Studies of stress and stress related illnesses consistently show that any situation is made much worse by a sense of powerlessness. Indeed despite everything you hear about how stressful management is, janitors suffer more stress-related illnesses.

One amusing early study on this was involved two rats in two cages. Both were hooked up to a wire which would deliver shocks to both. One had a lever that would turn off the shock, the other had no recourse. Guess which one wound up a nervous wreck? IIRC, when random shocks were delivered, the situation got even worse. Apparently predictable misery (eg Monday) is less stressful than not knowing where and when your next blow is coming from. (An amusing side note. Random reinforcement also turns out to be very effective. Consider this the next time you see a gambler at the slot machines...)

For what little it is worth, my adult life has been far more enjoyable than my childhood was. Strangely enough being an adult and getting paid for my life-long love of learning is far more enjoyable than getting bullied for the same. Being a 6'3" man is much nicer than being a scrawny kid.

YMMV. Warranty void where prohibited. Etc.

In reply to RE (tilly) 3: I'd rather be by tilly
in thread I'd rather be by vroom

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