snek_boi
@snek_boi@lemmy.ml
- Comment on Why are ghosts never racist? 1 day ago:
Ghosts are the creation of our minds. And it turns out that our minds are flawed machines. This was shown by someone and they won a Nobel Prize for it (Daniel Kahnemann). Turns out, that flawed machinery is precisely why ghosts aren’t racist.
When you think of something, you run a simplified simulation of the world. When you run these simulations, you don’t think about other things. For example, when people fantasize about achieving something, they usually run the simulation of having gotten the job and the money or having solved the tough problem. However, they usually don’t think about the path to achieving that goal. This is called the planning fallacy. It’s also called the Motivation Wave in Behavior Design.
Another example of these simplified simulations is the halo effect. The halo effect starts when you notice something good about someone. Maybe they’re attractive. Maybe they’re on your same team or political group or religion or whatever. The thing is that you end up building a good preconception of that person. You assume they’re kind and smart and many other positive things. Again, your mind is running a simplified simulation. Even if you notice bad stuff about the other person, you may ignore it because our mind is a flawed machine and it’s stuck with the idea that the other person is good.
So, how do simplified simulations lead to non-racist ghosts? Well, we all share an idea of what a ghost is. We tell each other ghost stories or we watch movies with ghosts in them. All of that feeds the simplified simulations we run when we think of ghosts. And we don’t include racism in those simulations.
This doesn’t mean that we can’t escape simplified simulations. This is a tough problem that many people have tried to solve in many different ways. These attempts have resulted in an arsenal of methods: psychological flexibility exercises, mental contrasting, pre-mortems, the Delphi method, red team blue team exercises, weak signal detection, etc. Notice that all of these tools try to transform our preconceptions.
Of course, a very simple way of transforming our preconceptions is to prove them wrong. I suppose in the case of non-racist ghosts, it’s a matter of creating racist ghosts. This project, however, brings up the old adage: just because you can doesn’t mean you should.
If you’re interested in simplified simulations, I recommend Lisa Feldman Barret’s books. You can also check out Daniel Kahnemann, Gary Klein, and Dave Snowden.
- Comment on Hertz, showing the difference between science and engineering 2 days ago:
This post tickles a fond memory of mine. I was talking to a right-wing libertarian, and he said there should be no research done ever if it couldn’t prove beforehand its practical applications. I laughed out loud because I knew how incredibly ignorant and ridiculous that statement was. He clearly had never picked up a book on the history of science, on the history of
- electromagnetism (it would be a shame if the poor libertarian didn’t have a generator nearby when his eyes were being operated on with LASIK; generators are a technology built by basic research that didn’t have practical applications in mind)
- quantum mechanics (it would be a shame if the poor libertarian didn’t have semiconductors in his phone, or if he didn’t have access to lasers for his LASIK surgery, both of which are technologies built by basic research that didn’t have practical applications in mind)
- superconductivity (it would be a shame if the poor libertarian didn’t have superconductors for an MRI if he ever needs it, a technology built by basic research that didn’t have practical applications in mind)
- radio waves (it would be a shame if the poor libertarian didn’t have radio waves for his phone and computer’s wifi and bluetooth to run his digital business, technologies built by basic research that didn’t have practical applications in mind)
- X-rays (it would be a shame if the poor libertarian didn’t have x-rays to check the inside of his body in case something went wrong, a technology built by basic research that didn’t have practical applications in mind)
- Comment on Are most people who avoid turn signals do it to feel more normal? (Imitating their parents, avoiding perceived stupidity of using turn signals when it seems useless, etc) 1 week ago:
People do or don’t do things depending on three variables: motivation to do it, the ability to do it, and the prompt to do it.
- Motivation could be lacking in some cases. People need to understand the purpose of turn signals. However, I don’t think there’s an anti-turn signal discourse going around. At least as far as I know.
- I don’t think it’s ability, because activating turn signals is relatively easy for most people.
- I think prompts could also be lacking.
How do we change this?
