People Prefer Electric Shocks to Being Alone With Their Thoughts

[Olivia P]

In the most, ahem, shocking study, subjects were wired up and given the chance to shock themselves during the thinking period if they desired. They'd all had a chance to try out the device to see how painful it was. And yet, even among those who said they would pay money not to feel the shock again, a quarter of the women and two thirds of the men gave themselves a zap when left with their own thoughts. (One outlier pressed the button 190 times in the 15 minutes.) Commenting on the sudden appeal of electricity coursing through one's body, Wilson said, "I'm still just puzzled by that."

This is, um, shocking, to see that so many people are afraid of their own mind...


Edit:

um, forgot to include link: http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/07/people-prefer-electric-shocks-to-being-alone-with-their-thoughts/373936/

[Megan Joanne]

Umm, o-kay.  What're they nuts? Who in their right mind would choose to be electrocuted, even if just a small buzz. Maybe its sick curiosity, and that they know or think they know themselves well enough already. No thanks. I remember one time getting shocked by an open electrical outlet in the basement of my meme and pepe's (grandma and grandpa on my father's side) house when I was a kid, passed through my fingernail, and all through me, stunned me  , and my arm hurt all day from that jolt. I've always been alone with my thoughts, have no fears of what lay in my own mind, I know myself completely and I've spent my whole life since a child sitting sometimes doing nothing but entertaining myself with my thoughts. Uh, I'll take mind over electrical shock. 

Oh, I get it, they're bored.  I'd be the test subject sitting there humming to myself, probably the whole time. 

[Olivia P]

Once might be curiosity, 190 times in 15 mins however is something completely different. That person either enjoys pain, or has some serious issues they are frantically running away from.

Then again, curiosity was eliminated when they all got a free taster before the experiment.

So none of the shocks in the experiment really count as normal curiosity.

[Eris]

This is, um, shocking,

A pun worthy of james bond 

[Adam (birkin)]

That's disturbing. I dislike many of my own thoughts but not enough to hurt myself over it.