The Distraction Economy
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- Опубликовано: 27 июл 2016
- The development of technology has, over centuries, freed up more and more of our time making possible non-survival-related pursuits like art and science. Now it's gotten to a point where there is so much 'free time' that demand for distraction supports 24 hour news sites and RUclips channels. I'm proposing that following our impulses into constant distraction may not be the best way to spend our time. It may prey on weak points of our psychology that evolved hundreds of thousands of years ago and it may make us think less effectively. Now consider I'm making this argument in a RUclips video you may be using to waste your time. I know, how meta.
I think you are right. I just watched a video about the correct technique while thrusting with a sword. I DO NOT EVEN HAVE A SWORD.
Love this comment
Dude link? Now I wanna watch! Im failing this diet already
Check out Skallagrim's channel
lolololo
all you need is a pommel to end em rightly
If I went on a low information diet, I would have never found this.
so true
Spot on
so what's the conclusion
REKT
Conclusion? Well, what I think I heard is, 'there's nothing you can do about anything anyway so, don't worry....everything will be okay..... work, be productive, don't worry so much about feeding your brain.... just relax....'
I personally found this more than a little disturbing.
My professor says , Your circle of concern should not be very much bigger than your circle of influence.
That's actually very profound
Agreed.
This idea comes from the book 'The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People' by Stephen Covey
Veritasium has quite a wide influence.
Besides, I disagree with this. I shouldn't be concerned about the climate going to shit... because I can't influence it?
@@diabl2master If youre able to influence it, then you should focus on your abilities to influence it. Otherwise it is of no interest and a waste of ressources.
The best balance - create more than you consume.
And when you consume, be picky, unsubscribe from low value streams of information.
Thanks man! That's a really good advice.
I love these walk and talk videos.
They're always in the loveliest settings
I think you're being distracted ;-)
+Tomas Morales always some European cities
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But you are part of my information diet !
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mine too. I've been waiting on a new video forever it seems like.
maybe eliminate the rest.. non-fruitful ones
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My wife suggested we start "Slow Sundays" and use that day to unplug from the net. No phones, not lappies, no internet, cats, listicles, etc. So far so good!
Good idea. I think I should apply this.
"...the solution hit me, just kind of bubbled up from somewhere..." not the best choice of words describing bathroom moment ;D
And "I'd been thinking so hard about it, it blocked me from seeing the answer".
Thinking from the gut.
'My epiphany', scrubs...
yes
Thanks for making this video, Derek. I used to pride myself on how little I allowed myself to get distracted by meaningless nonsense online, but for about the past year I've really been letting myself go. You've reminded me of some of my own values.
I always tell people that i watch usefull things on RUclips, so i can learn, but it is videos like this that really make me stop and think.
All these videos filling my head with ideas, and all these mindless videos that stem from that.... -sigh- my problem is real, and it is very 1st worldly, but the first step is acknowledging my issue.
Time to expand my filters on 'stayfocusd' (my chrome extension that limits my distractions)
who has the "answer" what is a waste of time?
is a buddhist monk a waste of time? a priest? working? sleeping?
meditating?
everyone seems to have their own answer as to what is a waste of time!
i think i just wasted ten minutes of my time!
Glad the title wasn't "Is The Media Distracting You From The Truth?"
"You wouldn't believe what the media is doing to your mind!"
Top 10 things that the media doesn't want you to know, number 6 will surprise you
6 Ways To Stop Modern Media Making You Less Productive! Clickbait Sites Hate It!
WOW! Now I know!
I mean they are tho
Its been six months since I'm on low information diet and people started calling me "anti-social".But I believe It really helped me.
How are things now?
“Most neuroses and some psychoses can be traced to the unnecessary and unhealthy habit of daily wallowing in the troubles and sins of five billion strangers.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, Stranger in a Strange Land
I love how these vids are full of honesty.
That's it. You've struck why I like these too. He puts voice to the feelings I always try to hide.
it is remarkable how pleasing it is when you come up with ideas or explanations, which you keep to yourself on account of the tendency of others to shame or deny it given its unique nature, then have it explained and cited/ refereed to with a specific term by a professional
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I'm very glad to hear that - I'll do my best to keep making these videos.
+2veritasium If there is any combination of words I could tell you, that you could read and act base upon, I would say: Do you have an opinion about a man called Steven Greer?
He's making a 2nd movie. He is just a doctor. I feel the same honesty you have, emanating from his words, body language and ultimate goal. He interviewed Edgar Mitchell, Nick Pope and 60 other people that I watched on video.
... I have my life on stop until I see what will happen on this planet after his next movie called "Unacknowledged".
I will keep holding on to the hope of a reply from you.
The last thing one lose is hope.
Cheers from the land of Larimar Stones at the Caribbean.(While we still have those mineral, once China is done mining that on this country, it will be officially an extint mineral)
We liked to go to bathroom too, to find new ideas during exams. And we found them ... but usually because we had books there to help us :D
Or the formula sheet was taped to the back of the cubicle door!
Classic :D
We went to the bathroom to find new ideas during exams. And we found them... in our pockets.
Excellent comment toward this strange human who is either referring to themselves as a daft "multiple system", or royalty.
Me: "This was very meaningful."
Also me: *watches 90 more minutes of RUclips before doing homework*
I don't view either "diet" to be good or bad. What we do with our time, whatever motivates us and makes us feel happy; that is time well-spent. It is too subjective to state outright for anyone else. What do you want from your time? Productivity is not inherently superior to distraction or entertainment. If it was, then everyone should be productive at all times. But then, what would we be productive for exactly?
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A+
Someone knows what's up
Dang it's like people have different values in life or something
***** I'm not a surfer dude, more of a video game geek. But I am self-sufficient. I work to the point I am required to support myself and save a bit of money. But that's it. I don't do more. I don't have any desire to. I'd rather spend my time enjoying life than progressing humanity.