The Behavior Design answer would be something like this: We need to patiently and kindly train people to recognize prompts to the turn signals. “When you get to the corner, put your left hand on the turn-signal control and move it up. Then turn right.” We also need to celebrate it the instant they do it. “Perfect”. Of course, you need to have a good relationship with whomever you’re doing this with.
Now, that is not the only solution; there are many. We might have one solution if we zoom in on one person. We might have another solution if we zoom out to a whole city or country.
In any case, if we want to solve the problem with Behavior Design, you could check out Tiny Habits.
- Comment on How good are amphetamines for brain fog? 1 week ago:
Besides talking to a doctor, would she be against doing cognitive training?
- Comment on What's going on with Borderlands 2? Steam is giving it for free, but the game has 23% positive recent reviews. 1 week ago:
Interesting. So the terms of service have not changed, and yet people are saying that they did. I wonder if there are criticisms that are still valid. For example, the terms of service that you linked:
- do not let me use a VPN (¶6.4)
- do not let me use glitches (¶6.4)
- do not let me own the game but instead give me a limited license to it (¶2.1-2.2)
- do not inform you about updates to their terms of service (¶10.2)
- force me to enter arbitration and do not let me be part of a class action lawsuit or have a trial by jury (¶17.5)
- link to their privacy policy, which:
- does not let me opt out of having my data bought, merged, and sold through ad networks or data brokers (§ Categories of Information Collected, § How We Use Information and Our Legal Grounds, § Sources of Information We Collect, and § When We Share Information ¶ 5— all sources combined)
- does not attempt to deliberately minimize data collection to protect user data (with the only exception of children’s data, their purposes are extremely vague § How We Use Information and Our Legal Grounds, they do not anonymize data, and they broadly do not make the attempt to do so— I cannot provide a citation because there is no attempt to do this in their privacy policy)
- does not specify the purposes of gathering and using information about any installed application on my device (§ Categories of Information Collected)
- does not let me opt-out of data collection categories for specific purposes (cannot give a direct citation because they simply do not do it; instead, they wrote vague types of information they collect —such as “details about… other information related to installed applications” in § Categories of Information Collected, as well as vague purposes in § How We Use Information)
- Comment on What grass starvation does to the perma-online 1 week ago:
It seems like you really don’t like it. What makes you say that?
- Comment on The original LILO & STITCH had a famous ad campaign where Stitch ruined different Disney classics. Director Chris Sanders explains the story behind them. 3 weeks ago:
They literally did this because of money…
- Comment on What causes individual variation in what animals you like? 1 month ago:
I’m so glad you like !snakes@lemmy.world.
We have different thoughts and memories with different animals. We hear what people say and they can become our own thoughts. We live life and it becomes our own emotions.
Sometimes the memories take charge of the ship and we’re in for the ride. Sometimes our thoughts take charge of the ship and we’re in for the ride.
Mindfulness can help us choose, regardless of what our emotions or thoughts say or do.
If I had to choose one book to recommend, maybe check out How Emotions are Made, by Lisa Feldman Barret. Read it and you’ll have clear answers to your questions and more.
- Comment on ggplot2 is love. ggplot2 is life. 2 months ago:
Thanks for the reply! So Excel maybe is not as fast as the meme would suggest, I suppose.
- Comment on ggplot2 is love. ggplot2 is life. 2 months ago:
I agree with you. I love ggplot2. And I’m good at it. So it’s my software of choice when doing data analysis and when making graphs.
However, I understand that there’s an upfront cost to pay to use it: learning to code, tidying data, etc…
And beyond that, I don’t really do data analysis with spreadsheet software like Excel or LibreCalc. So I don’t know if a proficient LibreCalc user would be able to compete with a proficient ggplot2 user.
- Comment on ggplot2 is love. ggplot2 is life. 2 months ago:
Honest question: do you think this could improve with practice? Or does the ggplot workflow necessarily makes it all slower?
