Here’s another possible angle on the question: I’m smart and depressed. I have a lot of smart, depressed friends. If I see someone on line and I think “How intelligent! How polite! What a pleasant person to read!”, the odds seem awfully high that within three or four months, they will write something about serious problems with depression.
When I mention this, the usual reaction is, “The world is so messed up, It’s natural for intelligent people to be depressed”. I find that hard to believe, though I’m inclined to think that the procession of future disasters (I’m old enough to remember serious fear of nuclear war, followed by overpopulation, ecological disaster, and global warming—it hasn’t let up) probably has some emotional effect.
In any case, I’m wondering if what you’re seeing is a symptom of depression which should be addressed from that angle. And I’m also wondering whether I’m selecting for too little aggression.
You just lost me there. I thought I knew what you were talking about before, but I have my doubts now, since I have no idea of what you are talking now.
I do not understand what is the relation with depression. Further, as a data point, I can say that I’m not depressed (happiest than 100% on my ZIP code), never been depressed, nor have depressed friends, or want to have depressed friends or think this is a good and justifiable approach to life. But mainly, I do not understand how this relates to the question.
Here’s another possible angle on the question: I’m smart and depressed. I have a lot of smart, depressed friends. If I see someone on line and I think “How intelligent! How polite! What a pleasant person to read!”, the odds seem awfully high that within three or four months, they will write something about serious problems with depression.
When I mention this, the usual reaction is, “The world is so messed up, It’s natural for intelligent people to be depressed”. I find that hard to believe, though I’m inclined to think that the procession of future disasters (I’m old enough to remember serious fear of nuclear war, followed by overpopulation, ecological disaster, and global warming—it hasn’t let up) probably has some emotional effect.
In any case, I’m wondering if what you’re seeing is a symptom of depression which should be addressed from that angle. And I’m also wondering whether I’m selecting for too little aggression.
You just lost me there. I thought I knew what you were talking about before, but I have my doubts now, since I have no idea of what you are talking now. I do not understand what is the relation with depression. Further, as a data point, I can say that I’m not depressed (happiest than 100% on my ZIP code), never been depressed, nor have depressed friends, or want to have depressed friends or think this is a good and justifiable approach to life. But mainly, I do not understand how this relates to the question.
Akrasia might just be a symptom of depression rather than something more complex.