No one is required to progress the species if they are, as individuals, happy with where things are. If others are not, then they will attempt to move things forward, and be rewarded for doing so by society.
You are given by society what you put in. If you are happy not being given a whole lot, then you are not doing anything wrong. Nor are you objectively inferior to others who do.
Again, progress itself is not inherently superior. Why would it be? Accomplishing things in real life is arbitrary too. Ultimately it doesn't mean anymore than an accomplishment in a video game. Not in any large scale sense. There is no purpose. In fact, real life really is just a hardcore mmorpg when you break it down. But the mechanics are messed up, with a ridiculous and lackluster amount of RNG involved. I don't enjoy this.
People don't need to do anything. They require to follow what they want. They are individuals first and foremost, and I respect that too much to try and control or judge them because they're too "distracted" or not productive enough.
The only time I think you are objectively required to be more productive is if you aren't supporting yourself and are dependent on others. That isn't right. But as long as you are self-sufficient, do whatever you want.
i had to pause the video because i thought i had another oneof your videos playing in the background. lel love this video though
Yeah, me too...
hello yeah me too
Same!
I actually clicked on another video of his i saw right at the start and paused it in another tab, I was so confused.
lmao me too
I'm literally editing my next video right now and distracting myself with this video because I saw it in my Recommended.
I don't think this counts per se because of its informative nature but me saying that feels hypocritical to what was just layed out in the video so hell if I know, happy editing.
*per se (by itself)
it's latin
I think it's about the quality of the information you consume that's important. Cutting out all the unnecessary noise seems like a good idea, but I think it's still good to keep yourself updated about the state of the world. Just look through a newspaper every day or two and you're good.
I'm a strong proponent on giving the brain some down-time though, and I definitely think that just sitting around and thinking is become less and less common and desirable in a world where constant stimulus is the norm. Handling boredom without resorting to mindless media is an important skill to learn.
I agree. I found a couple sources to get information from that aren't full of the fluff. Now I just condense my information time. If we turn our backs the government would walk all over us.. at least now they do it to our faces.
totally agree with both of you, i think low information "diet" is a good idea to get Onto this sort of thinking/searching, but when what your looking for Actually helps you or you have a general interest in it then its a good use of time. and yeah definitely need that brain downtime xD
This video made me think of another thing as well though, it could explain why there are so many comments on videos and forums from people who don't bother to know anything about the subject and 90% of the time don't even care about it :( there just looking for there fill of "information" which then turns out (for them) to not be very informational and they end up getting angry at whoever is agreeing with it. Sort of sad.
If you 'look through a newspaper every day or two', you are exposing yourself to more and more Masonic deception, which becomes deeper ingrained the longer it goes on. The only way to get out of the lie system is to separate yourself from it and understand it, which can only be done by learning about Freemasonry and the Saturn Cube.
Bad enough the media has weaponized information; inundating us with all sorts of propaganda, lies, slander and misinformation for the purposes of making a quick buck and exploiting the masses - and sometimes just to wreak havoc and destruction for fun. Politics and media have figured out how to profit from this Distraction Economy.
And nothing stops them from doing it.
I spend this kind of time listening to RUclips videos, particularly educational ones to try to gain a better understanding of the world around me. I've benefited from channels like SciShow, Veritasium, MinutePhysics, Kurzgesagt and PBS Space Time in ways that I can't even quantify.
In a way this is quite the opposite of what is being suggested in this video. We only have so much time available to us, I would like to use as much if it as possible to enrich my existence in some way. That is why I try to learn new subjects like math and physics rather than checking the news and Facebook.
I think you're right that we should prioritize a reduction of information intake and have more times when you let your brain wonder but we shouldn't let ourselves fall into an extreme either. BALANCE is the most important thing
Definitely. That's why he said diet rather than boycott or anything to that effect.
Information is like food for the brain. If you feed it quality information like great audio-books, you thrive. Clicking through top 10 slide-shows is like eating a shitty burger. I think both approaches work when it comes to either avoiding information or obtaining a lot of it. Elon Musk is an information sponge - he is very successful but doesn't seem happy. Richard Branson barely reads at all - he is also successful and seems happier. Boredom is also good for us, so I think having periods where you are cramming your brain with info, and rest periods where you avoid it. Too much of anything is a bad thing. Variation and quality is everything :)
amen to that ! very wise thinking
Very well said!
Why doesn't Elon Musk seem happy?
People like Elon Musk are happy too. Their faces just don't express a lot of emotion, which a lot of people, especially extroverts, confuse for less happiness.
But you´re right, superficial information probably isn't the most helpful, though I think a lot of that has to do with compensation. They take the serious things in life too serious and then compensate with extremely superficial information.
Sponsored by audible? :P
This topic is so pertinent and few people recognize it. Thanks for airing an important narrative.
Pokémon Go. A new way for billions of man hours to be wasted.
yeah. but then they'll measure it and use a word like "quantifiable" and then people will start to feel productive because it's already what they want to believe.
at least they're outside walking and such
+Pocari Suit that is a point I guess
just because you havent caught yourself a 'rare' pokemon..
saaaave marrrrtha. people need to be tricked into going outside. that's fuckin' great lol
Just say it man, you want us all to stop playing pokemon go.
But have you considered the implications of this? When you talk about being productive that is relative to your goals. For you that might be scripting a new science program or video for this channel. But to your viewers those things are peripheral. To us, consuming your information instead of producing our own would be considered a distraction, wouldn't it? So then you run into a situation where if everyone followed your advice, then nobody would be left consuming your productions.
yup, I realize the irony. I'd be fine with fewer views if it meant people were leading happier, more fulfilled lives. I also don't want to avoid every source of information, I just want to be more selective with what I consume and when. Hopefully some people would still come to Veritasium as one of their chosen information sources.
