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Stop overstimulating your mind with digital entertainment

quintusertorius.com

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Re: Stop overstimulating your mind with digital entertainment

#41

Post by sharkweek »

i_haz_rabies wrote: post #25
RootReducer wrote: post #8

This is ridiculously preachy. I do think the overall thesis is correct, in that boredom can be a powerful force for creativity and inspiration, but paragraphs like this make the article completely off-putting: "If you want to let music inspire you and enjoy its real beauty, I have few very simple rules: Classical Music and no “skipping”. Then I will trust my appetite." I do like sitting down and actually focusing on…

I used to be a snob and say that I hated country music or whatever, but now I try and appreciate all the music I hear. There are definitely songs I don't like, and there are genres that tend to have a lower "hit" rate for me (country being one of them), but every genre has bands and songs that are worth listening to. If someone recorded it, they probably put some soul into it... why not give it a listen?

I view music as I do eating - sometimes it's fun to sit and savor something, other times I crave junk.

Nothing wrong with either. Sure there are definitely artists I respect more than others, but sometimes it's more fun to just put on some trashy [insert genre here, I wont get specific] and enjoy.

Re: Stop overstimulating your mind with digital entertainment

#42

Post by elevaet »

wayoutthere wrote: post #28
RootReducer wrote: post #8

This is ridiculously preachy. I do think the overall thesis is correct, in that boredom can be a powerful force for creativity and inspiration, but paragraphs like this make the article completely off-putting: "If you want to let music inspire you and enjoy its real beauty, I have few very simple rules: Classical Music and no “skipping”. Then I will trust my appetite." I do like sitting down and actually focusing on…

> There is an amazing variety of wonderful modern music in a multitude of genres. Truth. I picked up playing guitar over the pandemic. While I primarily play bluesy / folky / indie stuff on my own time, I find myself listening to 80s metal for inspiration because it’s honestly super nerdy from a music standpoint. You’ll actually probably learn more applicable technique dissecting an Iron Maiden song than a classical…

I'm not a fan of Metallica's aesthetic (or metal in general), but honestly when I listen to those guys' music I hear genius.

Re: Stop overstimulating your mind with digital entertainment

#43

Post by beforeolives »

fierro wrote: post #26
j_m_b wrote: post #6

There is no evidence dopamine fasting does anything. It's just the latest techie health fad.

This is a pretty demonstrably false statement. I think what you mean to say is that dopamine fasting may have no concrete benefits? But certainly manipulating/controlling your own dopamine levels does do something , unless you're contending that dopamine itself does nothing, which you're not. Dopamine fasting does let your receptors upregulate and resensitize. Take Adderall every day for a month and see how you feel…

The question is whether this still applies if in the last statement you replace Adderall with social media or "modern music". I've personally found no benefit from deliberately limiting digital stimulation. But these things are of course very difficult to measure and assess objectively.

Re: Stop overstimulating your mind with digital entertainment

#44

Post by munk-a »

KineticLensman wrote: post #32
the_local_host wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find that boredom is death for creativity, but tedium is a goldmine. If I'm not doing anything, I don't think of anything. If I have a tedious but active chore, I need to bring a notepad along with me to capture all the ideas.

> If I have a tedious but active chore, I need to bring a notepad along with me to capture all the ideas I find I'm quite mentally creative when doing tasks such as cutting the grass, which I don't find tedious, but instead require a sort of process-control mental activity. I actually enjoy cutting the grass for its physical side combined with the opportunity to get a good looking result from a task that takes about…

For me, at least, cutting the grass is a rather meditative activity where I'm sorta in nature - enjoying a relatively nice day (I avoid cutting grass when it's raining because why would you ever do that). None of my troubles are in view (unless the exterior needs work) so I can relax and enjoy it. Compare that to vacuuming where you're within your space but aware of the fact that things are messy - potentially needing to contend with children or pets to actually get vacuuming done, and frequently shifting furniture and thinking about how to finish off the task in the quickest manner.

To me mowing the lawn is an activity where my mind can disengage apart from watching for the occasional suicidal squirrel - while vacuuming is an activity where my brain is constantly on the watch for something being amiss and me accidentally chewing up an expensive cable or rug.

