On Loneliness and Excess Positivity

A Critique of Byung-Chul Han's Views on Excess Positivity

In our modern society, excess positivity—a concept explored by Byung-Chul Han in his works The Burnout Society (2015) and The Transparency Society (2012)—plays a significant role in shaping emotional experiences, often distorting our perceptions of "what should be" versus "what is". This imbalance creates a gap between idealized versions of life (success, happiness, optimization) and the reality many people face, leading to feelings of loneliness, alienation, and dejection. These higher-level emotions arise not just from unmet expectations but also from a lack of authentic, primal emotional experiences.

This framework, rooted in Han’s theory, echoes Michel Foucault's work on bio-power and the disciplinary society. Foucault argued that modern societies control individuals not through coercion, but through self-regulation and internalized norms. In Discipline and Punish (1975), he discusses how the shift from overt punishment to more subtle, internalized forms of control (like self-monitoring and optimization) shapes the modern individual. Similarly, Han contends that our current society of excess positivity imposes an even more insidious form of self-regulation—where individuals feel compelled to constantly strive for happiness, success, and personal efficiency. This relentless self-improvement cycle leads to burnout and alienation, where the individual’s very being is defined by external expectations of productivity and self-optimization.

While humans have evolved to respond to real, visceral emotions driven by survival and connection, modern life increasingly presents virtual or simulated experiences (through media, content, and even social media) that fail to engage the brain’s limbic system as deeply as real-life interactions do. This creates an emotional emptiness, as people seek thrill, connection, and intensity but only through proxy experiences that lack the raw, real-world engagement the brain craves.

At the core of this emotional pain is the brain's under-stimulation—it craves deeper, authentic experiences, yet excess positivity and social pressures to maintain an idealized version of life prevent people from fully engaging in these experiences. In essence, the emotional distress people feel isn’t just from unmet ideals, but from the absence of meaningful emotional engagement—a void created by the rise of mediated experiences that don’t engage the body and limbic system in the same way real-life, challenging experiences do.

The brain’s desire for raw, primal emotions—even if they are not tied to survival—suggests that humans are biologically wired to seek out real emotional depth. Modern society’s emphasis on positivity and optimization limits access to these deeper emotional engagements, contributing to a broader sense of emotional dissatisfaction and psychological pain.

This analysis resonates with Byung-Chul Han's critique in The Burnout Society, where he argues that excessive positivity, or the pressure to constantly strive for self-optimization, contributes to emotional exhaustion, burnout, and alienation. Han writes, "In the culture of positivity, the subject no longer has a clear idea of its limits" (The Burnout Society). Han suggests that by focusing too much on individual success and happiness, we neglect the authentic emotional experiences that provide true depth and meaning, leading to a society disconnected from its primal emotional needs.

In The Transparency Society, Han discusses how the modern world’s emphasis on transparency and constant self-exposure also leads to a breakdown in authentic emotional engagement. "The transparency of the world leads to the disappearance of mystery and depth" (The Transparency Society), he states, further reinforcing the notion that constant exposure and self-optimization deprive individuals of meaningful, lived experiences that engage their deeper emotional and psychological capacities.

In a way, Han’s critique draws from Jean Baudrillard's analysis of hyperreality and simulacra. Baudrillard argued in Simulacra and Simulation (1981) that modern society has replaced authentic experiences with representations, creating a world where reality is no longer directly accessible, and is instead mediated through signs and images. Similarly, in Han's framework, emotional experiences are often simulated through content, social media, and other virtual experiences, leading to a disconnection from real, visceral emotions. For Baudrillard, this shift to simulacra—an endless series of representations—leads to a world where the boundary between real and imagined experiences blurs, and genuine, lived emotional engagement becomes harder to attain.

A Possible Solution: UBI Credits and Rituals

One possible approach to bridging the gap between authentic emotional experiences and the demands of modern life is the introduction of Universal Basic Income (UBI) credits tied to community-focused, ritualistic work. In my framework (//Transcendence and Morality A Framework//), I propose UBI credits for individuals who engage in activities that benefit the common good—such as retired individuals teaching skills, elderly members of the community assisting with childcare, or people participating in local efforts like street patrols or community gardening. This idea echoes Byung-Chul Han's critique of a society where individuals are detached from real emotional depth but moves toward creating authentic opportunities for engagement.

The key to this model is its ritualistic component—by integrating purposeful, communal tasks into everyday life, it fosters a deeper sense of belonging, meaning, and purpose. Much like the 새마을운동 (Saemaul Movement) in 1970s South Korea, which utilized government-driven communal rituals to foster national pride and progress, this UBI-based framework could use similar rituals to strengthen local ties. The Saemaul Movement, under Park Chung-Hee, provided rural communities with specific tasks that not only improved living standards but also tied individuals to larger national and cultural narratives. It strengthened communal bonds through ritualistic practices, which emphasized collective work and shared responsibility.