Why is it that you think we should be confined to either "you consume" or "you produce" but not be able to do both? We can all produce just as much as we can consume. In other words, using your example we can watch these videos AND produce our own. The problem is that people don't understand balance. So it's not true that if everyone followed his advice, no one would be left consuming. You can consume and produce things, too. Time management.
A good way to implement this is installing a browser addon that lets you block specific websites. Or for youtube i added a few lines of coding to AdBlock so I dont get video recommendations on the right hand side and after the video ended :) It helped me a lot cutting the time of clicking from one vid to the next, ensuring I only watch what I really want to see (my subcription inbox)
Do you have specific recommendations for plug-ins and/or a solution for this recommended-video Problem?
vedabou
Depends on the browser you use, I use Leechblock on Firefox and Siteblock on Chrome. For RUclips recommendation block, see youtube.adblockplus.me/
Reminds me of when I was addicted to learning (software) and felt I had to spend all my time doing so, it just burns you out and frankly ends up making you hate whatever it is you're too focused on.
lol, addicted to learning software... xD i wish i had a similar addiction. #sucksAtCoding
Haha yea, but I guess it's a better addiction than most.
lol you guys have no fucking idea do you, I agree With Tj learning coding is a hell of an addiction.
Same as being addicted to learning, watching youtube videos (even educational), drugs, alcohol.
It's all the same. I know how it's being addicted to learning, the worse part is that it feels so nice.
I got some mad anxiety. Dead time is the devil's playground for my brain. I need my news, pokemon, and family visits to keep me sane.
I've been there. It's sort of a hump to get over, where that silence and introspection is overwhelming and hard, but as you let yourself dive into those things and mull over them you start to solve them rather than covering them up with distraction band-aids.
You need help.
That statement is as useless as "I'll pray for you"
Down-time for someone who is in your situation, with anxiety, is like abstaining and getting abstinances for someone who's alcoholic. Down-time is very good for you, in fact it's the remedy to your situation most likely, as thinking thingds through sincerely will make your mind set into place. It's kinda like having to sort óut a house that hasn't been cleaned and pruned for a good while. If you can't sort the whole house in one day that's fine, but sort a bit at a time, i.e. have some down-time to think through your good things and bad things, angels and demons, and your brain might become easier to deal with in the future. Thinking is the remedy
have you tried inner peace?
I think the reason why so many people search for that distraction all the time is just to avoid being confronted with the fact that they could be more productive. Totally opening yourself to all the things you need to do, end all the responsibilities you have can often be just too overwhelming.
If you do this, you are going to flourish! Maybe not publicly, but your life will improve. I took that step about 8-10 years ago (it was gradual). Stop watching ads NOW!!!! And the news so rarely affects my life in ways that I can do something about; news is usually not worth watching. My mom knows to tell me if a hurricane is coming. This disconnect you are considering/doing will free up soooooooo much time and mental processing power that you can take whatever talents/passions you have and develop and expand them, enjoy them and eventually share them (if you wish). People around you might not like the new you as much.... who cares...... they have their lives; you have yours.... Always be honest with yourself and do your best to be honest with those that can accept your honesty or have asked for it..... Yeah, freaking ramble...... Take that!!!!!!!
... oh, and not that you should care what I think, but your videos are amazing!!!!
Yet here you are commenting on some random youtube video.
I have been avoiding the mainstream media (both 4th and 5th estate variants). This has freed me up to read up on Aristotle, Lovecraft, Dawkins, Tolstoy and other various great authors. I've also watched plenty of videos pertaining to philosophical and methodological naturalism (Gary Edwards is very insightful, even if I disagree with him significantly).
I also shitpost a plenty, as you can't be in srs business mode all the time; you'll burnout.
The internet is a great tool; it's unfortunate that corporate interests and cronyism are poisoning it.
I'm definitely addicted to political and world news. But I console myself that at least I do not spend any time watching or reading about sports, which is even less useful in life than political news...
you sure?
100% sure. The only sports I'm interested in, is the sports I myself engage in, not watching others do it. In theory, I might find it interesting to watch professionals play a sport, if I was trying to learn from them. But of all sports activities I like to engage in, I'm not sufficiently high-level, that I could derive any benefit from watching Olympic-level athletes do it.
+Mark Rcca I see what your saying, but now politics, world news, has all been turned into a "team based" activity too...u got your red and blue( Dems and repubs), trump - hillary, establishment,-- anti establishment..
_Mark Rcca - I agree completely. I have been saying this for the longest time. If I'm interested in something I'm going to engage in it. And this year I won't be watching Olympics. Olympics can be inspiring, they can help people discover new sports, and fun in physical activity. There's some purpose to it. But at this point in my life, I don't need to watch it.
Mike Porter aah, true. I'm a bit different from most people though. I'm completely independent of any party. I voted for Republicans and Democrats, for years. Often I vote for the two senators from opposite parties. This year I voted for Bernie Sanders in the primaries, and now I'm going to vote for Donald Trump. I tell my friends that "politically, I'm a total whore". It confuses the heck out of people ;)
Probably the most thoughtful invitation I've heard in many years = "You want to be bored with me? Let's go for a walk." THAT is the way life should play out day by day. THAT gave me a warm smile.
So you are recommending to ignore politics? Man, that's rubbish. A lot of the stuff that shapes our lives is global nowadays. If I only pay attention to my local circle (as you called it) then how can humanity possibly solve the greater problems of our time? Really, your recommendation leads towards accepting simple answers and ignoring global relationships and thus creates more populism in the world. And frankly, we have enough of that already.
I totally agree with you that we spend too much time with stuff that doesn't lead to any useful result (btw, relaxation is a useful result in this regard). But we shouldn't overshoot and totally ignore anything that seems outside our immediate reach. As I said, international politics is hugely important (more than ever before) and even though we have only a small voice in the global context we should still use it instead of just focussing on our local surroundings.
