Why are we bored?

[Newbunkle]

I only usually get bored when I can't do the things I want to do. Even when my time is filled (i.e. being at work), I get bored. If I want to play some games online but my computer is on the blink, then I get bored then as well.

I don't feel spoilt for choice at all. There would still be things I wanted to do, even if I had no choice. So, without choice, I would be perpetually bored.

 

[Harbringer]

@ Narz

Telling the truth, solid conclusion based off of generalizations arent solid at all, there blatant lies that are a distortion of reality because the very thing they were based on is a distortion of reality in itself. All generalizations have exceptions, there are non that are indefinably true, so facts based on them cant exactly be true either.


As for actually telling the truth, your conclusions would have to be based off of more realistic data, such as a specific scenario or buiscuts, or a combination of the two.

 

[Bill3000]

No but they have to. To sell books.

People want to see solid conclusions (& maybe "action steps" depending on the type of book) whether the actual evidence for said conclusions is actually solid or not.

So what?

So people can convince others of stupid things that arn't true. That doesn't make what they say true, not even "somewhat".

 

[Narz]

You guys are missing the point, psychology isn't a science. Are you saying no one should write a book about anything or publish any opinions without "proving" them beyond a shadow of a doubt? Impossible. And certainly some conclusions about human nature can be "truer" than others but there are very few things (in regards to human behavior) that are always true, all the time.

Almost everyone in media or publishing overgeneralizes a bit & state their opinions as probable truth (minus the probable). Your outrage isn't going to change things and accusing these people of lying isn't exactly true either. Chances are high (like people w/ strong views on religion or politics) they believe what they are saying & that the stats, studies, anecdotes & metaphors they relay back up their conclusions. As in any non-exact science (most of life) it's up to the reading/watcher to decide.

 

[Bill3000]

Uh, psychology is science dude, unless you're a loony scientologist, but that's irrelevant to my point, which was philosophy, not psychology. I'm not talking about what people can be convinced to be true. I'm talking about what is true. The two do not necessarily coincide.

 

[Harbringer]

You guys are missing the point, psychology isn't a science. Are you saying no one should write a book about anything or publish any opinions without "proving" them beyond a shadow of a doubt? Impossible. And certainly some conclusions about human nature can be "truer" than others but there are very few things (in regards to human behavior) that are always true, all the time.

On the first point, if you claim something to be true yes you should be able to prove it empirically. But at the same time you could write a book proposing or discussing a theory and its possibilities. Beyond that you can say that some assumptions are truer than others, but many fail to even recognize that they are making an assumption in the first place and base an entire idea of that initial assumption which would make the entire proposition wrong, which is more what I'm talking about, and is exactly what the gentlemen in the video.....and just about everyday on the news, does.

as an aside, im busy write now and im starting to loose track of whats even going on.

 

[Narz]

Uh, psychology is science dude, unless you're a loony scientologist, but that's irrelevant to my point, which was philosophy, not psychology. I'm not talking about what people can be convinced to be true. I'm talking about what is true. The two do not necessarily coincide.

Sorry, psychology is not a real science.

Tell me a psychological "truth". I have yet to hear any.

 

[Bill3000]

Sorry, psychology is not a real science.

Tell me a psychological "truth". I have yet to hear any.

Are you really that bitter over the fact that psychology isn't a miracle cure for you?

 

[azzaman333]

Why are we bored? We live in rich country's and can do whatever we want. But we are bored. If we walk into a bookstore or a library, oh my god there are so much interesting books to read, but we don't. Life is beautiful, but we're bored. People are georgeous, but we're bored. Don't understand.

If you are not bored, why not?

Because this thread is boring.

 

[Harbringer]

Sorry, psychology is not a real science.

Tell me a psychological "truth". I have yet to hear any.

By definition, it is the scientific study of behavior, as for a truth, it is widely understood that if you try to understand somebodies point of view, regardless of whether you agree with it or not, they will try to understand yours, does that count?

 

[Toasty]

eh i just saw this thread on /b/ confusing thread is confusing.

 

[Narz]

Are you really that bitter over the fact that psychology isn't a miracle cure for you?

So you can't answer the question then. I see.

By definition, it is the scientific study of behavior, as for a truth, it is widely understood that if you try to understand somebodies point of view, regardless of whether you agree with it or not, they will try to understand yours, does that count?

I don't think so.

Traditional psychology does not try to understand a person's point of view. It tries to fit them into a particular mold/theory/personality type/whathaveyou the psychologist studied in college.