- Comment on Are there democratic countries whose democratic institutions survived an auto-coup attempt? 2 months ago:
If you look at the human empowerment model, it will all depend on whether the technological conditions, the educational resources, and the connective resources have gotten worse or not. If not, then people will mobilize and the massive protests will demand change, regardless of the government’s forceful opposition.
The critical question is whether the institutions of a nation are more or less democratic than its people. The World Value Survey clearly shows that some people like hierarchy, strict gender roles that confine people into little boxes, and clearly-defined “me-versus-them” boundaries. Those people will not protest against dictatorships. The rest will.
- Comment on my dreams in colour 2 months ago:
Please mark it as NSFW :)
- Comment on LUNGS WERE A MISTAKE 2 months ago:
Before getting in the shower, what is keeping you from getting in?
- Comment on [deleted] 3 months ago:
You care about love. You wrote this post. You mentioned someone who loved you as “wholesome”. You say you want to stop avoiding intimacy.
I’d dare to say you care about love, belonging, kindness, safety, and independence. I may be wrong with some or all of those, and I’m sorry if I misread you or made assumptions. However, feel free to write your own list of things that you care about. We humans care where we hurt and we hurt where we care. Think about your experience with love, intimacy, and relationships. Notice when something that hurts pops up. What would you not have to care about for this not to hurt?
It’s also important to notice that brain is trying to protect you. It’s trying to avoid the pain it has perceived in the past, the pain it (rightly or wrongly) predicts will appear in your future. It’s important to recognize its suggestions, its predictions, its interpretations. In case you don’t already do mindfulness practices in any way, you may consider taking it up. It’s important to be careful with what kind of mindfulness you do, because unfortunately there’s a lot of bad mindfulness out there, misinformation, incorrect takes, etc. Mindfulness as presented in programs like Healthy Minds are science-based and really helpful.
Once again, the reason I’m recommending mindfulness is because when you notice your brain’s advice, it’s easier to choose what kind of person you want to be. Once you know where you’re standing, it’s easier to take steps to where you want to go.
Just to comment on relationships. You mentioned that in a relationship it’s possible or likely that there’s “a whole-ass human depending on you or giving herself to you in every way”. Yes, some people think this is how relationships work, but it’s not the only way. You could read Sue Johnson’s Hold Me Tight to see how relationships can be different. The book might also be helpful to you because it explains how humans try to protect themselves even though they want to be close to each other.
Yes, love can be intoxicating “like a drug”. Seeing love through the lens of drugs suggests that we lose control with love. However, if you’re mindful about how it feels, you can both feel its beautiful sensations and also soberly choose what kind of person you want to be. Mindfulness, connection, and personal fulfillment can all coincide with a romantic relationship. Of course, it’s possible to be mindful, connected, and fulfilled without a romantic relationship, but it seems like you think the path towards a healthy romantic relationship is something you predict could make your life meaningful. You’re not alone; plenty of humans seek love in that way.
To readers of this text who have seen my responses to other people, you may think that I see every situation as a nail that I hammer with my EFT, mindfulness, and ACT hammers. On the one hand, I ask whether you truly believe these situations would not benefit from those approaches. After all, they are evidence-based, trans-diagnostic, and have helped millions of people. On the other hand, it’s not necessary to follow the resources that I suggest; it’s possible to gain connection, awareness, and psychological flexibility in many ways. It’s a matter of finding what works for you.
I hope this helps.
- Comment on 3 months ago:
Sure. Please note that I am quite ignorant and unskilled when it comes to Linux. I will seem like someone who’s got shoes on but doesn’t know how to tie them. I’m sorry. I wish I was more skilled and knowledgeable.
ProtonVPN installed via YAST worked on OpenSuse Tumbleweed but didn’t work in OpenSuse Leap.
RStudio in NixOS was hard to update. For example, during the switch to Quarto instead of only Knittr, there was a period where I spent months without updates. I was using an old, old version.