You're right, watching lots of news makes people more informed, active global citizens. What was I thinking?
Yes you should delete this video and your channel.
Just to be clear: I don't think your recommendation is entirely wrong. I just think you're going too far. It's not helpful to ignore any news - nor is it to check the news every 5 min. It's a matter of the right mixture. E.g. briefly checking the news once a day. Reading some in-depth articles every now and then.
Maybe news-consumption should be less frequent but more deep? Maybe the type of consumption you refer to is the one where we quickly skim over the headlines without really taking the time to think about what we read because we actually aren't really in the mood anyway. And maybe the type of news consumption that I refer to is where we read the news with curiosity. Where we dive deep into the topics because we really want to know more.
More informed to what? I mean honestly all these different media channels, websites, apps, what have you. Are very misleading.. Not to mention one media group has something totally different to say then there counterpart. I don't watch the news not because I don't care. But because it's so misleading. Only thing I'd suggest is since you like to be informed then take the next step and get involved.You have this great channel and others, you know people, and last but not least you're super inteligent. Sir you don't need to be told what's going on you need to be in the know if you're passionate about it. Good luck.
Gotta love extremists...
"Let's not take every inactive moment and flood our brains with information" does NOT equal "let's ignore politics and news altogether."
I couldn't agree more. A few years ago I moved to a new country and was living in the countryside - basically off the grid working on a new project. For a couple of years I didn't check news on the internet and rarely checked emails at all or watched TV. I felt more focused, relaxed less distracted and de-stressed than ever before. Sadly my lifestyle has changed back again and I no longer live that way (hence the comments on this video!)....
Awh):
As they say, ignorance is bliss.
+Cuzeg Spiked kek
This is a HIGHLY respectable outlook, and I want to thank you very much.
You're legitimately arguing a point that could potentially have a negative impact on you, but obviously you hold the value of helping others above your own gain.
We need people like you to help this crazy world.
I live in Argentina and here watching something about Economy is more common than a novel or reading a book.
Fantastic video & great idea, I agree & will try it out myself! :)
why were you out at 5:30 am? just woke up or were you playing pokemon GO?
That's one distraction I've been able to avoid!
Just an element of truth!
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+Markich C Comparing both pokemon and news, the second distractor is better. News doesn't appear every second but pokemon does. I don't find it funy to stare at the phone wasting time on catching some java code.
Pokemon Go the best fitness app ever invented, and news are useless and psychologically damaging.
I enjoy watching stuff go by in the background, I find it rather calming for some odd reason. It makes the video more enjoyable, plus i enjoy hearing the topics you have to say makes me think more about the world, more about myself, more about everything.
This moment has never happened before. It will not happen again. Live it fully now, because it's the only chance you have to live it. Thanks for the awesome video, your quest for simplicity inspires me deeply!
Once when I was in the bathroom, the solution hit me too.. Just as I poked my bag of cheats off the closet, it fell and hit me on my face!
Dear Gray and Brady,
Just let him on the podcast.
-Tim
The hardest thing for me lately is to work as marketeer and try to remain productive. Our job is, in essence, to be constantly well informed, reading about every new thing, accumulating useless information and creating strategies from that. I feel the need to rest my brain to produce better, but with so much going on in the world simultaneously, and living in this global interconnected hive, I think we still don't have enough processing power in our minds to concatenate so many thoughts, ideas and information.
You are the older brother that we all needed but didn't have. Thank you for creating these videos
the "v" in "Wasservögel" is pronounced more like an "f", otherwise that was a pretty good try!
and the a in Wasser is shorter..
Also the ö is supposed to sound different but that seems hard for English speakers, like in Schrödinger. ;)
Also there is an "r" after "Wasser", thats not silent :)
vassafoegl as it maybe pronounced for an english person
@_L30 @Julika7 @MadyWinter I disagree with all of you, you're just trying to inject your own, local accents into his German. The only thing that he's factually pronouncing wrong is the 'v', as OP said. The 'r' is silent in most of Germany, the drawn-out 'a' in 'Wasser' is actually common in Bavaria and Austria, and I don't see what's wrong with his 'ö' at all.
This is exactly why I don't have a TV, try to avoid the (always bad) news, am not on facebook, twitter or social media in general, and do not have a smartphone. Its not that I wish to avoid information entirely, I use youtube obviously. But I find the majority of information that pops up first is either negative and fosters fear and anger, or concerning completely frivolous and superficial things. Neither of which are conducive to making me feel good about myself or the world in general.
I see the problem is more that people are not selective and conscious enough about the information they access, more than the amount we access. We tend to place our attention on whatever is newest or nearest, regardless of whether it is relevent or useful to us in anyway. It's like junk food for the mind. Fills the void but doesn't give us any nourishment at all.
I recently wiped my youtube watch history because the amount of crap that youtube was recommending for me was driving me insane....I knew it was crap that would irritate me and waste my time, yet I still felt tempted to watch a lot of it. I think the majority of people are content to keep filling their mind with shiny junk rather than seek out information that is actually positive and useful to them in a meaningful way. The problem is more that we are not being conscious or active about the kind of information we swallow, not that there is too much of it available to us. Exactly the same principle behind the obesity crisis.
Man you talk like a saint. Very true indeed.
"RUclips was recommending for me was driving me insane....I knew it was crap that would irritate me and waste my time, yet I still felt tempted to watch a lot of it."
I have this problem, I should probably wipe my history as well.
This is what I was talking about in a lesson this week.
I'm so happy I can tell my students to watch this for some examples of the ideas talked about.
I can't believe how relevant this video is. I've just started doing this myself. I, like you, used to sit on news sites, hung up on finding out about every new post on BBC or other relevant news sites. About every post on the US election, or global economic policy etc. Really sure, if I worked in a policy role that would be important, but I work in IT, so... Doing this generally made me feel smart, but it overly happy.