This all aligns closely with what I think the distinction is for tasks that allow you to be creative - something relatively straightforward that requires your hands to be busy but where you can mostly zone out. For this purpose I like eating "slow fruit" namely pomegranates and grapefruits - where I take both fruits apart laboriously by hand after peeling them (eat the grapefruit like an orange - but peel each slice). While I'm doing this my mind is free to do whatever and my hands continue with only minimal guidance.

Re: Stop overstimulating your mind with digital entertainment

#45

Post by reggieband »

> I started to feel a deep feeling of disgust.

I skimmed the article very quickly since I didn't like the authors writing style. That line at the end struck me though. I'm not against cynicism in general but it is particularly destructive when combined with bitterness and contempt.

That helped me realize why I couldn't get through a paragraph of the essay without wanting to skip forward. This rant isn't coming from a place of love but instead it feels like it is coming from a place of contempt. It seems the author feels they are above others. They are dictating the correct behaviour like a priest to sinners.

Re: Stop overstimulating your mind with digital entertainment

#47

Post by smoldesu »

RootReducer wrote: post #8

This is ridiculously preachy. I do think the overall thesis is correct, in that boredom can be a powerful force for creativity and inspiration, but paragraphs like this make the article completely off-putting: "If you want to let music inspire you and enjoy its real beauty, I have few very simple rules: Classical Music and no “skipping”. Then I will trust my appetite." I do like sitting down and actually focusing on…

This author sounds like someone who has finally figured out how their body works, and is now desecrating their revelation by posting it online to help digitally overstimulate their peers. Bravo!

Re: Stop overstimulating your mind with digital entertainment

#48

Post by maininformer »

awillen wrote: post #18
blacktriangle wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You do realize that lots of popular old music was written by all races? Stop trying to see racism everywhere where where there is none, it'll do wonders for your blood pressure.

I exercise for my blood pressure (you might've caught that in the comment you were responding to), but thanks for the suggestion! He specifically says classical music is the only acceptable kind, and the vast majority of the history of classical music was devoid of non-white people. You should read the things you're responding to a little better - it'll do wonders for your comprehension.

Because non-white people do not have classical music? I agree with the parent, you see racism where it doesn't exist. Why would your mind go to only "white" classical music?

PS I'm Iranian-Armenian; both have rich "classical" music history. I have myself enjoyed Celtic, Chinese and Japanese folk music. Music and rhythm is so ingrained in us that I don't need to do research to know all other nations had music in all eras too.

Re: Stop overstimulating your mind with digital entertainment

#49

Post by unethical_ban »

Jiocus wrote: post #38
RootReducer wrote: post #8

This is ridiculously preachy. I do think the overall thesis is correct, in that boredom can be a powerful force for creativity and inspiration, but paragraphs like this make the article completely off-putting: "If you want to let music inspire you and enjoy its real beauty, I have few very simple rules: Classical Music and no “skipping”. Then I will trust my appetite." I do like sitting down and actually focusing on…

Funny way to spell “Techno”. OnT: The title says overstimulating but with guidelines like that it feels more like criticism of stimulation from a broad range of bad entertainment. Is digitally distributed classical music a no go now?

Honestly, perhaps.

Think of digital consumption like any drug or vice. The severity of its effects are different for every person, and so is the solution for each person.

Some alcoholics can do a social drink with friends as long as they don't drink at home alone. Others can't touch it.

For me, there are times when the mere presence of an internet-connected device in my headspace has a weight on me - a small weight, but it's there. I find myself feeling truly disconnected from the digital river /better/ when I put music on the record player and put my phone on silent in another room, dissuaded from touching it, "liking" a song, or responding to an unexpected text.

Re: Stop overstimulating your mind with digital entertainment

#50

Post by smoldesu »

blacktriangle wrote: post #16
awillen wrote: post #14

There's just so much of this that is the author insisting that his preferences are right and anyone else is wrong. "Modern music is like junk food." There's amazing modern music, and total crap. Labeling the millions of hours of modern music as all bad is at best lazy, and at worst has undertones of racism (the only good music is that produced by dead white guys). "Let me tell you: regulating your emotions with an ex…

You do realize that lots of popular old music was written by all races? Stop trying to see racism everywhere where where there is none, it'll do wonders for your blood pressure.

I mean, you're not wrong, but you're also pretty damn far from the truth. Any way you slice it, the music industry of yore was affected by the same latent racism that plagued everything, and it's no surprise that white musicians account for a disproportionate amount of music published before the civil rights movement.
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