It’s just something that happens and we don’t have to react to it in the moment. It could be as simple as a voice on your answering machine saying “I’m not feeling it today”, or it could be something that has been ingrained in your mind for a long time.
A few years ago one of our colleagues created a spreadsheet of what we called “conditioned stimuli.” The way we defined it was that there was a stimulus that would cause a reaction in each of our brains. We would then see if any of our reactions matched up with the stimulus. We call the stimuli that cause reactions “unconditioned stimuli.
In our case, we were looking at things that could be triggered by a voice on your answering machine. One could be that you’ve been watching too much TV. Another could be that you’ve been smoking in the kitchen. A third could be that you’ve been eating too many cookies. All of which would cause some sort of reaction in your body, but none would match up with what was being said.
We were looking at stimuli that cause responses but not reactions. So if youve been watching too much TV then you would experience a negative reaction. But if youve been smoking in the kitchen then you would be somewhat irritated, but not quite angry. Similarly, if youve been eating too many cookies then you would probably feel a little sad, but not necessarily depressed.
The difference between a conditioned response and an unconditioned response is that a conditioned response is a result of a previous experience. It’s a response that has been programmed into your brain. In contrast an unconditioned response is something that’s completely your own.
Most people who smoke will become irritated, but not in a bad way. An irritated person will be more likely to throw their cigarette down the sink, the couch, and the dining room table. A depressed person, however, will be more likely to be depressed.
The difference is that when a person is depressed, they will make an effort to eliminate the pain. A depressed person won’t be the one who’s depressed and will only be the one who is depressed. They will, instead, be depressed about how depressed they are. A depressed person will be more likely to use alcohol or drugs to try to alleviate this depression.
To be depressed, you have to be in a state of constant negative self-awareness. And to be in a state of constant negative self-awareness, you have to be in a constant state of negative self-awareness.
Basically, this means that if you are in a depressed state and repeatedly go through the motions of being depressed, you become even more depressed. At the same time, an unconditioned stimulus (i.e. a stimulus that is not linked to a negative self-awareness state) makes it more likely that you will be depressed. It makes it more likely that you will use alcohol or drugs. It makes it more likely that you will try to alleviate the depression by using alcohol or drugs.
And now for the fun part – there’s a video of a guy in a bathtub who’s playing a song on his ustrum. It’s a bit distressing to be in a bathtub, but his ustrum is the only thing that keeps him floating in the water – so that’s probably a good thing.
