roland comments on Open thread, Oct. 10 - Oct. 16, 2016 - Less Wrong

3 Post author: MrMind 10 October 2016 07:00AM

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Comment author: roland 10 October 2016 12:20:15PM 3 points [-]

Is the following a rationality failure? When I make a stupid mistake that caused some harm I tend to ruminate over it and blame myself a lot. Is this healthy or not? The good thing is that I analyze what I did wrong and learn something from it. The bad part is that it makes me feel terrible. Is there any analysis of this behaviour out there? Studies?

Comment author: torekp 13 October 2016 12:36:16AM 0 points [-]

Well, unless you're an outlier in rumination and related emotions, you might want to consider how the evolutionary ancestral environment compares to the modern one. It was healthy in the former.

Comment author: pcm 10 October 2016 04:44:24PM 3 points [-]

I suspect attempted telekinesis is relevant.

Comment author: Tem42 13 October 2016 11:23:22PM 0 points [-]

If it is severe enough that you are posting here about it making you feel bad, it is worth trying to replace it with a mental habit that works equally well to prevent future errors but feels better.

It is good to gain control over your mental habits in general, and this sounds like a good place to start.

If those statements appear true to you, no other analysis of this behavior is likely necessary.