8 hours alone is a psychological experiment

This experiment involved 68 children aged 12 to 18 years. They voluntarily agreed to participate and spend eight hours alone. The children were forbidden to use any means of communication: TV, computer, mobile phone and others. While they had full access to a number of other activities: they can read, play musical instruments, write, do crafts, go for walks, play games, and the like.





Leader of the experiment was a family psychologist. Its purpose was to prove his working hypothesis. It was the fact that today's children, though the day you devote too much time, absolutely can't occupy yourself, and don't know anything about his inner world. According to the rules of this experiment, the children had to come the next day and the details of how these have been eight hours. During the experiment the children had to write all their actions and feelings and thoughts. Adolescents were told that if someone comes excessive anxiety or stress and unpleasant discomfort, the participants immediately had to stop the experiment, note the time of his termination and describe detailed cause.

Many will ask: what's wrong with that? At first glance, the experiment alone seems pretty harmless. Also mistakenly thought a psychologist. She thought that this experiment is perfectly safe. The results of the experiment were so unexpected and shocking that no one even could not imagine. Of all Teens – 68 – experiment managed to finish only three: two boys and one girl. The rest of the participants continued the experiment for various reasons: five people began to experience the strongest so-called "panic attack". Three have had thoughts about suicide. 27 participants felt symptoms such as hot flashes, sweating, feeling "a hair", nausea, extreme abdominal pain, dizziness and so on. Nearly every participant has experienced feelings of anxiety and fear.

Initial interest to experiment, the anticipation of novelty has disappeared among the participants in an hour or two. Of all the participants, only ten people have begun to feel some anxiety after three or more hours spent in solitude. The girl that was able to bring the experiment to the end, sent the teacher diary in which she for eight hours described in detail his condition. After reading the hair began to stir with a psychologist. Ethical considerations the publication of the diary was not subject. But it became known about what tried to take the Teens who participated in the experiment:

some just staring out the window or aimlessly wandering around the apartment;

— drew or tried to draw;

— engaged in exercise or exercised in the gym;

— filled diary, writing my thoughts, or just wrote letters on paper;

— preparing food or eating;

— doing school assignments, given that at the time of the experiment was the holidays, the children of despair began to do lessons;

— trying to put the puzzle;

— time spent with Pets;

— read or attempted to read;

— took a shower;

one boy played the flute, some guitar or piano;

one girl spent her time embroidering;

another girl prayed;

— the boy passed through the city on foot 25 miles;

some wrote poetry;

— engaged in cleaning the apartment;

some went outside, going to cafes or shops. According to the rules of the experiment to communicate with anyone was forbidden, but the parties apparently decided that the sellers are not in the bill;

— one guy went to the amusement Park and rode for three hours. The case ended with the fact that it began to vomit;

— one boy decided to spend time in the zoo;

— the girl went to the Museum of political history;

— a young man for five hours riding through the city on trolley buses and buses;

Each participant at some point have the desire to sleep, but this was not successful for anybody. As they wrote, they started to visit "bad" thoughts. After children interrupted the experiment, 20 people at once, using mobile phone, called my friends, 5 people immediately went to visit friends, 14 of them have used the Internet visited social network, 3 made a call to her parents. The remaining members immediately began to play computer games or watch TV. In addition, almost every teen turned to music. It is worth noting that immediately after the interruption of the psychological experiment all participants all the unpleasant symptoms disappeared.

After some time, 63, the former party agreed that the experiment not only interesting, but also very useful, especially for self-knowledge. Six people decided to conduct an experiment independently, and reported that, though not the first time, but they still managed to complete it successfully.

When participants analyzed their condition during the experiment, it was found that of these, 51 people have used phrases such as: "syndrome", "it appears that I can't live without...", "dependence", "withdrawal" and the like. All recognized that I was very surprised at the thoughts that had visited them during the experiment, but they were not able to focus on them, because their General condition was impaired.

But what did the children who successfully completed the experiment alone:

— one boy was engaged in the analysis and systematization of their collections. And then began to repot houseplants;

— the other boy for eight hours was building a model sailing ship, interrupted only for a meal and a walk with the dog.

It is worth noting that no boy of them have not experienced any negative emotions, as well as any strange thoughts visited.

Agree, there is something to ponder...

Source: mif-facts.com.ua