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Students are anxious – and it’s no surprise, since we are teaching them to be that way (theconversation.com)
submitted 3 days ago by supersquirrel@sopuli.xyz to c/publichealth@mander.xyz
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A theory dating back more than 100 years suggested that there is an optimal amount of stress for good performance, based on a study that had nothing to do with humans.

Researchers ran mice through a maze, using electric shocks to punish wrong choices. On harder tasks, moderate shocks produced the fastest learning, while stronger shocks made it worse. Over the years, this got reinterpreted into claims about punishment, reward, motivation and stress in humans.

But the original study was about how animals learn to avoid fear and pain, not about optimal learning at all. Once a mouse learns to avoid a shock, escape itself triggers dopamine release; in other words, the escape – not the discovery – is the reward.

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[-] supersquirrel@sopuli.xyz 8 points 3 days ago

What if we just age-gate sadness itself and don't let them be sad legally?

[-] kibblebits@quokk.au 8 points 3 days ago

Like an app that monitors them and reports shifts in moods and administers drugs to improve attitude and alerts the government?

That seems like the logical next step for America. Haha.

[-] dangling_cat@piefed.blahaj.zone 2 points 3 days ago* (last edited 7 hours ago)

Heck, why not expend it to the adults

[-] Kolanaki@pawb.social 2 points 3 days ago

Prisons are overcrowded as it is; I'm not sure they could handle ~18% of the entire population of the country.

[-] Deyis@beehaw.org 2 points 3 days ago

I’m not sure they could handle ~18% of the entire population of the country.

Well certainly not with that attitude...

[-] supersquirrel@sopuli.xyz 2 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Well the reason for that is clearly we aren't punishing people enough!

See this is PRECISELY WHY self defeating cruelty is the only choice we have!

this post was submitted on 02 Aug 2026
73 points (100.0% liked)

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