*edited

  • arsCynic@piefed.social
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    23 hours ago

    It actually does cause brain damage. I mentioned it in an essay (What if I paid for all my free software?):

    For one, power causes brain damage which renders rich people literally incapable of knowing what is best for others:

    “Subjects under the influence of power, he found in studies spanning two decades, acted as if they had suffered a traumatic brain injury—becoming more impulsive, less risk-aware, and, crucially, less adept at seeing things from other people’s point of view.”

    “And when he put the heads of the powerful and the not-so-powerful under a transcranial-magnetic-stimulation machine, he found that power, in fact, impairs a specific neural process, “mirroring,” that may be a cornerstone of empathy.” ―Power Causes Brain Damage, by Jerry Useem for The Atlantic.‍[16]

    • _1983@lemmy.world
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      22 hours ago

      I greatly enjoyed your essay and found it thought-provoking. I dug through the references regarding power and its effect on the brain (and loss of empathy), and it was both surprising to find it was researched/established scientifically and not-so-surprising in that it explains so much of these people’s behavior.

      Cheers

      • arsCynic@piefed.social
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        17 hours ago

        it explains so much of these people’s behavior

        Indeed. For me, realizing the cause of problems continues to be instrumental to keep things in perspective when solutions are often too complex to contemplate. However, in this case the conclusion is clear: a wealth/power cap has to become normalized. The inverse of vaccinations, you take money away so the indefinite growth mind virus doesn’t grab hold to infect or impact society.


        Thank you for having invested time and thought into my essay, it makes it all worthwhile, truly.