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We live in an age of distractions, dealing with constant mental stimulus

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Re: We live in an age of distractions, dealing with constant mental stimulus

#21

Post by abnercoimbre »

hybridtupel wrote: post #12
zzzeek wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It is interesting how manufactured distraction-free sessions like yoga, meditation, paid retreats, have emerged to fill the demand for idle time. We’re forgetting how to unplug unless it’s a product or service that we can buy. I meditate every day and it's cost me nothing, uses nothing, does not require going anywhere, literally brushing my teeth is more of a commercial activity than meditation is. Meditation is ex…

I think what was meant here are the countless (monetarized) apps and courses which gamify the meditation experience of course. You are totally right that the original intention of meditation is quite the opposite. No app, gadget or anything else required. Edit: Grammar

Agreed, but I would need to vouch for the Waking Up app for my own meditation. It was training wheels before venturing off on my own -- don't think anything is wrong with that!

Re: We live in an age of distractions, dealing with constant mental stimulus

#22

Post by brightball »

PragmaticPulp wrote: post #7

It is interesting how manufactured distraction-free sessions like yoga, meditation, paid retreats, have emerged to fill the demand for idle time. We’re forgetting how to unplug unless it’s a product or service that we can buy. The distraction issue is the number one issue holding back most of the young people in the mentorship group I’m part of. They’re so glued to their phones to check minute-by-minute updates about…

This is honestly one of the reasons I stopped investing in my twenties. I cashed out everything and put it all towards paying down debt because I was absolutely obsessed with the stock market...but after doing the math the guaranteed returns on debt payment were a better focus than the up and down nature of the stock market.

I invest now but I have to be conscious of obsession mitigation techniques otherwise I will constantly be watching fluctuations and wondering if I need to sell, buy something else, etc. Instead I buy big boring companies that pay a dividend...and never sell. Just watch for whatever looks like the best deal at the time when I have new money to invest.

Re: We live in an age of distractions, dealing with constant mental stimulus

#23

Post by Mediterraneo10 »

ppf wrote: post #8

I've spent the last year or so trying to control my smartphone usage, by removing apps and trying to set rules for myself like "your phone stays in the kitchen for most of the day". I recently took the plunge and got rid of it entirely, and it was truly surprising to realise how much of my time and attention it had still taken, despite my best efforts. If you think you're ready for that step, I highly recommend it. J…

Will it even be possible for many people to give up smartphones in favour of a dumbphone any more?

Thanks to COVID, you may have to own an Apple or Android smartphone to do certain things. Several countries have announced that their vaccination certificate will exist mainly in digital form, with one official app that generates limited-time QR codes. For instance, I can’t find any information on what Israelis without a smartphone are supposed to do at restaurants etc., since the news is reporting that the QR code will be mandatory to enter such places.

Nearly all people entering Poland must now quarantine, and after you hand over your details at the border, the police send you an SMS saying “Installing our quarantine app from the Google Play store or Apple’s store is legally required”.

Then you already had the problem of some banks no longer offering code cards or SMS verification, and requiring you to use their app for 2FA for online banking.

Re: We live in an age of distractions, dealing with constant mental stimulus

#24

Post by sp332 »

PragmaticPulp wrote: post #7

It is interesting how manufactured distraction-free sessions like yoga, meditation, paid retreats, have emerged to fill the demand for idle time. We’re forgetting how to unplug unless it’s a product or service that we can buy. The distraction issue is the number one issue holding back most of the young people in the mentorship group I’m part of. They’re so glued to their phones to check minute-by-minute updates about…

You could start smaller. Set aside 15 minutes to think about life. Once they see the benefits, selling them on longer stretches might be easier.

Re: We live in an age of distractions, dealing with constant mental stimulus

#25

Post by antoniuschan99 »

warent wrote: post #17
PragmaticPulp wrote: post #7

It is interesting how manufactured distraction-free sessions like yoga, meditation, paid retreats, have emerged to fill the demand for idle time. We’re forgetting how to unplug unless it’s a product or service that we can buy. The distraction issue is the number one issue holding back most of the young people in the mentorship group I’m part of. They’re so glued to their phones to check minute-by-minute updates about…

> Bitcoin is especially distracting right now, as they’re all nervously watching the real-time changes of their $1000 portfolios to see if they need to be sad about losing money because it’s crashing or sad about not investing more money because it’s going up. Great way to articulate this! This very experience is relatable although in my case with normal stocks, and something very interesting happened. I sold some st…

It's also compounded because our Peer groups are doing it too so there's that additional FOMO.

