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Personality Basins

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160 points qouteall | 4 comments | 21 Nov 24 12:25 UTC | HN request time: 0.001s | source
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wavemode ◴[21 Nov 24 13:18 UTC] No.42204042[source]▶
This article approaches human psychology from the perspective that, we are all neural networks and our output (actions) are all a learned function of our inputs (experiences).

This is a common (and convenient) perspective, especially among engineers, but doesn't reflect reality particularly well. We know large swathes of a person's personality is directly linked to their genetics.

The article extrapolates this neural network perspective onto other topics like, mental disorders and depression. The solution is made clear then - just learn how to not be mentally ill! Again, convenient. But not really reflective of reality.

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1. exe34 ◴[21 Nov 24 13:41 UTC] No.42204207[source]▶
> just learn how to not be mentally ill!

you can also learn to cope with mental illness with more or less self-destructive responses. not everybody gets a chance to learn healthier coping mechanisms.

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2. MrMcCall ◴[21 Nov 24 14:41 UTC] No.42204734[source]▶
Not everyone can just learn such coping mechanisms. Some people have physical problems that need physical help/remediation. Of course, our current psychiatric drugs are their risky attempts to help such folks. It is all very tricky, but we should all learn how to have better attitudes and behaviors.
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3. literalAardvark ◴[21 Nov 24 16:03 UTC] No.42205651[source]▶
Kind of, but the data isn't that great on that. There's some doubt about even SSRIs being net positive long term.

TL Dr: yes, some people have low levels of "X", but we have insufficient data about why that is.

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4. MrMcCall ◴[21 Nov 24 16:18 UTC] No.42205829{3}[source]▶
I agree, and the profit motive for the pharma corps seems to have really compromised their ethics (to put it mildly while giving them more benefit of doubt than I think they deserve).

Ultimately, medical science didn't even know the brain had a lymphatic system until this century. Futzing with the subtle biochem of neurotransmitters and hormones is quite beyond their abilities, looks to me. That doesn't appear to prevent them from making a solid off their profit, regardless of any negative results.

And, always, RIP Chris Cornell. Man, we miss that man's voice.