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Concept
Laziness
Summary
Laziness (also known as indolence) is disinclination to activity or exertion despite having the ability to act or to
exert oneself. It is often used as a pejorative; terms for a person seen to be lazy
include "couch potato", "slacker", and "bludger". Related concepts include sloth, a Christian sin, abulia, a medical term for reduced motivation, and lethargy, a state of lacking energy.
Despite famed neurologist Sigmund Freud's discussion of the "pleasure principle", Leonard Carmichael noted in 1954 that "laziness is not a word that appears in the table of contents of most technical books on psychology". A 1931 survey found high-school students more likely to attribute their failing performance to laziness, while teachers ranked "lack of ability" as the major cause, with laziness coming in second. Laziness is not to be confused with avolition, a negative symptom of certain mental-health issues such as depression, ADHD, ASD, sleep disorders, substance use disorders and schizophrenia.
Laziness is also not about leisure, which in ancient Greeks leisure meant intellectual cultivation outside of productive labor.
Laziness may reflect a lack of self-esteem, a lack of positive recognition by others, a lack of discipline stemming from low self-confidence, or a lack of interest in the activity or belief in its efficacy. Laziness may manifest as procrastination or vacillation. Studies of motivation suggest that laziness may be caused by a decreased level of motivation, lack of interest, and confidence which in turn can be caused by over-stimulation or excessive impulses or distractions. These increase the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter responsible for reward and pleasure. The more dopamine that is released, the greater intolerance one has for valuing and accepting productive and rewarding action. This desensitization leads to dulling of the neural patterns and affects negatively the anterior insula of the brain responsible for risk perception.
ADHD specialists say engaging in multiple activities can cause behavioral problems such as attention/focus failure, perfectionism, and pessimism.
Official source
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