The psychology of the Reveal x Solutions button and how annoying it can be.

Learned helplessness is a bad feeling that makes one give up and suffer the pain, even if there's a way to avoid it. But sometimes, it can be a good thing. When the pain is just temporary and there's a huge reward at the end of it and if all you have to do is bear it, learned helplessness is a good thing.

What has this got to do with the Reveal x number of Solutions button that you see at the bottom corner of each question? Well, a problem brings you frustration. When you don't solve it, you keep ruminating about different methods, or at least that's what I have done. But when you do solve a problem that you found difficult, you feel like the king of the world. So, the frustration is just temporary if and when you pull through. But if you find a teacher or a mentor or someone else to help you with even one part of the problem, you don't feel as good.

When there's no solution to be revealed, then you can only try to solve the problem on your own (if you don't have someone else to turn to). When there is only one or two solutions and only a few solvers, which happens often when the problem is a recently posted one, then you immediately think, I've tried hard but to no avail; so I might as well click on the button. But what of the times when you've found that you were really close to solving the problem and would've figured it out in another ten minutes or so? You feel robbed of that king of the world feeling and you feel disappointed.

In the case of when there are multiple solutions like 6 or more solutions, you say, if so many methods are out there and many people have done it, then I'm not gonna give up. And you try harder till you figure it out.

So, what I'm trying to say is, if you solve a problem that is relatively new and only a few people have solved it, then don't post your method immediately. Let others try it out and get the satisfaction of solving the problem. Post your solution a week later so that the ones who are truly stuck can get through.


Note by Vishnu C
4 years, 8 months ago

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  Easy Math Editor


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