Neurofrontiers @neurofrontiers@social.cleverlibre.org

@NicoleCRust Thank you as well!

@NicoleCRust Yes, I find it easier to write there because I can spend a lot of time researching the information. It also helps that I can write as much as I want to explain myself, so I feel like I can integrate the information better into a wider context.
Yes, at least for me it would be an incredibly helpful learning opportunity if more established folks took the time to engage with the topics of those less established and it would reduce some of the anxiety around it.

Watching friends and family fall prey to various pseudoscientific ideas and from there delving deeper into conspiracy theory territory is such a disheartening experience.

For one, once they start going down that rabbit hole, they completely stop listening to reason. Attempts to talk about their newfound beliefs, be it astrology, crystals, frequencies of the universe, or whatever, are at best met with the phrase "well, if you say so" followed by total shutdown. At worst, they start arguing that there's "two sides to everything" and that "just because we don't have that much evidence, it doesn't mean it's not true". And from there, they follow an almost certain path towards various fringe conspiracy theories, one more ridiculous than the next.

What's worse, there seems to be some sort of pseudoscience for everyone. Even those with a decent background in STEM will find something that suits them. The newest craze seems to biohacking/neurohacking. People pumping themselves full of supplements, or getting "maps of their optimal brain frequencies" or using all sorts of gadgets to increase their quantity of REM or non-REM sleep and other equally ridiculous "self-optimizing" ideas.

It's draining just standing by and watching them become increasingly more divorced from reality, all the while feeling so utterly powerless. And not only feeling powerless because there's nothing to say to even open up the possibility of discussion, but also because you feel yourself slowly turning into the sort of "well, actually..." smartass no one wants to have around. Feeling powerless because you see in real time how you're losing people who were once closest to you unless you sacrifice your beliefs and pretend to live in the same made-up fantasy world as they do.

#neuroscience #rant #scicomm

@NicoleCRust Fear of saying something wrong and making a fool of myself + contributing to the ever-growing mountain of misinformation.
Fear that maybe I misunderstood what the person was talking about when something doesn’t make that much sense to me.
Also sometimes I feel like what I wanted to say has already been articulated so much better by someone else, so no point in repeating.
But I’m trying to overcome this and post more, Mastodon seems much friendlier compared to the 🐥

@barefootstache Live talks. With the recorded ones it’s easier, I can pause, rewind or skip forward according to what I need, plus adjust the playback speed to something I’m comfortable with.

@AmandaSiegel This is a good tip, I’ll give it a try. Thank you!

@digital_carver True, that works for me as well, but like you said, those talks aren’t so common. I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one who has problems with the rest.

Serious question: how do you remain focused during talks? Does it come naturally to you? No matter how hard I try, my attention drifts to the voice and the intonation of the speaker and usually by the time I realize I’ve spaced out, I’ve already missed some key point, making it even more difficult to follow the rest.

I heard we’re doing #cat pictures