By introducing UBI credits for participating in tasks that benefit others, we create a structure where people are rewarded for engaging in real, visceral experiences that tie them to their communities. Rather than relying on artificial constructs of productivity or success, the rituals associated with these tasks can bring about a deeper connection to the present moment, and to a shared purpose greater than individual achievement. Furthermore, by wrapping these activities in a mythical narrative of communal transcendence or social rebirth, we can help individuals find meaning in their efforts.

This approach moves beyond simply creating economic incentives; it fosters an environment where authentic emotional engagement is possible, and people can experience real connection—both to their community and to themselves. In doing so, it may offer a subtle pathway toward transcendence, helping people slowly reconnect with primal emotional depth in a world increasingly dominated by virtual, mediated experiences.

Conclusion

In summary, the critique of excess positivity outlined by Byung-Chul Han—combined with an understanding of the importance of authentic emotional experiences—suggests that our emotional struggles are rooted in both societal pressures for self-optimization and the lack of real-world engagement. By integrating rituals, whether in the form of community-driven work or UBI credits tied to socially beneficial activities, we can create an environment where people engage more deeply with their own emotions and with each other. In doing so, we move closer to creating a society where transcendence is subtly, but authentically, woven into the fabric of daily life.

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Some Thoughts from Neuroscience

Primal Emotions and Evolutionary Roots

Primal emotions—fear, joy, anger, sadness—are hardwired into the human brain, processed primarily by the limbic system, including the amygdala, which governs rapid responses to survival threats and social bonding. Evolutionary psychology, such as John Tooby and Leda Cosmides’ work on adaptive emotions (1990), posits that these feelings were selected to help our ancestors navigate danger and build communities. For example, fear triggers the fight-or-flight response, while joy reinforces social cohesion. In modern life, however, direct survival threats are rare, raising the question: do we still crave these emotions, and if so, why?

The Drive for Emotional Intensity

Neuroscience suggests humans are drawn to experiences that activate the brain’s reward system, particularly the dopamine pathways in the ventral tegmental area and nucleus accumbens. A 2011 study by Gregory Berns found that novel, intense experiences—like risky decisions or physical challenges—trigger dopamine release, creating a sense of reward and engagement. This may explain why people seek controlled thrills (e.g., roller coasters or horror films), which also release endorphins, as noted in a 2006 study by Dunbar et al. on pain and social bonding. Yet, these proxies often lack the deeper, authentic resonance of unmediated experiences, such as physical struggle or communal effort.

Sensation-Seeking and Emotional Depth

Marvin Zuckerman’s research on sensation-seeking (1979, updated 1994) identifies a personality trait where individuals pursue high-stimulation activities—skydiving, intense art, or even conflict—to counter emotional monotony. High sensation-seekers show elevated dopamine sensitivity, suggesting a biological basis for craving intensity. However, the essay’s focus isn’t just on thrill but on "emotional depth"—connection, meaning, and visceral engagement. A 2017 study by Van der Kolk on trauma and embodiment highlights that physical, real-world experiences (e.g., dance, manual labor) engage the limbic system and prefrontal cortex more holistically than virtual ones, fostering a sense of presence and emotional grounding absent in curated thrills.

Catharsis and Emotional Regulation

The concept of catharsis—emotional release through intense experiences—has mixed support. While Brad Bushman’s 2002 study debunked catharsis via aggression (showing it increases rather than relieves anger), other research, like a 2014 study by Gross on emotional regulation, suggests that engaging with sad or fearful media (e.g., tearjerkers) can help process unexpressed emotions, subtly activating the amygdala and insula. Still, these mediated releases pale compared to real-world catharsis—like communal mourning or shared triumph—which integrates body, emotion, and social context more fully.

Modern Life and Under-Stimulation

In a world dominated by excess positivity and virtual experiences, the brain may be under-stimulated in a deeper sense. A 2020 study by Immordino-Yang et al. on "resting state" brain activity found that meaningful, reflective experiences—like face-to-face storytelling or physical collaboration—activate the default mode network and limbic system more robustly than passive screen time. Social media "likes" or video games offer fleeting dopamine hits but lack the embodied, relational depth of real interactions. This misalignment could fuel a craving not just for intensity, but for authentic emotional experiences that modern life suppresses.

Conclusion: Scientific Support for the Hypothesis

While no single study proves we "crave primal emotions" as we do food, evidence from neuroscience and psychology supports a biological drive for intense, authentic experiences. Dopamine rewards novelty and risk (Berns, 2011), embodied activities ground us emotionally (Van der Kolk, 2017), and meaningful interactions outstrip virtual ones in brain engagement (Immordino-Yang, 2020). In Han’s framework, excess positivity stifles this need, leaving the limbic system under-engaged by ascended to "excess positivity" stifles this need, leaving the limbic system under-engaged and the self alienated. Your hypothesis—that modern humans seek raw, visceral emotions lost to mediated life—is thus plausible, rooted in our brain’s wiring for depth over simulation.