Since COVID itself has enormous vascular and neurological effects, I’ve long wondered whether we’ve all become a little brain damaged from it, with the knock-on behavioral changes. Kinda the way a stroke or heart bypass surgery can leave a patient profoundly changed.
Yes. A recent study out of Rutgers department of cognitive neurology showed 50% of patients with long covid cognitive symptoms have no improvement after 2 years. This is terrifying.
I'm a long-hauler who had neurological symptoms for the first 3 years (corresponding heart activity). I knew when my symptoms dissipated but remain aware it could re-surface. I couldn't be around people b.c it triggered uber-sensory overload, but I don't remember, at any time, losing my compassion.
I figure it’s like everyone is on the line between asshole and saint, and then shifted a bit toward assholishness. A lot of folks, that shift doesn’t change anything noticeable. But averaged over the whole population it shows up. That’s my hypothesis, at least.
Great question
It is probably what tipped the election to Trump.
It would explain why people are legitimately getting dumber.
That and AI, which many are using to increasingly delegate cognitive thinking to hallucinating LLMs. This is fine 🔥
I think it started before the explosion of AI in everything, but it is definitely accelerating things. It's like people have forgotten your brain has to be used or it goes stagnant. It's why they recommend puzzles and brain teasers to help delay or prevent dementia.
just in time for the magat govt to screw us on healthcare
Probably. We also did a horrible, unacceptable job of processing it all as communities and a society. 1.2M died here, move on, everyone.
Definitely true. As a some who had to stop up my windows to keep out dust from the demolished World Trade Center, I know how bad we as a nation is at grief. We’d rather destroy another country (or even our own) than go to therapy. Or even allow ourselves a good cry.
!!!!
I haven't been able to cry in years. And I'm afraid that if I do cry, I won't be able to stop.
It’s ok to cry. I know I’ve had some good ones in recent years.
I would like to, but I can't. It's so bizarre
In fairness...how many people can afford therapy? Or take time off from their job to process? It's not us doing this. It's capitalism doing it to us.