Ive started taking up some hobbies, and now look up stuff related to that, which is far more relevant to my everyday life and happiness.
If you don't use your time for yourself, you use it to suit someone else.
Generally speaking: sentimentally, our minds rewards us when we experience something that is familiar or known, although negative, because it strengthens existing neural connections. On the other hand, learning new fundamental knowledge leads to psychological and physical stress to create new neural connections, such as learning: to play an instrument, mathematics, taxonomy, a new face, etc.
Logically, we can achieve the certainty that productivity is better than procrastination or laziness but the physical - neurological battle always will be present when we have to act. So, when we are not sufficiently determined, motivated, etc. we surrender to what is easier and distraction or evasion is much easier than concentration (cognitive effort).
In the same line, to post a nearby example, instead of taking your time editing your videos -or whatever-, probably (I'm guessing), you wasted some of that time watching news about mass shootings or women devoured by tigers even though you know that these events exist and that these cases are only circumstantial.
Therefore, I agree with you that one has to differentiate between fundamental information against circumstantial information; separating the general principle/knowledge from those temporary examples of this general principle/knowledge.
But finally, I am also aware that clear productive goals/values are required and that, also, at the moment of truth, a combination of different virtues must be exercised: rationality, integrity, honesty, pride...
I wish you the best with your diet!
I disagree. I think the brain is wired to continually seek some form of novel stimuli.
The brain is wired to seek novel stimuli, but the intensity of those stimuli, the amount of them and type, are variant. Young people are eager for new stimuli, in high intensity, and of different kinds. The older the person is, the more restricted and of lessened intensity it becomes. Teenagers and young adults are "where life stands". Young children are "being prepared for life", and older adults are working to support the teenagers and younger adults. The older a person gets, the more peripheral they become in "life" (or social life). You don't see movies being made with old people as target audience, you don't see music festivals targeted to people over 50 (it is true though, that with technological advances and all, old people became a relevant niche, but that's another issue). The older the person is, the more they value stability, the less productive they become, the less interested in new adventures. Every day is pretty much the same, and that's why most young people find extremely boring and lifeless to hang around old people on a constant basis (unless they're just a small constant factor in the daily life, like a table, a tree, a bird in a cage).
Joel HC Yes, very good point re. circumstantial vs. fundamental. This is really the point that should've been at the heart of this video. Get rid of the former, focus more on reflection, or being productive, while continuing to seek out the latter (which is the basis of such reflectivity and productivity).
i watched a lot of your videos ... and this is the one that realy struck a chord with me. thanks for that!
I had a similar problem a few months ago, but it was with Facebook. I started to ask myself: What am I checking? Why I need to see nothing so often? Instead of become offline in Facebook, I decided to leave it to the weekend. No checking during weekdays. And it worked!
I moved the app to a folder in the second screen of my iPhone and when I started to open the app, I perceived what I was doing and close it again. In the end I started reading books and doing more valuable things in free time that I would be on Facebook doing nothing.
Maybe stop reading every news is too much for you, maybe you could access news during a certain period in a certain time of the day/week. The most important thing is to know that you are in control and aware of this habit.
Just one advice: Do not be mad about yourself. Be mad with the habit! I wish you all the luck.
I say don't just reduce. Remove specifically junk info. Just like getting rid of junk food.
that effect of sudden realisation after not thinking about it for a while is called the inhibition effect. it's more about doing something different than doing nothing at all: temporarily skipping the question to continue on another one would help too.
the inhibition effect is a thing cause of the way neural connectivity works. the result is that, once you get a certain (erroneous) idea of how things might work, you are likely to get "stuck" in that way of thinking, though you might pivot around it. if you let the problem go for a bit, you can later start with a refreshed view on the matters.
While learning to play guitar in Jr high I got pretty good. learned my chords could play stairway to heavens solo but lost interest when I tried finger style classical guitar ( fur Elise and such) ND failed. I returned some years later only find my muscle memory somehow included these songs I struggled with just years prior. I jammed through Classical Gas and Greensleaves and more. Is this also the Inhibition effect?
+Andrew Paul possibly yes but I think more likely just allowing the tunes to 'sink in'.
+Luke Day It's known among musicians that you're better when returning after taking time off thing is idk why the brain does it. Have you listened to classical gas?
+Andrew Paul well there is this thing called motor learning (also happens in the brain), so it might be that you taught it yourself the wrong way. It's a risk my guitar teacher used to give me, too: if you teach yourself a song with a wrong rhythm, it's almost impossible to recover from that. However, when you don't play song for a long time, that motor memory fades, just as all memories do if they're not somehow recalled.
+undercoverduck that's sounds accurate! Back then I had trouble plucking the right string with you fingers as I was used to a pick.
Haven't been either reading any news or watching television for over ten years now and look at me: I'm able to breathe, live and even watch this video! You're the good news, man. Cheers!
I'm with you man. I'm a long haul Canadian trucker and I find I'm constantly trying to distract myself and I'm gonna try putting the phone down and actually let my mind wander on its own. Thanks for sharing man.
The parallel of information with food is quite well suited and goes beyond that initial point.
People don't become obese just because abundance of food. The body has self-regulatory mechanisms that will make you feel satisfied after a meal. People become obese because fast food is filled with empty calories and no essential nutrients, so ultimately you are not satisfied.
The kind of news we are constantly bombarded with is the information equivalent of fast food. Very little information content and very superficial analysis, which leave you craving for more. I can assure you that an in-depth analysis of politics, economics, etc. by someone who knows their shit will actually leave you thinking for a while, not hungry for the next thing.
This makes so much sense... often times I find myself googling the comprehensive answers or stories to incomplete or poorly written articles
Wise thoughts. I will try this myself.
