A good illustration of this is riding the NYC subway. I think most people would choose a slower-moving local line if it shows up before the more efficient express line, even if the express would get you to your destination sooner.
Doing something is better than doing nothing for most people: study (2014)
31–40 of 217 posts
Re: Doing something is better than doing nothing for most people: study (2014)
#32Ever since reading Bertrand Russell's "The Conquest of Happiness", I've thought a lot about the importance of being able to sit inside my own head. One quote that I wrote down: > A life too full of excitement is an exhausting life, in which continually stronger stimuli are needed to give the thrill that has come to be thought an essential part of pleasure. A person accustomed to too much excitement is like a person w…
>substituting titillations for profound organic satisfactions, cleverness for wisdom, and jagged surprises for beauty...
...And porn for relationships and intimacy. If there's any modern ill that has exacerbated our inability to be comfortable with boredom (which is essentially inner loneliness) it's porn. It's an escape for loneliness and a terrible salve that leaves the intrinsic desires for intimacy and connection unfulfilled, akin to drinking salt water to cure thirst.
A psychological pandemic in its own right, and you can't escape its ubiquity and influence.
Re: Doing something is better than doing nothing for most people: study (2014)
#33This reminds me of a clip of Louis CK talking about losing the ability to just sit with your own thoughts and be really sad. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HbYScltf1c&t=53s Shame he turned out to be a sexual deviant because he said some interesting things.
"One bad thought ruins entirety of humans other thoughts, they are now null and void. News at eleven!"
Tho, he did nor had one bad thought.
Issue is, he had multiple bad actions that actually harmed people. And he had worldview that rationalized those actions as something ok to do.
Re: Doing something is better than doing nothing for most people: study (2014)
#34Ever since reading Bertrand Russell's "The Conquest of Happiness", I've thought a lot about the importance of being able to sit inside my own head. One quote that I wrote down: > A life too full of excitement is an exhausting life, in which continually stronger stimuli are needed to give the thrill that has come to be thought an essential part of pleasure. A person accustomed to too much excitement is like a person w…
But contrast, dynamic range, is not just about chasing intensity.
This seems to be written from the perspective that avoiding any thrill is necessary so that boredom may be endured.
As if you should avoid fun so that you don't ever have to fear the lack of fun.
No. Absoluty not. You can listen to loud music and still enjoy the quiet parts. You can have intensity & quiet, and find beauty in both.
Severing yourself from anything exciting out of fear of missing the very things you're depriving yourself out of, that seems to me entirely misguided.
Re: Doing something is better than doing nothing for most people: study (2014)
#35This reminds me of a clip of Louis CK talking about losing the ability to just sit with your own thoughts and be really sad. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HbYScltf1c&t=53s Shame he turned out to be a sexual deviant because he said some interesting things.
I wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss his entire act because of what he did. Watch his latest special to see his perspective. He’s not exactly Bill Cosby.
Bill Cosby is rather low bar.
Re: Doing something is better than doing nothing for most people: study (2014)
#36The funniest part:
"[The researchers] then asked, “Would they rather do an unpleasant activity than no activity at all?” ... Participants were given the same circumstances as most of the previous studies, with the added option of also administering a mild electric shock to themselves by pressing a button.
Twelve of 18 men in the study gave themselves at least one electric shock during the study’s 15-minute “thinking” period. By comparison, six of 24 females shocked themselves. All of these participants had received a sample of the shock and reported that they would pay to avoid being shocked again."
Re: Doing something is better than doing nothing for most people: study (2014)
#37Ever since reading Bertrand Russell's "The Conquest of Happiness", I've thought a lot about the importance of being able to sit inside my own head. One quote that I wrote down: > A life too full of excitement is an exhausting life, in which continually stronger stimuli are needed to give the thrill that has come to be thought an essential part of pleasure. A person accustomed to too much excitement is like a person w…
>substituting titillations for profound organic satisfactions, cleverness for wisdom, and jagged surprises for beauty... ...And porn for relationships and intimacy. If there's any modern ill that has exacerbated our inability to be comfortable with boredom (which is essentially inner loneliness) it's porn. It's an escape for loneliness and a terrible salve that leaves the intrinsic desires for intimacy and connection…
Using porn to fix loneliness is like using a screwdriver as a hammer. It's not the intent of the tool, nor can you be upset with the screwdriver for being a poor hammer. The issue lies with the maker, not the tool.
Re: Doing something is better than doing nothing for most people: study (2014)
#38Ever since reading Bertrand Russell's "The Conquest of Happiness", I've thought a lot about the importance of being able to sit inside my own head. One quote that I wrote down: > A life too full of excitement is an exhausting life, in which continually stronger stimuli are needed to give the thrill that has come to be thought an essential part of pleasure. A person accustomed to too much excitement is like a person w…
But contrast, dynamic range, is not just about chasing intensity. This seems to be written from the perspective that avoiding any thrill is necessary so that boredom may be endured. As if you should avoid fun so that you don't ever have to fear the lack of fun. No. Absoluty not. You can listen to loud music and still enjoy the quiet parts. You can have intensity & quiet, and find beauty in both. Severing yourself fro…
I agree, and yet I think it's important not to focus too much on pleasure. Not just for the sake of productivity, but for the sake of one's own happiness. Caring about more than pleasure makes it easier to be happy. The Buddha had a lot to say about that.
Then again maybe that boils down to a mere alternate definition of pleasure. Newcomers to exercise find it painful, and that feeling never really goes away, but some learn to enjoy it.
Re: Doing something is better than doing nothing for most people: study (2014)
#39Ever since reading Bertrand Russell's "The Conquest of Happiness", I've thought a lot about the importance of being able to sit inside my own head. One quote that I wrote down: > A life too full of excitement is an exhausting life, in which continually stronger stimuli are needed to give the thrill that has come to be thought an essential part of pleasure. A person accustomed to too much excitement is like a person w…
>substituting titillations for profound organic satisfactions, cleverness for wisdom, and jagged surprises for beauty... ...And porn for relationships and intimacy. If there's any modern ill that has exacerbated our inability to be comfortable with boredom (which is essentially inner loneliness) it's porn. It's an escape for loneliness and a terrible salve that leaves the intrinsic desires for intimacy and connection…
> [porn is] akin to drinking salt water to cure thirst.
That's an exceptionally beautiful analogy.
Re: Doing something is better than doing nothing for most people: study (2014)
#40Earlier quoted context omitted.
But contrast, dynamic range, is not just about chasing intensity. This seems to be written from the perspective that avoiding any thrill is necessary so that boredom may be endured. As if you should avoid fun so that you don't ever have to fear the lack of fun. No. Absoluty not. You can listen to loud music and still enjoy the quiet parts. You can have intensity & quiet, and find beauty in both. Severing yourself fro…
I agree, and yet I think it's important not to focus too much on pleasure. Not just for the sake of productivity, but for the sake of one's own happiness. Caring about more than pleasure makes it easier to be happy. The Buddha had a lot to say about that. Then again maybe that boils down to a mere alternate definition of pleasure. Newcomers to exercise find it painful, and that feeling never really goes away, but som…
That's interesting, I can't claim to entirely understand your comment, but I'd like to read more about this :)