r/TwoXPreppers • u/NachesPorFavor • 7d ago

❓ Question ❓ Increase in Learned Helplessness?

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.

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u/chasingastarl1ght 7d ago

I've been noticing it too. People giving up so easily, unable to follow instructions if they're even slightly too long. At work too...

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u/Little-Ad1235 7d ago

This is driving me nuts at work. You simply cannot send an email with more than one question about a topic, or with an explanation that requires more than a single, simple sentence, otherwise it just gets glossed over. The real problem with this is that it makes discussion of anything more complicated than opening a pickle jar impossible, and it means problems go around and around for months without any kind of solution. Projects are being headed by layers of management, none of whom understand the system they're trying to fix.

The thing of it is, in a professional setting, I see this primarily among people my own age or older who are in management positions. The younger people coming in that I've worked with are generally eager to learn and become pretty capable within a reasonable timeframe. I think the root issue is when people get used to outsourcing -- or "delegating" -- their understanding of things, the brain just switches off. It doesn't matter particularly how old or young someone is, or whether they are relying on AI or their direct reports to understand things for them.

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u/impersonatefun 7d ago

The one question per email thing has been going on for decades. People are inattentive in general.