We all crave a "little peace and quiet," from time to time, but a study sheds (ahem) shocking light on how hard it actually is for us to deal with it once we've found it. "We, like everyone else, noticed how wedded people seem to be to modern technology, and seem to shy away from just using their own thoughts to occupy themselves," lead researcher Timothy Wilson of the University of Virginia told The Atlantic. So, in a course of 11 experiments, the researchers asked participants to occupy themselves only with their own thoughts for 6 to 15 minutes. In the first experiments, 58% of participants said it was more than "somewhat" difficult to do. In another, done privately, over 32% admitted to cheating by distracting themselves with their phone, music, etc.
The most dramatic results came when participants were hooked up to a machine designed to deliver a painful electrical shock. Though they had felt it before (some even saying they'd pay money to avoid a shock), a quarter of the women and two-thirds of male subjects voluntarily shocked themselves rather than be alone with their thoughts.
Possible Preaching Angle:
So, having trouble with your quiet time? You're not alone. But the good news? Practice, the researchers hypothesize, may eventually help you enjoy silence … at least more than electrocution.