Results: Electric Thoughts

Do you find yourself prone to daydreaming?

Given a choice, do you enjoy solitary activities?

Given a choice, do you find solitary activities exciting or overwhelming?

Given an extended period of unstructured solitary time of 6-15 minutes in a room deprived of external stimulus except for an electric shock machine, would you prefer ...

A recent study published in Science found that participants typically did not enjoy spending 6 to 15 minutes in a room by themselves with nothing to do but think. Rather, many preferred to administer electric shocks to themselves instead of being left alone with their thoughts. Most people seem to prefer to be doing something rather than nothing, even if that something is negative. Does this fact "shock" your sensibilities?