When humans and animals realize that they have no control over their surroundings or what might happen, they begin to think, feel, or act in a passive and helpless manner.
This phenomenon is called learned helplessness, and it is not an inherent trait; no human or animal is born with the idea or belief that they can lose control of their environment at any time. It is a learned behavior that develops over time through a series of experiences in which an individual is unable to control their circumstances, or believes that they lack control.
In the 1960s, Seligman in the United States conducted experiments on dogs. He locked the dogs in cages so that they could not escape, and then gave them painful electric shocks. At first, the dogs would try to escape, over and over again. At first, they would show some resistance, but as the number of times accumulated, the dogs gradually got used to this behavior. When the dogs were given the opportunity to escape, the cages were opened, and electric shocks were given, but the dogs would not escape. Instead, they habitually waited for the electric shocks, waiting for the pain to come. Similar experiments have been done on rats and humans.
When no matter how hard you try, you don’t get the desired result and end up in failure, you will enter a state of self-doubt, your spirit and fighting spirit will slowly be worn away, and you will eventually give up and fall into trouble.
This method is more widely used in human experiments in war.
Back to the life of human beings today, there are some self-fulfilling prophecy hints, such as others will label you in various ways, what kind of person are you? Weak willpower and independent thinking will lead to the other party's point of view, and will prove what you really are, which is a psychological hint of not being affirmed. Love and encouragement are really important in daily life, just like a friend asked me why I am always so gentle, even if I don't say a lot, I will be healed. Yes, when you have a true intention to do good for others and understand others, empathy will make you gentle.
In our ordinary education, we are taught to endure hardships. As we grow up, no matter how hard we try, we cannot change the status quo, and we will gradually give up changing and accept the status quo.
There are many similar cases of learned helplessness.
So how should we change? First of all, we should jump out of our inherent thinking mode, be the master of our own thoughts, recognize our own value, and walk with people who truly appreciate and tolerate our shortcomings. Don't compare your shortcomings with others' strengths. Don't get stuck in a dead end, walk out of the dead end, don't keep going around in the dead end, changing the road may be the turning point of your life.
You can regain the initiative in life, find things that can ignite your heart, dispel the feeling of being out of control, and face life positively. For example, reading, petting cats, running, etc., find the power of things that can cleanse your soul.
Just like trading, it is very difficult to get wealth by doing many things at once. If you don’t get it and fail repeatedly, you will feel frustrated. Over time, you will also develop learned helplessness. So, can you stop first and see if there is any problem with your ideas and methods, slow down, and move forward steadily step by step? I believe that there will always be the strength and wisdom to overcome those difficulties.
You can also set yourself a small achievable goal. After achieving it, give yourself a reward. The reward can be anything as a positive psychological hint to keep moving forward. No matter how big or small the task is, as long as it is completed, it can convey positive feedback to the brain. Therefore, instead of sighing in frustration, it is better to act quickly, even doing trivial things, such as tidying up. Doing so will make you feel down to earth and help reduce anxiety.
The prejudice in your heart is like a mountain that cannot be moved, but you can change your perspective and bypass it. If you change your prejudice, everything will become clear.
Today is the weekend, I hope this short article can bring some changes to your "learned helplessness", spread more warm energy to the people around you, and wish you a happy life 🌞