With NixOS, Fedora, or OpenSuse, installing Signal from a program packaged by Signal itself was not possible. There was a Flatpack version run by a contributor, but nothing by an organization.
I totally recognize that I could learn more and become a better user. It’s just a bit frustrating that these weren’t problems for me over at the land of Surveillance Capitalism OSes. I hope these problems are solved with time.
- Comment on 3 months ago:
I’ve had loads of problems installing software and making it work.
- Comment on What keeps Americans from being mad about the state of their country? 3 months ago:
I bet soon you’ll see massive consequential protests.
- Comment on I'm just like some ordinary dude upset about what the government is doing. Doesn't anyone with any sort of means or influence care? Where are those guys? 4 months ago:
Assuming you are American and are referring to the American government, here’s what I think:
What I will say may be polemical. Brace yourself. I understand if you accuse me of being naive, a puppet of the Illuminati, or blind. Here’s what I believe: the future is democratic.
How can I possibly say that when Trump is in power, destroying democratic institutions like a bull in a cybertruck store? Image
(you know cybertruck, the car that breaks easily and cooks its passengers)
It is evident that Trump is an authoritarian populist. <details> <summary> Here’s what I mean by that. </summary> Authoritarian because he disregards democratic processes. His supporters don’t care that he may shackle them and put his hand on their mouths to never speak again. They are fine with that, as long as he builds The Swamp of America, a land where people are obsessed with their own bellybuttons, where everyone works like robots that never question the dogma shoved into their throats, and where corporations can bulldoze and burn the planet and still receive a pat in the back from The Orange Swamp Man because ape see number go up.
And populist because Trump is an Olympic athlete in the highly-unpopular sport of Never Picking Up A Book. Sorry if you already know the rules, but I personally didn’t know them until gramps revealed them to me when he was practicing his TedX Talk, How to Burn Books Without Picking Them Up. The sport itself (Never Picking Up A Book) involves playing golf, watching Fox News, and doom-scrolling on Facebook. Those are the traditional rules, but the lack of viewership lead the international committee to update the rules in the mid 2010s. Under the new rules, extra points are awarded to athletes who insult anyone who knows what they’re talking about. As you can see, populism here means systematically disregarding and discrediting expert opinions. </details>
And it is evident that America is currently experiencing a democratic backlash. There was too much freedom for people, too much freedom to choose who to be and what to do with their lives. People were questioning why things are the way they are. People were questioning why they have to slave away their lives paying college debt, medical debt, and mortgages. People were questioning why drunk Bezos, Musk, and Epstein tightly held the rail of their yacht while vomiting gold-infused vodka into The Swamp of America. The people who most extracted wealth from American people did not want to pay back or invest in its people.
Americans were ripped off by a swindler who sold them a beautiful knife. The knife itself wasn’t the problem. The problem was that the instructions were hard to follow. Americans have found it difficult to hold the smile on their face while stabbing themselves and twisting.
It’s important to note that not everyone bought the knife and stabbed themselves. Trump won by a slim margin and Trump is highly unpopular. Those of you who are still alive and well can do something about it. In fact, I’m willing to bet you will, because undemocratic governments do not survive democratic electorates.
How so? Imagine this scenario: Give a man a book and he may never pick it up. Teach a man to read and he’ll silently look around, noticing a lack of development and freedom. Teach men, women, children—everyone to read and you’ll have a bustling conversation. “Really? Is that fair?” “Why does the richest man on Earth not want to invest in the roads that his products use? Why does he not want to invest in the people that made him rich?” “My wife and I had bad accidents and we can’t work. Is our society so selfish that it doesn’t care about us?” This may seem cartoonish, but this is how people realize there’s a mismatch between the elite’s way of extracting and hoarding privileges and how everyday people see the situation.
Each critical thought, each enlightening conversation makes the pressure grow, like a balloon getting pregnant with air, ready to burst at any moment.