One information source that I will never get enough of is your videos on this channel
What I've found works for me...
1. Keep tabs on the state of the things you care about. Groups survive better than individuals. So we should at the very least be aware of what is going on. Participate when you feel it necessary.
2. Free thinking time allows for you to be creative, to learn, to explore. You can't make progress if your mind is continuously occupied with what others are doing. We wouldn't be where we are now if the inventors of the world cared more about their favorite celebrity than their potential inventions.
Moderation is key I guess
You wrote 'pray' in the description instead of 'prey'. Don't worry, I still love you :)
Aha I was going to point that out as well :) Derek, you're still amazing!
Wow, what a creep
thanks for having my back!
I'm in a business school and professors ask us to read to be knowledgeable. It's about culture and understanding of the world you are in they say. It's important for our future jobs.
That's unrelated to what Derek was saying.
He was basically saying "don't spend your day polling for news".
I've come to the same conclusion as Derek myself over the past few days. To me, it is not about being uninformed so much as it is about spending wasted time reading about subjects that just make me more upset. I don't need to read an hour of news each day to understand that Donald Trump is a racist. But narrowing that down to only 10 minutes of valuable information that helps understand what is going on with the email scandal at the DNC, determine what I believe is the next step forward, and move on. It is possible to get caught up on the news by only reading 10 minutes each day. It doesn't take as much time as we are tempted to spend because of 24 hour news on television, the news apps on our phones, and the endless hours we scroll through comment sections looking for content that both confirms and refutes what we believe..... and here I am.
Is Donald Trump actually racist, or were you just getting that vibe from your peers? Bandwagon assumptions can be pretty dangerous.
nobody knows. He says something one day and the contrary the day after.
I think he's probably getting that from stuff Trump said.
being bored is honestly brilliant
I've started just focusing on my breath, or paying attention to my surroundings during my dead time. A way to calm my mind rather than keep it running during these pauses. It feels great being with myself for once rather than trying to constantly distract myself with entertainment or constant thinking.
the ironic thing is came to this video through the exact thing derek is trying to avoid
take it as Divine Providence XD
As weird as it is, and it may not be much, but I would like to offer you my friendship; seriously. I enjoyed this video so much that I felt like taking part in the conversation and that lovely early walk you were having in Zurich. Thanks for sharing.
This is exactly what I have been thinking about for a while. To stop looking at my phone on an "empty moment" and just contemplate. Take the time to look around and to try and feel closer to the people around me.
Because of your great video here, I've decided it's time to remove my NEWS bookmark folder to a harder to reach subfolder. I'm sure this will save me from at least 30 min a week of unproductive news checking. Thank you!
Have you been watching CGP Grey And Brady's podcasts??
***** Oh yeah, should have thaught of it
listening my friend, to sound one listens.
He's Dirk from Vertistablium, of course he watches their podcast.
www.hellointernet.fm/archive/
You have 66 episodes to catch up on.
hellointernet.fm
Hey Derek, this is where I live! Any possibility of a short meet up?
that is the definition of a cringey comment
+Jpkholm Yay if I lived anywhere near Dirk I would beg to meet him so
echt? wie heißt die Stadt denn?
He ain't no Red Riding Hood.
sadly he's on a low information diet. he wont be reading too much comments any more :(
7 and a half minutes in I'm really enjoying the casual, conversational tone, the themes discussed and how and what you conclude. But man, we have so much power as human beings. It's like, we only set our own limits. Weather you think you can or can't, you're right.
That washroom anecdote is a good example of utilizing your diffuse mode of thinking after a bout of focused thinking. It's also what I used to do for exams fully unintentionally.
I completely agree that mindlessly going through our phones during our free time isn't the best use of that time.
However, I disagree on your thoughts that it is not important to know about events happening around us. Sure, we may not be able to do anything about a coup in Turkey, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't understand what is going on in the world.
And I'm not saying this because it is our "duty as citizens of the world" to be knowledgeable about current events, but because knowing what is happening in the world around us expands our knowledge base that can be funneled into our creations.
Saying that knowing about current events isn't important is like saying learning about history isn't important.
Great video with insightful commentary that I mostly agree with.
I think it's not about knowing what's going on around the world, but actually obsessing about it. You should make the best use of your time for the things that help you the most. People spend too much time obsessing about things that don't matter in their lives. Perhaps this is what he was really trying to say.
+Richard Gates Ah, I hear what you're saying. Okay if that's what he was trying to say, I understand what he's getting at.
+Richard Gates Ah, I hear what you're saying. Okay if that's what he was trying to say, I understand what he's getting at.
Henry Wiygul
Once in awhile I have to take a month break from RUclips, just to digest all the information I've acquired.
I agree, especially him being a youtuber with such a large audience which he could help people through.
Hmm very good. Food for thought...crap I'm consuming again.
i hope your comment is meant to be satirical, for otherwise it is very much misleading and demonstrates lack of understanding.
Your comment hints at a deeper understanding than in the video, but it may be an accident.
Please, continue to elucidate...
very well. i do not think the problem lies in attempting to assimilate too much information, but rather that we prioritise new information over simply stopping and reflecting upon that which we have experienced, leading us to default towards common patterns instead of really understanding explanations for what is going on around us. Habit and stigma for example, although evolutionary beneficial in the past, nowadays is very much detrimental in an innumerable number of ways. (an interesting prospect for contemplation).this channel tends to elaborate upon logical explanations more so than simply offloading a significant deal of information at once, like a news article or social app. Therefore this video serves to remedy the proposed problem as opposed to amplifying its affect in inciting further thought on the matter and encouraging a possible change away from the aforementioned lifestyle. Dare i say this is but my interpretation and may very well be fallible, so i invite criticism of all kinds.
