[downmodding things I don't like] is getting emotionally invested in them. I have this experience too, even for comments. On reddit, where downmodding a commen

[downmodding things I don't like] is getting emotionally invested in them. I have this experience too, even for comments. On reddit, where downmodding a comment makes its down-arrow blue, it increases my attachment to it (partly because it makes them more visible - unlike HN's greying out). Every so often on reddit, I'll downmod to express my frustration, but then later put it back to neutral, because I don't want to be attached to it. I rarely downmod - and it even more rarely stays. I think this approach is not common. Is the issue of downmodding front-page because of the quality of recent HM articles? I'm finding HN less interesting over the past week or so (one symptom is the many recent meta-comments - including this one, unfortunately). I was thinking it's due to the US holidays... [thesis]: not having a downmod button is a good thing if you believe that you should be channeling your time and energy into things that matter. I agree. It's a bit like positive thinking, in that by attending to things that can help you, when you need something you have at your fingertips useful things - as opposed to filling your mind with things you don't like, when you reach for something, all you have is rubbish (or worse, arguments for why something isn't worthwhile). But then there's the problem: what if HN starts suggesting many articles that don't help you?