All of this language may seem allegorical, metaphorical, out of touch, and absurd. But it is based on decades of research on how democracies are formed and sustained. Check out this article and its cited literature if you’re interested: journalofdemocracy.org/…/why-the-future-is-democr…
As to what you can do, I’d recommend learning how to frame discussions. I am learning how to do it. It enables me to have conversations with people in such a way that they understand me, truly understand me, even if they were previously unable to because of Trump brainwashing. And it works compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/…/spc3.12501 researchgate.net/…/337861541_Moral_reframing_A_te… (sorry for the paywal; you can usually email academics and they’ll send you the text, or you can find alternative texts or sources).
- Comment on What are your favorite board games? I'm looking for games that are satisfying and lead to a sense of accomplishment or fulfillment or connection. 4 months ago:
Looks good! Thanks for the recommendation
- Submitted 4 months ago to games@lemmy.world | 68 comments
- Comment on For a group that considers .world to be Reddit 2.0 and a "CIA propaganda front" they seem to get awfully mad whenever it comes up 5 months ago:
Is this a shitpost?
- Comment on For a group that considers .world to be Reddit 2.0 and a "CIA propaganda front" they seem to get awfully mad whenever it comes up 5 months ago:
It sounds frustrating. I’m sorry it has been that way.
- Comment on [deleted] 8 months ago:
Alright. Given that you’re interested in psychology, feel free to check these resources out: dnav.international/video-audio-resources/ dnav.international/…/DNA-V-workbook-april-15-2020…
These are introductions to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.
You can also check out the Healthy Minds Program hminnovations.org/meditation-app
- Comment on [deleted] 8 months ago:
You mention not having money for therapy. There is evidence suggesting that therapy like Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is effective even if learned through books. What is important is to learn the mental processes that matter.
Here is an approach to therapy that you could try: youtu.be/o79_gmO5ppg
Sorry if my questions sound harsh. I genuinely want to know if this could help. How do you feel about reading books? Have you done it before? Do you have a place and time to read without distractions? Would reading from a device be feasible for you?
- Comment on Why is it that rhyming words seems to be pleasant/melodious to hear in rap/poetry?? 9 months ago:
I like the novelty/predictability ratio idea. There is also the idea of “create expectations and satisfy them”, which leads to a sense of stability. Our cultures and genres create expectations. Rhymes tied to a certain metric can become part of these expectations. Of course, you can also create expectations and frustrate them, which leads to a sense of instability. Searching for “fakeout rhyme” videos makes this evident. Pat Pattison, an expert in songwriting, could be a good source on this ☺️
- Comment on Anon drives a bus 9 months ago:
- Comment on I definitely never unsubscribed from a YouTube channel just for that... 10 months ago:
I appreciate your passion for scientific literacy - it’s crucial for combating misinformation. However, I’d like to share some perspectives that might broaden our understanding of scientific knowledge and how it develops.
First, it’s worth noting that the distinction between “theory” and “hypothesis” isn’t as clear-cut as we might think. In “The Scientific Attitude,” Stephen McIntyre argues that what truly defines science isn’t a rigid set of rules, but rather an ethos of critical inquiry and evidence-based reasoning. This ties into the “demarcation problem” in philosophy of science - the challenge of clearly defining what is and isn’t science. Despite this ongoing debate, science continues to be a powerful tool for understanding our world.
Your stance seems to align with positivism, which views scientific knowledge as objective and verifiable. However, other epistemological approaches exist. Joseph A. Maxwell’s work on critical realism offers a nuanced view that acknowledges both the existence of an objective reality and the role of human interpretation in understanding it.
Maxwell defines validity in research not just as statistical significance, but as the absence of plausible alternative explanations. This approach encourages us to constantly question and refine our understanding, rather than treating any explanation as final.
Gerard Delanty’s “Philosophies of Social Science” provides a historical perspective on how our conception of science has evolved. Modern views often see science as a reflexive process, acknowledging the role of the researcher and societal context in shaping scientific knowledge.