Ayham Saffar Odd. All I see is another superfluous video that keeps me glued to my electronic device and further distracted from engaging with the reality within a more tangible material proximity to me. Which I thought was the whole point of the video, rather than simply a critique on how information is delivered in a manner that discourages reflection/contemplation, hence my attempted satirical observation.
I am doing this since some time now. Things that are important, get the way to you anyway. Everything else doesn't change my live a single bit. Instead its often just bringing me down. I feel a lot better without news reports and scrolling throught news. I disabled all news services on my phone and facebook notifications just some weeks ago after i recognized it just used up too much time that I could use elsewhere. So absolutely thumbs up. People are too scared to spend time thinking about themselves or even nothing.
Mindfulness and letting your brain wonder is a common theme to success and mental health
(1) Veritasium's other video, "Why Boredom is Good For You"
(2) New York Times "Washing Dishes Is a Really Great Stress Reliever, Science Says"
I've started to practice this myself and have found myself just more happy in general, I think it is good. I just started cutting things out here and there instead of all at once, basically when I realize I'm spending time on something I'm not enjoying I just try to switch to either doing nothing or something I do enjoy
CGP Grey will be proud...
You were allowed to leave mid-exam?
I thought the same thing lol. Wish I could leave during the exam haha.
seriously - you gotta go, you gotta go! Exams are three hours long and I think they elevated my blood pressure
+2veritasium I wish everyone understood the phrase "You gotta go, You gotta go" especially when taking a long exam. By the way keep up the great videos. Love all of the videos you post (on this channel and your main one). The way you present the facts and tell us about the material is just perfect.
I think it might have been before smartphone and devices were common lol
never watched a video from this channel before, but this is brilliant. thoughtful and high theory, while also humble and not pretentious
I just took a week long vacation on a low information diet and I feel re-energised. The whole week I didn't read any news, no Facebook, virtually no internet at all and it honestly it felt nice. For a little while it bothered me but after coming back I realize how nice it actually was
I disagree with your analogy of dead time to an extent. When in a supermarket line, our options are tremendously restricted due to limited space/lack of privacy/noise/people. The whole gist of dead time is that we cannot do much in it, so we might as well do X or Y. As such, you might check your phone for the news when in a supermarket line, but such an act only really stems from the limitations that are imposed upon you by your environment.
Our predecessors had considerably less free time. They often spent their lives working, tiring their bodies and minds out, in order to ensure, at the very least, the minimal comfort of their successors. Our world wouldn't be standing in its current revolutionary phase if not for the men and women who dedicated their lives to hard work. The modern human, however, does not need to work as hard. He/she lives in a modern environment that's more welcoming and open-minded, and has more control over it than his/her ancestor. As such, the modern human is by far more of a master of his own time than those who came before him. Add to that the upcoming mass automation of many industries, and it's safe to say time spent out of work is exponentially growing for the average human.
Going back to my initial point, I believe that analogy to be irrelevant. Dead time implies restriction, impossibility and boredom. I believe the latter element is responsible for the matter you're discussing. You've claimed earlier in your video the human mind enjoys a mixture of fun and punishment instead of its dichotomous extremes. That's exactly what the problem is; we have too much at our reach. There is no struggle, no harm inflicted for gaining knowledge, except perhaps breaking the bliss of ignorance so many of us unawarely enjoy. There is massive information out there that's available at our reach, yet we simply ignore it. It's paraphrasing your point to an extent.
There's no incentive for us to invest time in things that are productive, like most sciences, or working on enhancing our cognitive capacities, because this world, from an evolutionary standpoint, does not reward us for that. Those who are able to spread their genes the most, as depicted in Idiocracy, are slowly taking over the world. This subsequently means social and emotional interaction are being more and more rewarded. That, of course, is not the case for (pseudo-)intellectuals who seek to better themselves from a different perspective. There's just very little incentive in today's world.
Well said, Sir
"Our predecessors had considerably less free time."
Depends on how far you go back but if you research hunter gathering societies, in-between pastoralists and horticulturalists societies and medieval farming peasants they actually worked MUCH less for their needs.
.. until they overpopulated their habitat and began dying from war or famine.
I view relative ease of living for any given population as a sign of a rising sustainability bubble. Your population is consuming some finite resource until it reaches an availability tipping point (becomes too expensive to continue consuming), at which time you face a renewed avalanche of unexpected privation.
The best way to expend the surpluses of such a bubble is to explore new possibilities and frivolity happens to be an excellent way to make such exploration. Tomorrow's serious survival skills often stem from today's ridiculous leisure experiments. Play is training for war. The surplus needed to allow the least fit (as measured by mortal humans who by definition are unqualified to correctly judge fitness) to survive in a large population of diversity ensures the greatest selection of genes (including new genes borne from mutations given time, perhaps even generations before they find their footing) for the new paradigm of "survival" to choose between once privation begins again.
So we are left with the strange result: because of impending privation, the best strategy for handling surplus happens to be the same strategy one would follow with no fear of privation.
And that is: do as you'd like. Which includes information diets if that strikes your personal fancy, haha!
This is why I read the comments!
Mmm. Actually...I'm not so sure that our predecessors worked harder than we do. Here's an interesting article:
www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn/200907/play-makes-us-human-v-why-hunter-gatherers-work-is-play
"Research studies suggest that hunter-gatherers' work somewhere between 20 and 40 hours a week, on average..."
The article goes on to point out that it sort of depends on what you call "work".
I think the more relevant point here is that we used to live and 'work' in a social environment...youtube is really a twist on the social environment we've lost by compartmentalizing ourselves into houses with atomic families. Contrary to our ancestors we are in the line for food, by ourselves...with strangers, and we reach to something that easily connects us to our world... Just like we used to do. I do not think we can escape our nature.
Derek, did you hide the books in the bathroom? :-D
I don't think I'll ever forget this message! Brilliant, I forget about the importance and emphasis put on the news.
Gosh Derek everything you produce is so thought provocative. Thank you for the work you do here.