Regardless, I do not consider it a science (though I agree behavior can & should be studied scientifically, most psychology is not about that).

 

[Harbringer]

So you can't answer the question then. I see.


I don't think so.

Traditional psychology does not try to understand a person's point of view. It tries to fit them into a particular mold/theory/personality type/whathaveyou the psychologist studied in college.

Regardless, I do not consider it a science (though I agree behavior can & should be studied scientifically, most psychology is not about that).

However, human behavior can be studied scientifically, would that make it a science?

 

[Narz]

However most psychologists do not study it scientifically therefor most psychologists are not scientists. I suppose it could be a science but most psychology you see in popular culture is not science & most psychologists you will find in the yellow pages are unscientific hacks, not much better than seeing a $5 psychic. Listening to you yap, making occasional comments that have no basis in any kind of hard science. If I wanted undivided attention for half an hour I'd go to a massage parlor. Cheaper too. And your chance of feeling better at the end is certainly higher. If psychology is such a science why do it's practitioners have a higher suicide rate than the general population?

 

[Harbringer]

However most psychologists do not study it scientifically therefor most psychologists are not scientists. I suppose it could be a science but most psychology you see in popular culture is not science & most psychologists you will find in the yellow pages are unscientific hacks, not much better than seeing a $5 psychic. Listening to you yap, making occasional comments that have no basis in any kind of hard science. If I wanted undivided attention for half an hour I'd go to a massage parlor. Cheaper too. And your chance of feeling better at the end is certainly higher. If psychology is such a science why do it's practitioners have a higher suicide rate than the general population?

Ok, let me define this clearly and slowly, real psychology, is, a science then, correct?

 

[Narz]

Ok, let me define this clearly and slowly, real psychology, is, a science then, correct?

Psychology where you conduct studies of human behavior could be deemed scientific. The theories concocted to explain this behavior (the bullschnit you read in psych textbooks) is unscientific. The psychology you get from your local shrink (who's probably more f-ed up than you which is why he got into the field in the first place) is not science. Drug therapy is about as far from scientifically practiced as you can get (it's a crap shoot & based on what's the latest, most profitable drug).

People who view psychologists & psychiatrists as on par w/ others in similar fields (surgeons, geologists, etc.) are mistaken. In real sciences you must follow a careful procedure, you must validate your claims/theories (if your surgeon was a quack it could potentially kill you, same w/ your shrink, but shrinks are not liable for results or lack thereof). In psychology you can create any inane theory you want (as Freud & countless others have) and present it as some kind of truth w/o any evidence. And you got the general public (like Bill) calling it science w/o even contemplating whether it really is.

As a whole, psychology is not a science.

This should all be split into a new thread as we're getting OT.

 

[Swedishguy]

Why are we bored? We live in rich country's and can do whatever we want. But we are bored. If we walk into a bookstore or a library, oh my god there are so much interesting books to read, but we don't. Life is beautiful, but we're bored. People are georgeous, but we're bored. Don't understand.

If you are not bored, why not?

Why do you assume everyone lives in a rich country? We've got plenty of members from Russia and India on this site.

 

[sourboy]

I think we're bored because our tangibles have caused us to rely on getting more tangibles. Free thought and free action is no longer accepted or pursued. We instead are in a vicious cycle of conformism, though we're given enough variation in our tangibles to think we are not.

 

[LucyDuke]

I do think there is something special about simplicity & having one's path clear & narrow before you. Like when I used to go biking in Miami late @ night & got caught out in the rain, I'd be forced to ride home. Part of my was annoyed by it it but part of me enjoyed the fact that there was no if, &'s or buts about it; I just had to ride home & there were nothing left to think about, just to enjoy it (& I always did).

I love when that kind of thing happens.

I had a catastrophic car failure once up in Vermont, driving home to Rhode Island with two friends. We ended up stuck on the side of the road for about eight hours. It rained. We found a little rest area and made the best of it. We found some wild strawberries and we built a little dam on a little stream nearby. It sucked that we were stuck in the rain instead of on our way home, but given that we didn't have a choice about it, it was delightful.

 

[Jawz II]

I'm not bored.

Every morning when I wake up, my first thought is: "Cool, I didn't die in sleep!"

I love my life. I just wish the day had more hours in it and that I didn't have to sleep at night.

Do you realize how many films there are for you to see, or books to read or art to enjoy?

Or, take it one step further, do you realize how many ways there are for you to be creative? the possibilities are endless.

Life isn't all good or 100% fun, but all in all, being alive and free is a pretty sweet deal.