Larry McEnery’s work further emphasizes this point, describing how knowledge emerges from ongoing conversations within communities of researchers. What we consider “knowledge” at any given time is the result of these dynamic processes, not a static, unchanging truth.
Understanding these perspectives doesn’t diminish the power or importance of science. Instead, it can make us more aware of the complexities involved in scientific inquiry and more resistant to overly simplistic arguments from science deniers.
By embracing some psychological flexibility around terms like “theory” and “hypothesis,” we’re not opening the door to pseudoscience. Rather, we’re acknowledging the nuanced nature of scientific knowledge and the ongoing process of inquiry that characterizes good science.
What do you think about these ideas? I’d be interested to hear your perspective and continue this conversation.
- Comment on is it possible to be married and still feel lonely? 10 months ago:
Sorry if it seems excessive. I simplified the text. It is just frustrating to see blanket explanations for human behavior, instead of understanding specific processes. The whole fundamental attribution error thing…
While I recognize Emotion Focused Therapy is helpful to understand and, if possible, change behavior (which is why I mentioned it previously), I maybe should have brought up Emption Construction Theory or even Sapolsky’s multi-lens framework, considering different timescales of explanation. Would you have suggested something different? When does contextual behaviorism fail?
- Comment on is it possible to be married and still feel lonely? 10 months ago:
Anytime we talk about human behavior, it is a good idea to learn and use the lens of behavioral contextualism. What behavioral contextualism says is that all behavior should be understood in context, including internal contexts, such as thoughts and emotions, as well as external contexts, such as stimuli from environments and other people. Anything that you read here, including this comment, should be held as a hypothesis until we understand what things (words that come out of your coworker’s mouth or their behaviors, or your coworkers history or any other relevant factor) led to the behavior. It is crucial to understand what things mean to your coworker to make any sensible analysis.
This does not mean that we cannot start formulating good hypotheses. It would be a good idea to learn about contextual behaviorism. Another incredibly powerful lens is the recognition that your coworker is a mammal, and specifically a human being. The vast majority of humans need to feel connected and understood. This can be understood very well through the lens of emotionally focused therapy. Sue Johnson is a great resource to learn how certain kinds of conversations create connection in relationships. This lens will become useful if our contextual behavioral analysis concludes that the problems that you are describing are caused by a lack of a sense of connection. However, once again, contextual behaviorism is the way to go.
Here’s a ranked list of resources, considering comprehensiveness, accessibility, and practical utility:
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“Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: An Experiential Approach to Behavior Change” by Steven C. Hayes, Kirk D. Strosahl, and Kelly G. Wilson
- This book is considered a foundational text in contextual behaviorism and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).
- It’s comprehensive and includes numerous clinical examples.
- While it’s aimed at clinicians, it’s relatively accessible to motivated lay readers.
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“Learning RFT: An Introduction to Relational Frame Theory and Its Clinical Applications” by Niklas Törneke
- This book provides an excellent introduction to Relational Frame Theory, a key component of contextual behaviorism.
- It’s written in a clear, accessible style with many examples.
- It’s particularly useful for understanding how language and cognition influence behavior.
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“The Act in Context: The Canonical Papers of Steven C. Hayes” edited by Steven C. Hayes and Stefan G. Hofmann
- This collection of papers provides a deep dive into the theoretical foundations of contextual behaviorism.
- It’s more academic in nature but offers a comprehensive overview of the field’s development.
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“A Liberated Mind” by Steven C. Hayes
- This is a self-help book based on contextual behaviorism principles.
- It’s very accessible and includes numerous exercises and examples.
- While not as comprehensive as academic texts, it’s excellent for practical application.
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“Contextual Behavioral Science: Creating a Science More Adequate to the Challenge of the Human Condition” by Steven C. Hayes and Stefan G. Hofmann
- This book provides a broader overview of contextual behavioral science.
- It’s more advanced and theoretical but offers valuable insights into the philosophical underpinnings of the approach.
If and only if the contextual behaviorist analysis concludes that human connections is the issue, you can read Sue Johnson’s books.
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