I get the same feelings as you do (we all do). I read that if the price goes up, we get an elated feeling but it's minor. But when we lose money, that negative feeling is twice as strong.

Re: We live in an age of distractions, dealing with constant mental stimulus

#26

Post by hikarudo »

warent wrote: post #17
PragmaticPulp wrote: post #7

It is interesting how manufactured distraction-free sessions like yoga, meditation, paid retreats, have emerged to fill the demand for idle time. We’re forgetting how to unplug unless it’s a product or service that we can buy. The distraction issue is the number one issue holding back most of the young people in the mentorship group I’m part of. They’re so glued to their phones to check minute-by-minute updates about…

> Bitcoin is especially distracting right now, as they’re all nervously watching the real-time changes of their $1000 portfolios to see if they need to be sad about losing money because it’s crashing or sad about not investing more money because it’s going up. Great way to articulate this! This very experience is relatable although in my case with normal stocks, and something very interesting happened. I sold some st…

Your story reminds me of the Indian allegory of the man who mistakes a rope for a snake.

Re: We live in an age of distractions, dealing with constant mental stimulus

#28

Post by aaaxyz »

antoniuschan99 wrote: post #25
warent wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Bitcoin is especially distracting right now, as they’re all nervously watching the real-time changes of their $1000 portfolios to see if they need to be sad about losing money because it’s crashing or sad about not investing more money because it’s going up. Great way to articulate this! This very experience is relatable although in my case with normal stocks, and something very interesting happened. I sold some st…

It's also compounded because our Peer groups are doing it too so there's that additional FOMO. I get the same feelings as you do (we all do). I read that if the price goes up, we get an elated feeling but it's minor. But when we lose money, that negative feeling is twice as strong.

There's also the fact that the more often you look at your portfolio, the less likely you are to see it go up (assuming typical returns and volatility). Something like ~51% if you look at it every hour vs ~70% if you look every month. Taleb uses that example in Fooled by Randomness.

Re: We live in an age of distractions, dealing with constant mental stimulus

#29

Post by rubicon33 »

PragmaticPulp wrote: post #7

It is interesting how manufactured distraction-free sessions like yoga, meditation, paid retreats, have emerged to fill the demand for idle time. We’re forgetting how to unplug unless it’s a product or service that we can buy. The distraction issue is the number one issue holding back most of the young people in the mentorship group I’m part of. They’re so glued to their phones to check minute-by-minute updates about…

I am going to make a counter point, albeit one that I don't like:

Advising kids to lean away from modern life and push back on the progress of distracting technologies will actually be a more anti-social move than not.

What I mean is that to exist and live in the modern world increasingly requires adept skills at managing bespoke technological platforms. To be a social being in the 21st century is largely about navigating these platforms and being 'plugged in'. Disconnect, and you'll miss out on the flow of humanity.

I mention I don't like this because frankly, I miss the idea of small towns with supportive communities that had inherent dependencies on each other. The baker, the butcher, the doctor, the pastor, etc, everyone had a feeling of purpose and a connectivity to their community. Of course this ideological view of society is long gone so there's just no sense trying to push back. Accept that today's child is a highly connected, distracted, techno-proficient being and let that be that.

Re: We live in an age of distractions, dealing with constant mental stimulus

#30

Post by rubicon33 »

antoniuschan99 wrote: post #25
warent wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Bitcoin is especially distracting right now, as they’re all nervously watching the real-time changes of their $1000 portfolios to see if they need to be sad about losing money because it’s crashing or sad about not investing more money because it’s going up. Great way to articulate this! This very experience is relatable although in my case with normal stocks, and something very interesting happened. I sold some st…

It's also compounded because our Peer groups are doing it too so there's that additional FOMO. I get the same feelings as you do (we all do). I read that if the price goes up, we get an elated feeling but it's minor. But when we lose money, that negative feeling is twice as strong.

People seem to have a strange way of 'investing'. For me, it falls into 2 categories:

1) Long term investements which I almost never look at. Regular scheduled deposits going into an index fund.

2) Bets. Fun little side gambles which I always do for one purpose - aquiring something in the real world. Example: I want a new M1 macbook, but rather than drop $1k, I gamble $3k bitcoin. If it makes enough profit for the macbook, I sell immediately, and buy. If it drops, I just hang onto it until it goes up. But ultimately, this category of investment is never anything other than a bet, which I am OK losing. And, it's always a means to and end. I have a product in mind, and I justify gambling some money (which is fun) as a means to acquiring said product.

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