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⬅️ Previous capture (2023-01-29)
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We're living in times in which we're constantly bombarded not just with information, but with literally everything. The psychology community calls them supra-stimuli. Stimuli which the brain has not adapted to understand, and drives it into sensory overload. We can name a few notable ones: junk food, ads, social media, the internet, drugs, cigarettes, cookies with crack and the list can go on.
The brain was not developed for periods of abundance. Our ancestors barely found food, yet now we have instant delivery to our door of anything we please. Junk food especially overloads the brain, by giving it much food and very very stimulant one, usually containing many synthetic elements. It strengthens and forms addictive neural pathways, and at the same time weakens the frontal cortex, which is responsible for you being "you", decision making and self control. The less self control you have, the higher the likelihood is that you'll bring them cash.
Obviously, one cannot go all their life with their brain being fried non-stop. This quite explains why we have a very high rate of mental illnesses, especially because it skyrocketed after locking. In 2017, we had about 800 million people globally with mental issues. The figure now is probably much higher. Isolating people makes them turn to hedonistic activities to drown their loneliness and other issues, and with plenty of time in their hands, they quickly became addicted to their products.
Being stuck in your home, also promoted social media, and indirectly, being connected 24/7, thus being bombarded by information. This allowed the rise of mass surveillance and mental issues to get even worse. The saddest thing is that people think that they cannot get disconnected. Getting served the "news" to stay up-to-date, is even more damaging for the brain. Social media actively promotes mental issues and encourages people to "identify," often causing mental illnesses to sane people.
We all should slow down and let our brains see how a day with no supra-stimuli is. Without enticing internet rabbit holes, without unhealthy food, without being bombarded by information.