Re:Long-term unemployment leads to disengagement and apathy
by bumby on Tuesday September 03, 2024 @10:19AM
(#41435227)
>They become that way because they lack the finances to control their lives,
Yes, autonomy seems to be a fundamental aspect of well-being.
>I guarantee you those unemployed people would start feeling engaged again.
I'm always a little hesitant when I hear someone say they "guarantee" something based on a thought experiment. But the little data we have, like the recent Sam Altman-funded UBI experiment, doesn't seem to back up this idea. While people said they were more open to thoughts of aspects like entrepreneurial activities and education, it didn't actually manifest in real actual engagement in those activities.
The reason people become disengaged and apathetic has nothing to do with employment. They become that way because they lack the finances to control their lives, and because financial instability causes stress and anxiety.
Let's change the study a bit. Instead of just watching and tracking these unemployed people, say the people running the study started depositing money into these people's bank accounts. And they just told them, "keep doing what you're doing in general, but you don't need to worry about paying your bills or feeding yourself or your families".
I guarantee you those unemployed people would start feeling engaged again. It's not the job, it's the money.