Study finds people would rather electrocute themselves than spend 15 minutes alone with their thoughts.

Photo: flickr/tomasfanoA lot of people these days talk about the importance of "disconnecting"--turning off your cell phone, not checking email, and just relaxing without distractions. Of course, if you've ever tried it, you probably found that living distraction-free is easier said than done. Well, according to this paper, you're not alone. This study--published in the tip top journal Science, no less--found that when participants were asked to spend 6 to 15 minutes in a room by themselves with no distractions, most had a very difficult time doing it. In fact, the authors found that "simply being alone with their own thoughts for 15 min was apparently so aversive that it drove many participants to self-administer an electric shock that they had earlier said they would pay to avoid." (Unsurprisingly, more men than women chose to shock themselves.) Why do people find it so difficult to spend time with themselves? The ...