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Most people rather be electronically shocked than left alone with their thoughts? (www.science.org)
submitted 3 years ago* (last edited 3 years ago) by to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world
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Is this really true?

What do you guys on Lemmy say? Most of us are tech people so we are more used to being alone with our thoughts perhaps.

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[–] [S] 10 points 3 years ago* (2 children)

True, the article does specifically say people spent time doing nothing, and just thinking.

But this shocks me:

The researchers then decided to take the experiment a step further. For 15 minutes, the team left participants alone in a lab room in which they could push a button and shock themselves if they wanted to. The results were startling: Even though all participants had previously stated that they would pay money to avoid being shocked with electricity, 67% of men and 25% of women chose to inflict it on themselves rather than just sit there quietly and think, the team reports online today in Science.

Really a wtf moment for me. I take from this that most people think it's painful to meditate as well, because that's reflecting on your thoughts.

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  • [–] 20 points 3 years ago (2 children)

    I may be looking at it wrong but there's an odd flaw to me in the premise. I view "pay money to avoid being shocked" as something that is happening to you, out of your control. Pressing the button, regardless of the outcome, is something you are choosing to do and is most likely a result of curiosity and bordem.

    I think a better approach would have been "if you push this button, the simulation is over and you loose", and then see what people do.

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  • [–] 7 points 3 years ago*

    This headline makes a ton of assumptions, namely that the ability to feel boredom means that you hate being alone with your thoughts. Of course people who are stuck in a boring ass experimentation room with no stimuli are willing to try out a minor shock. I wouldn't be surprised if most people would even consider it a fun experience. I know I've thought about playing with tasers before.

    Something like "think about your past and explain how you feel, or press this button when you want to end the experiment early at the cost of a shock" would at least be a relevant premise. This is just another benign experiment turned into doomer clickbait, and I wouldn't let it paint my worldview.

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