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Comment by kritiko | Hacker News Reader

maybe "intellectually stimulated" is poor phrasing.

But I think if you were to poll somebody staying up past their bedtime, they would say that they prefer their current activity to sleep in the moment. I.e. that they like doing it. Not to get too far afield, but how much evidence is there that gaming or reading or scrolling social media or whatever activities supposedly constitute "revenge bedtime procrastination" actually meet some criteria of addiction?

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You clearly don't experience this phenomenon. I'm jealous! But no, the whole problem is that I'm staying up late scrolling my phone even though sleep would be much more satisfying. And I can tell you that, in the moment! It's just hard to actually put my phone down and go to sleep.

I experience this phenomenon. I have made poor sleep hygiene decisions often in my life. What I'd dispute is that I actually prefer sleep in that moment. Maybe I'd prefer to be asleep. But when I'm on Twitter past midnight, generally I am conscious of the fact that I'm choosing to be reckless and have some fun instead of trying to fall asleep.

Revenge bedtime procrastinators are aware of that too. But in that moment, the recklessness overrides your better judgment. So how can you say when you "choose" to be reckless, you are not indulging in the same akrasia that addicts do?

No, most times that's not true for me. I often even consciously think "ugh, I'm exhausted, why aren't I asleep right now" and yet still feel "stuck"—sometimes for hours more! I'll even finish what I was doing—scrolling HN, for example—and then cast about desperately for some new distraction, even though I know that what I want to do most, & will feel best, is going to sleep.

I think you overestimate people's ability to make a decision that they themselves would consider preferable. If you ask someone engaged in destructive behavior whether they would prefer to continue, I think most would say no.

If you ask someone high on meth why they are doing it, they will say it's because it feels great.

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