It seems like if you have to choose between bad options, the healthy thing is to declare that all your options are bad, and take the least bad one. This sometimes feels like “becoming resigned to your fate” maybe? The unhealthy thing is to fight against this, and not accept reality.
Why is the latter so tempting? I think it comes from the Temporal Difference Learning algorithm used by the brain’s reward system. I think the TD learning algorithm attaches a very strong negative reward to the moment where you start believing that your predicted reward is a lot lower than what you had thought it would be before. So that would create an exceptionally strong motivation to not accept that, even if it’s true.
This ties into my other comment that maybe craving is fundamentally the same as other motivations, but stronger, and in particular, so strong that it screws up our ability to think straight.
It seems like if you have to choose between bad options, the healthy thing is to declare that all your options are bad, and take the least bad one. This sometimes feels like “becoming resigned to your fate” maybe? The unhealthy thing is to fight against this, and not accept reality.
Why is the latter so tempting? I think it comes from the Temporal Difference Learning algorithm used by the brain’s reward system. I think the TD learning algorithm attaches a very strong negative reward to the moment where you start believing that your predicted reward is a lot lower than what you had thought it would be before. So that would create an exceptionally strong motivation to not accept that, even if it’s true.
This ties into my other comment that maybe craving is fundamentally the same as other motivations, but stronger, and in particular, so strong that it screws up our ability to think straight.