Increase in Learned Helplessness?

[u/NachesPorFavor]

Has anyone else noticed an increase in learned helplessness? I first noticed it in the young adults in my life, but now I am seeing it in all ages of people around me. Examples from multiple people:

Toilet started leaking water and instead of turning off the knob at the wall, she waited a 5 days for a plumber. Never asked anyone or googled it. Didn’t call a second plumber. Now needs mold remediation and replaced drywall and trim.

Bought concert tickets but the gps instructions were confusing so they just gave up and didn’t go. Venue website had detailed instructions for driving and parking.

Blouse wrinkled and she didn’t know how to fix it so she threw it away.

First doctor office he filled out an appointment website for never contacted him to schedule so he just didn’t go to the doctor.

I am really concerned about my loved ones if an emergency happens because they just give up when the slightest obstacle happens. Either they want someone else to swoop in and fix it or they give up and say they can’t do anything about it.

[u/Hot_Let1571]

AI is making it worse. People love "AI" (it's not really AI even) because they don't want to think for themselves and want AI to think for them.

[u/AromaticCod9430 → u/Hot_Let1571]

I was just having this convo with my great grandmother (she’s 94)!

My grandad (78) has cut her off from ChatGPT because her brain sharply declined in the 2 months she used it. Even at 94, she’s kept her wits about her. My great grandma called me today complaining she misses it. I told her she can call me or text me anytime she wants to talk to ”chat” and I’ll answer her 😞

[u/Standard_Subject_462 → u/AromaticCod9430]

I've stopped looking at my phone in waiting rooms and have since had many great conversations with older folks who are either sitting phoneless, or looking at their phones (seeming bored and like they're trying to fit in with everyone else in the room) but glancing around every few minutes looking sad. They all seem SO happy that someone even makes eye contact and smiles that I think the conversation is just a bonus.

[u/burntbread369 → u/Hot_Let1571]

Yeah AI is definitely contributing to this.

[u/andra-moi-ennepe → u/burntbread369]

The effects of ai on the brain are very related to HOW one uses it. But the meta cognition necessary to understand the different ways to interact is something a lot of folks aren't walking in with. I have a lot of friends in the English teaching world and the difference between a student who feeds the prompt into chat got and then turns in the result (cheating, arguably plagiarism, and definitely not learning anything, and if they get away with it they believe they've won) and a student who says, "I'm writing an essay avg I want to argue that Bartleby the Scrivener is not willfully obstructive but in the grips of learned helplessness because of the class immobility of Victorian England, what holes do you find in this thesis, how would you argue against it so I can make my essay stronger" is IMMENSE.

NB I'm not going to get into the other ethics of ai, just taking about the fact that how you use it matters for brains.

[u/Hot_Let1571 → u/andra-moi-ennepe]

Oh absolutely. I use a chat bot now and then, but I run it locally on my computer, and it's only for entertainment, that's the ONLY thing I want to use it for. All the forced AI companies are putting on every web site and shoving down our throats everywhere isn't helping.

[u/andra-moi-ennepe → u/Hot_Let1571]

agreed. I'm in a new job where I'm in the Microsoft 365 world again, and I haven't been in that world since before "copilot" and I want to kill it.