Why does long-term suffering seem to eliminate the desire to do much of anything?

[Ambivalent1]

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[EyesOfNight]

"Learned helplessness is a phenomenon in which after experiencing pain or discomfort in an inescapable situation, an animal or human will cease trying to avoid the suffering. They have learned that they are helpless - they believe they have no control over their situation, even if there is an opportunity to escape. This kind of conditioning was famously studied in Seligman's Learned Helplessness Experiment."

I think this is the reason. Scaling this up to human complexity, through prolonged suffering, misfortune, failure etc. a person learns that their actions will have a negative outcome or not change the outcome.

 

[FutureHanger]

what the other commenter said plus

• you have less happiness so you also have less dopamine motivating you
• depressed people have smaller anterior midcingulate cortices, which is a part of the brain involved in tenacity and doing things you don't want to do
• we have smaller prefrontal cortices, the most advanced part of the human brain which is involved in emotions and decision making
• we're so preoccupied with trying to live and handle things that stress or upset us that we don't have energy left to put into other things.

 

[UKscotty]

Depression makes you see all life as bleak and pointless. We can no longer see the joy and happiness of life.

Depression truly is evil, it even tells us we don't have it and we are the normal ones.

 

[ijustwishtodie]

Because you know that, no matter what you do, you can't get rid of the suffering hence there would be no point in trying

 

[kermudgeon]

@EyesOfNight & @FutureHanger thank you both so much for the scientific side of things. It really helps to hear that end of it.

 

[FutureHanger]

@EyesOfNight & @FutureHanger thank you both so much for the scientific side of things. It really helps to hear that end of it.

I didn't say anything too impressive I'm not an expert, I'm sure there's deeper explanations if you're more curious.

 

[kermudgeon]

I didn't say anything too impressive I'm not an expert, I'm sure there's deeper explanations if you're more curious.

Oh I'm looking

 

[cold_severance]

cause thats how your brain prioritizes its tasks, correctly i must say.

 

[whitefeather]

.

Brain scans show that long term pain literally shrinks the brain

 

[sserafim]

Cause you become desensitized and apathetic I guess? Anhedonia and apathy are symptoms of depression. I think you grow used to suffering and you barely have the energy to do anything anyways (because depression makes one lethargic). You get stuck in a rut and enter survival mode, where you're not living, but rather just surviving.

 

[ReadyOrNot?]

We didn't ask to be born. That's a huge factor I imagine. But that could just be the rationalization of a depression symptom.

 

[divinemistress36]

Severe suffering puts you straight in survival mode

 

[Raindancer]

For me it's because absolutely everything, even the smallest tasks take so much more effort. Both physically and mentally. I am so exhausted half the time I can't see straight.