John L. Taylor @johnnylogic@qoto.org

[This](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFmFOmprTt0) is a classic demonstration of learned helplessness.

Learned helplessness is arguably a good heuristic for motivational economy-- basically, don't waste effort on avoiding the inevitable. Unfortunately, it can lead to patterns of self-fulfilling powerlessness, and worse learned helplessness can be deliberately engendered as a means of control. Beware of the stories you tell yourself (and especially others tell you!) about what you can and cannot accomplish, individually and collectively.

#Agency, #Depression, #Motivation, #Psychology

A classic paper on giving and happiness:

[Spending Money on Others Promotes Happiness](https://sci-hub.se/10.1126/science.1150952)
Elizabeth W. Dunn, Lara B. Aknin, Michael I. Norton

Although much research has examined the effect of income on happiness, we suggest that how people spend their money may be at least as important as how much money they earn... [P]articipants who were randomly assigned to spend money on others experienced greater happiness than those assigned to spend money on themselves.

#Generosity, #Giving, #Happiness, #Money, #Psychology

By way of #introduction, I am a Director of Research working on online #fraudprevention. I aim to protect people from fraud while establishing trust and safety for businesses.

My professional interests include #datascience, #machinelearning, #dataengineering, #designthinking, #innovation, #research, and #dataethics. My personal interests are numerous and include #philosophy (esp. #ethics, #science, and #epistemology), #psychology (esp. #cognition, #positivepsychology, #therapy), and philosophies of life (esp. #buddhism, #humanism, #stoicism, #taoism).

Hobby-wise, I am an #exercise and #martialarts enthusiast. I also enjoy #nature, #hiking, and the #outdoors, generally.