Why Humans Don't Collapse Like Calhoun's Mice

#psychology #humanbehavior #calhouneffect In the 1960s, a scientist gave a colony of mice everything they could need, and the colony fell apart. For 50 years people have asked: are humans next? So scientists tested the question on people. Here are five of those experiments, and what they reveal about the easy life you think you want. In this video we discuss: Why 12 of 18 men in one study chose to give themselves an electric shock rather than sit alone with their thoughts. What happened to the happiness of real lottery winners, and what a later study of Swedish lottery players found. Why one of the most crowded places on Earth also has some of the longest lives. How a reason to wake up (ikigai) and a sense of purpose were linked to longer lives, and why effort makes things feel more valuable. If you've ever felt bored on a perfect day off, this one is about you. DISCLAIMER: This video is for educational and entertainment purposes. It summarizes published research as accurately as possible. The ikigai and purpose studies show associations, not proof of cause, and the Calhoun experiments were on rodents, not humans. SOURCES: Wilson, T. D., Reinhard, D. A., Westgate, E. C., Gilbert, D. T., et al. (2014). Just think: The challenges of the disengaged mind. Science, 345, 75–77. University of Virginia; Harvard University. Brickman, P., Coates, D., & Janoff-Bulman, R. (1978). Lottery winners and accident victims: Is happiness relative? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 36(8), 917–927. Northwestern University; University of Massachusetts. Lindqvist, E., Östling, R., & Cesarini, D. (2020). Long-run effects of lottery wealth on psychological well-being. Review of Economic Studies, 87, 2703–2726. Smithsonian Magazine (2015). "This Old Experiment With Mice Led to Bleak Predictions for Humanity's Future" (John B. Calhoun, NIMH; quote by historian Edmund Ramsden). Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong SAR (2024). Women and Men in Hong Kong: Key Statistics (2023 life expectancy). The Lancet Public Health (2021). Understanding longevity in Hong Kong: a comparative study with long-living, high-income countries. Chan, Y.-K. (1999). Density, crowding, and factors intervening in their relationship: Evidence from a hyper-dense metropolis. Social Indicators Research. Holt-Lunstad, J., Smith, T. B., & Layton, J. B. (2010). Social relationships and mortality risk: A meta-analytic review. PLoS Medicine, 7(7). Brigham Young University. Sone, T., Nakaya, N., Ohmori, K., et al. (2008). Sense of life worth living (ikigai) and mortality in Japan: Ohsaki Study. Psychosomatic Medicine, 70, 709–715. Tohoku University. Hill, P. L., & Turiano, N. A. (2014). Purpose in life as a predictor of mortality across adulthood. Psychological Science, 25, 1482–1486. Carleton University; University of Rochester. Inzlicht, M., Shenhav, A., & Olivola, C. Y. (2018). The effort paradox: Effort is both costly and valued. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 22(4). University of Toronto; Brown University; Carnegie Mellon University. CHAPTERS: 0:00 Day nine of the perfect vacation 1:27 Test 1: The empty room 3:07 Test 2: The jackpot 5:28 Test 3: The crowd 7:38 Lab notes so far 8:08 Test 4: The reason to wake up 9:56 Test 5: The hard way 11:37 The results 12:08 Why humans aren't the mice WATCH NEXT: Why Does Your Brain Glitch? →    • 89% of People Feel Something That Never Ha...   The Secret Night Life of Ancient Humans →    • The Secret Night Life of Ancient Humans   What Did Ancient Humans Do All Day? →    • What Did Ancient Humans Do All Day?   Business inquiries: ozzyexplains@gmail.com #psychologyfacts #humanpsychology #boredom #purpose #ikigai #happiness #evolutionarypsychology #sciencefacts #stickman #ozzyexplains