TʜᴇʀᴀᴘʏGⒶʀʏ⁽ᵗʰᵉʸ‘ᵗʰᵉᵐ⁾

Being a bodyless head with a freak long tongue is not only okay—it can be an exciting opportunity

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Cake day: August 29th, 2025

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  • Your concern about this isn’t entirely misplaced IMO. I’m not a scientist/researcher, but I am a psychotherapist with a background in behavioural psychology and neuroscience, and it seems to me that these findings don’t map onto clinical avolition (which is a persistent, punishment‑independent symptom) as the researchers suggest.

    Using positive punishment as an externalized analogue for an inherently internal aversion seems like an overgeneralization. Additionally, they seem to ignore important distinctions between avolition and anhedonia, showcasing a lack of understanding of the clinical context in which they hope their research will apply. (Granted, they do distinguish between initiation and valuation, but then appear to ignore this distinction in concluding its relevance to MDD (when it’s really only relevant to atypical depression)).

    This isn’t to say that the VS-VP pathway isn’t a potential target for treating motivational deficits, but it seems unlikely that it would be for the reasons stated. It sounds far more applicable to demand aversion in conditions like ADHD rather than depression.