How terrible is it alone?

Release date: 2014-07-08

There is always a certain moment in the day, you can get rid of the shackles of the world and let your mind be blamed. Maybe your thoughts suddenly leave from the work at hand, maybe you are bored on the transportation, maybe you take the time to quietly meditate. However, a new study tells us that although everyone will swim from time to time, many people do not like to think quietly alone. In fact, some people even prefer a mild electric shock. Related papers are published in this issue of Science.

"I am very excited to see this article," said Matthew Killingsworth, a psychologist at the University of California, who reportedly obtained similar results in his own research. “When people spend their time thinking, it’s obvious that they are not that happy.”

Timothy Wilson, a social psychologist at the University of Virginia, and colleagues recruited hundreds of undergraduate and community members to participate in the “Thinking Period” study. They allowed the volunteers to be alone in a room with scattered furniture, taking their personal belongings (such as cell phones and pens) and then testing them for 6-15 minutes. Some people are told to think about things casually, while others choose topics, such as going out to eat or doing a sport.

Finally, the researchers asked the volunteers to rate their experiences. The higher the score, the more they liked the time. They found that about 50% of the people in both groups didn't like the experience, and the participants were generally bored.

So can it be helpful to change the scene? The research team asked the volunteers to do the same test in their own home, and the results were similar. On the whole, volunteers are twice as likely to think about reading and listening to music.

Later, the researchers conducted further experiments. They allowed the volunteers to stay alone in the lab for 15 minutes, during which they could call themselves by pressing a button. The results were shocking. Although all the volunteers had indicated in advance that they would rather save money and did not want to be shocked, in the end 67% of men and 25% of women chose to torture themselves instead of sitting there and thinking quietly.

"We thought it was not difficult for humans to entertain themselves," Wilson said. "We have so many happy memories in our brains, and we can also fantasize and compose stories. We thought that everyone would like this time of thinking."

Today, we enjoy a variety of cheap and easy-to-use sensory stimuli, whether it's books, videos or other media. Being alone becomes more and more unbearable, especially when no one is communicating and there is nothing to do. “I think human thinking is built to deal with problems,” he said. “When there is no object of interest, it may be a bit overwhelming.” (Extended reading: Nature Methods: The important influence of the gender of the experimenter)

Of course, some people in the study are more likely to enjoy thinking periods, such as those who are more moderate, those who are more cooperative, and those who prefer to daydream. The study also pointed out that meditation not only helps to relax, but also helps us control our thinking.

Source: ebiotrade

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