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I don't get the hate this is getting in the comments. Everything in it rings true. There absolutely is such a thing as non-chemical addictions. Gambling addicti

I don't get the hate this is getting in the comments. Everything in it rings true. There absolutely is such a thing as non-chemical addictions. Gambling addictions being the most notable. Being a work-a-holic is another. It should come as wholly uncontroversial that there really is a large fraction of students addicted to the grade-game. Hell we've all seen this. The type who shamelessly asks "will this be on the test?". The type who is not even pretending like they care about the content or like they will bother to retain any information after passing the class. The grade game is no better nor worse a game to be addicted to than a casino game. What is the difference between the addicts society looks up to and the ones it looks down on? I don't know either.

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russelldjimmy 4y ago
I could relate to this article and I’m glad it was written. HN has a strange obsession with demanding “citations” when someone is writing an anecdotal experience. It’s as though anecdotes are immediately dismissed as “false” till they’re backed with “citations” which are “true”. It’s bizarre.
- tomrod 4y ago
  As my comment was calling out the citations, allow me to clarify that if one is defining a new category of pathology, it would be wise to build on prior support. This is why citations get requested. I get the intent of the article, but still feel it dilutes the meaning of addiction by claiming good grades are addictive.
chongli 4y ago
The difference is that the grade game can lead to positive life outcomes. People who do really well in school, all else being equal, tend to do better in life. Of course, all else is rarely equal and people who spend all their time studying tend to have a difficult time making friends. How that affects them in the long run is difficult to say. Very few people continue to take courses throughout their lives. At some point the grades game comes to an end.
memen 4y ago
Your examples are literally describing the average student. Everyone asks 'will this be on the test' and everyone will say they forget everything the day after the exam. Maybe this depends on many factors, such as field of study, male/female ratio, country etc. But the main cause might be that all results and achievements are described in numbers. And those numbers are the sole measure of success. Student loans are forgiven based on grades. You are not allowed to continue your studies based on your grades. You will be hired based on your grades. Maybe it is society that makes these grades more important than they should be, so calling it an addiction is pointless if you don't take into account other motivating factors.
- IIAOPSW 4y ago
  No, not everyone asks that. And at higher level courses such as grad school, where everyone there has self-selected to be there out of interest, pretty much nobody ever asks that. Maybe you feel that way, but don't project yourself onto everyone.
  - memen 4y ago
    Of course your milage may vary, but in my experience (N=1) people have been asking it from start of high school to end of graduate school. Also, of course not everyone asks, but many. Personally, I also do not think it is weird to ask, as it would be sad to miss points just for misunderstanding the material required for the exam.

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russelldjimmy 4y ago

I could relate to this article and I’m glad it was written. HN has a strange obsession with demanding “citations” when someone is writing an anecdotal experience. It’s as though anecdotes are immediately dismissed as “false” till they’re backed with “citations” which are “true”. It’s bizarre.

tomrod 4y ago
As my comment was calling out the citations, allow me to clarify that if one is defining a new category of pathology, it would be wise to build on prior support. This is why citations get requested. I get the intent of the article, but still feel it dilutes the meaning of addiction by claiming good grades are addictive.

chongli 4y ago

The difference is that the grade game can lead to positive life outcomes. People who do really well in school, all else being equal, tend to do better in life. Of course, all else is rarely equal and people who spend all their time studying tend to have a difficult time making friends. How that affects them in the long run is difficult to say. Very few people continue to take courses throughout their lives. At some point the grades game comes to an end.

memen 4y ago

Your examples are literally describing the average student. Everyone asks 'will this be on the test' and everyone will say they forget everything the day after the exam. Maybe this depends on many factors, such as field of study, male/female ratio, country etc. But the main cause might be that all results and achievements are described in numbers. And those numbers are the sole measure of success. Student loans are forgiven based on grades. You are not allowed to continue your studies based on your grades. You will be hired based on your grades. Maybe it is society that makes these grades more important than they should be, so calling it an addiction is pointless if you don't take into account other motivating factors.

IIAOPSW 4y ago
No, not everyone asks that. And at higher level courses such as grad school, where everyone there has self-selected to be there out of interest, pretty much nobody ever asks that. Maybe you feel that way, but don't project yourself onto everyone.
- memen 4y ago
  Of course your milage may vary, but in my experience (N=1) people have been asking it from start of high school to end of graduate school. Also, of course not everyone asks, but many. Personally, I also do not think it is weird to ask, as it would be sad to miss points just for misunderstanding the material required for the exam.