I'm deleting apps. They're too tempting. If I need to see, I'll open my browser.
Perhaps a better tactic were to go on a 'reduced fat' information diet. We do not have to read each and every facebot post each "friend" posts, nor must we respond to each tweet sent over the transom.
With a bit of time garnered from ignoring that which is - at best - of no positive use, we might read genuinely enriching works: such as the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius.
Thank you for the lovely view of the riverside and excellent architect. I have never been to Zurich and you did a nice job of letting me see a bit of it. What a beautiful city. Thanks.
I went on a short trip recently for 4 days. I didn't bring my laptop and I don't have the habit of using my phone like a computer, so I was totally out of touch with news/youtube/facebook/email. After 4 days of walking around/chatting with friends/sitting to look at mountains and lakes/people watching/reading a book/writing my diary, I then returned home and after washing my clothes immediately turned on my computer and started bookmarking all the youtube videos I had missed while I was away. It took me a couple DAYS to catch up on those videos and really I got absolutely nothing out of them. I don't even know why I bother watching a lot of stuff on youtube, usually I barely pay attention or just forget the information seconds later. I'd kind of much prefer the life I had while I was travelling. Getting back to my hotel was only for showering and sleeping. Not to sit down for 3-4 hours browsing the internet before bed. Even if I wasn't achieving anything while on my trip, it still felt a little bit more meaningful. That's not to say that youtube is totally useless, it's actually a fucking great resource but I think when you overuse it then it starts to negate it's own effects. Information and entertainment overload.
If anything I think people should learn not to look at their phones when they are with friends or have a moment to themselves, that's the real life-thief. I've never had Facebook on my phone and never read the news on it either since I used to have a very slow phone. I'm the only one in my friend group who won't pull out their phone at a cafe or restaurant. I literally just sit there watching some friends scrolling through stuff for no reason. Really breaks up the flow of things.
Wow I'm still typing. TIEM TO GO OUTSIDE
what are you up to in zurich? :))
V is pronounced as F in this case.
i have read once about a concept called "popcorn brain" where there is so much stimulation due to the volume of information availiable online that regular activities seem boring to our brain, so we seek more of that stimulation and information that you mentioned to avoid that boredome
I am extremely curious about pretty much everything and the amount of information available today is so astounding that it is hard for me to keep aside what may not be so much useful after all, to the point that I have headaches almost every day and end up sleeping a lot. I'm learning to 'cool off' my mind and just enjoy the moment, and it's being great. Sometimes you just need that moment of mind numbness to refresh it and stop worrying about the future or what you could be doing right now to be productive. It's a hard but a necessary process nowadays.
Anyway, thanks for the insights and awesome video, first one I saw from you, liked and subbed.
First I will start waking up at 5:30
XD I see what you did there XD
hehe...i dont know if he did that on purpose or not, but I really enjoyed your observation.
I sleep at 5:30 :(
+Κώστας Καραπαπαχατζηδιμιτρακόπουλος what did he do there can you inform me? I actually can't see it
+Sean Jamali After hearing what Derek said , Gustavo Sureda said : "First I will start waking up at 5 : 30 "
But if you take a closer look , 5:30 in the video is as empty as 5 and a half in the morning XD Which begs the question. What was Veritasium doing at 5 in the morning in this empty store ? xD
Why are you checking the news? yYu could be catching lots of water pokémon!
The words that I loved the most in this video are "Our brains are designed..."
You are so right Derek, i was coming to exact same conclusion for myself, thanks for the kick-off to be less distracted and more productive. You rock!
I disagree. It might not be up to you to change things, but it is useful to have a sense of what is going on around the globe. Americans in particular have constructed a bubble that they are the best and freest country in the world and completely disregard the rest of the planet. In any case, looking up financial reports of Uganda might be a distraction, but knowing about the Turkish coup is not. Everything must have a balance. Too little or too much is equally destructive.
The news easily manipulates what's "going on in the world" due to constructing their articles to heavily favor their agenda. They'll also stay silent about anything that contradicts their agenda.
"News" is the strongest form of mass manipulation.
It's probably best to stay away from it entirely.
_" 'News' is the strongest form of mass manipulation._
_It's probably best to stay away from it entirely"_
That problem, I'd say, is best solved through critical thinking and a healthy amount of scepsis (not too much though -- too much is never a good thing) towards all things you are told, whether it be by The News or people you talk to "face to face", rather than avoiding the News altogether.
Ahsim Nreiziev
I personally feel all news is entirely unimportant when you know that any aspect of it could be bulllshit, but everyone has their own take on things.
Do you, brother.
+Jables
To correct that we need people to favor 'alternative' media sources not so in-bed with the establishment or tied to corporate interests. But this is a person to person thing though, some will find themselves energized by greater awareness/understanding of the world whereas others may simply be overcome by weltschmerz.
Jables
Any aspect of *anything*, even including such famously non-bullshit things like Science, can be bullshit. So your line of reasoning would mean that nothing is at all important.
Well, if there is nothing that is important, why not focus on the unimportant things that interest us, like news for example?
Why was this on my recommended?? I'm not subscribed!
Maybe so you could try it out! If you were subscribed it would have been in your subscription feed!
Perhaps something else you watched had a similar value according to the youtube recommending algorithms.
because it's how youtube recommended work..it suggest videos that you might have interest in depending on what you watch from the past.
this really struck a chord with me. I've now come to a point in my career where I have too much free time that I don't even know what to do with it. thanks for sharing
"Letting your mind rest is valuable" ~ love it.
I'm just coming off a two month digital detox and have loved the way my days have found new structure and my mind feels so much less busy. I will be reassessing who and what I am connected with on my channels to help carry this feeling of a rested mind forward. I couldn't live a life without digital connection completely, but I am looking forward to a restructure. Thank you for this video :)