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Never understood the disdain for people for trying wacky sounding self-improvement techniques. Just like I wouldn't make fun of the 17% of Americans who take an

Never understood the disdain for people for trying wacky sounding self-improvement techniques. Just like I wouldn't make fun of the 17% of Americans who take antidepressant pills to feel happier, I'm definitely not going to make fun of people fasting or using sauna to feel happy.

_bxg1 7y ago
I think the disdain comes from seeing marketing outweigh science. What people really disdain are companies that offer snake oil in bad-faith, but they secondarily disdain the people who fall for it. The benefits of antidepressants are backed up with science; the benefits of faraday tents are not. Of course, it's still not really right to disdain people for being overly-optimistic to the point of being gullible.
deleted 7y ago
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Veen 7y ago
It’s not the doing of these things by people that’s annoying. It’s the conviction that it’s their duty to make sure that everyone else 1) knows that they’re doing it and 2) is doing it too.
rchaud 7y ago
Antidepressants undergo clinical trials and are prescribed by medical professionals. There is no glamour or publicity in that at all. The comparison would be closer if you were talking about IG fitness influencers selling 'fit tea' and 'all-day energy BBCAs'.
- rhinoceraptor 7y ago
  I'm sure the fasting market is really going to take off soon, there's a killing to be made selling absolutely nothing.
  - rchaud 7y ago
    The "fasting" is the "nothing". The "fasting prep" is where the money will be made: - sleep optimization products (white noise machines, blackout curtains, lucid dreaming BS guides) - fasting-friendly recipes and nutritional guides - branded water flasks etc. etc. I've seen college kids on IG sell "workout guides" which are basically a Word doc they converted to PDF. They look like models, so polish and presentation of the final product isn't nearly as important as the polish and presentation the influencer put on themselves before going on camera.
echlebek 7y ago
Fair point! But imagine the reaction if Dorsey was stocking Twitter lunch rooms with anti-depressant pez dispensers. There's a difference between personal choice and advocacy.

_bxg1 7y ago

I think the disdain comes from seeing marketing outweigh science. What people really disdain are companies that offer snake oil in bad-faith, but they secondarily disdain the people who fall for it. The benefits of antidepressants are backed up with science; the benefits of faraday tents are not. Of course, it's still not really right to disdain people for being overly-optimistic to the point of being gullible.

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]

Veen 7y ago

It’s not the doing of these things by people that’s annoying. It’s the conviction that it’s their duty to make sure that everyone else 1) knows that they’re doing it and 2) is doing it too.

rchaud 7y ago

Antidepressants undergo clinical trials and are prescribed by medical professionals. There is no glamour or publicity in that at all. The comparison would be closer if you were talking about IG fitness influencers selling 'fit tea' and 'all-day energy BBCAs'.

rhinoceraptor 7y ago
I'm sure the fasting market is really going to take off soon, there's a killing to be made selling absolutely nothing.
- rchaud 7y ago
  The "fasting" is the "nothing". The "fasting prep" is where the money will be made: - sleep optimization products (white noise machines, blackout curtains, lucid dreaming BS guides) - fasting-friendly recipes and nutritional guides - branded water flasks etc. etc. I've seen college kids on IG sell "workout guides" which are basically a Word doc they converted to PDF. They look like models, so polish and presentation of the final product isn't nearly as important as the polish and presentation the influencer put on themselves before going on camera.

echlebek 7y ago

Fair point! But imagine the reaction if Dorsey was stocking Twitter lunch rooms with anti-depressant pez dispensers. There's a difference between personal choice and advocacy.