I have a theory. Although I’ve not done any statistically valid research on this yet, I can draw from professional experience and make some pretty strong correlations.
Here’s my theory: Angry, frustrated, mean people are not evil. They are simply bored.
Yup, that’s right. Bored.
In psychology, we know that the brain is a pretty busy place. There are 100 billion neurons, give or take 50 million or so, all firing electrical currents continuously in response to the over 50,000 messages the brain receives every day. You may wonder how such a place could be bored!
It’s not but, interestingly, the brain just loves all forms of entertainment. But if it’s not getting external stimulus, it will create something internally to keep itself amused. And because negative stimuli gets far more attention from all those neurons than positive stimuli, the brain will entertain itself with image after image of negative stuff.
You know this is going on when you have a bad thought about another person and then go on to construct an entire imaginary conversation filled with different scenarios, possibilities and outcomes, usually negative. Your brain will sit there and rehash, remodel and rewind ad infinitum and ad nauseum until its attention is taken elsewhere.
Mean-spirited people are giving their brains nothing positive to do, so the negative drones on and on.
Action – When you catch yourself caught in a spiral of negative thoughts towards yourself or someone else, STOP. Do not allow it to go on.
Instead, change mental activities. Think of a recent positive event or activity and respond to that. Imagine your wildest dream coming true and work that for a while. Even remembering how you used to play as a kid will provide positive entertainment for your brain.
I know my theory isn’t scientifically proven yet, but what the heck, it can’t be bad. Unless you’re bored!
(Do you have an amusing story about how you let your mind wander one day? Please share it in the comments box.)
I have to disagree with your theory. Mean people are evil because they are getting some kind of reward in some way for being the way that they are. They are taking that reward that they are getting and doing it over and over again, because of the reward that they are getting. Whether it be attention, striking fear in others, making themselves feel superior, they are getting something out of being that way, so that is why they continue.
I have been reading your daily posts for a while and have learned from them and enjoyed the time spent.
I feel that a lot of people want to try to explain away bad behavior or evil and not demand that each of us be responsible for our own actions. The way that this reads will give rise to someone saying that the reason that I killed my co-workers was that my mind was bored. It wasn’t my fault, my employer didn’t give me enough to do to keep my mind busy, so I was bored.
There is evil in the world or the absence of good. Let’s not try to diminish that fact.
Keep up the brain stimulation.