is especially appealing to Gen Z in part because it pushes back against showy influencer culture. “Gen Z grew up with influencers who share everything — their new car, going on a private jet, buying a Louis Vuitton bag,” Suwinyattichaiporn tells Yahoo. So when characters like Abbot or people in real life are naturally capable and simply take care of things, that’s “extremely more attractive nowadays,” she says. “It shows confidence. Because if you have to scream about doing something, it might mean you’re not that confident in it.”

Why competency porn is so satisfying

Despite the name, competency porn isn’t just about attraction — it’s about the deep satisfaction of watching someone who is truly good at what they do. For some, that’s Keri Russell’s Kate Wyler in The Diplomat or the cast in the West Wing TV series — or more recently, the astronauts of Artemis II, who exemplify calmly handling high-pressure situations.

Journalist and author Liz Plank captured that feeling about the Artemis crew in her Airplane Mode newsletter: “Watching four people simply be extraordinary at an extraordinarily hard thing produced in many of us something close to shock. We did not know we were this hungry for it. … Nobody told me that watching competent people do a hard thing correctly would be the most therapeutic experience of my adult life.”

Nobody told me that watching competent people do a hard thing correctly would be the most therapeutic experience of my adult life.Liz Plank

And experts like Hafeez know why: Seeing someone who knows exactly what they’re doing removes uncertainty, “which our brains love,” she says. “It creates a feeling of order in a world that can feel unpredictable.” That’s especially appealing during stressful times because it offers a sense of stability. “In that way, competence becomes comforting,” says Hafeez.

The popularity of competency porn “reflects a deeper desire for more hope and more good, kind things in the world,” adds Suwinyattichaiporn.

Hafeez agrees, saying it creates “a quiet kind of hope” that makes people feel safe — “like things will turn out OK.”