★'Slow Aging' strongly recommended by Professor Jeong Hee-won!
A mental health specialist at Seoul National University tells you

How to Understand Your Mind and Body's 'Stop Signals'

Recovering my body and mind that were discharged without me knowing
A loving and rational neuroscience prescription

As soon as I get home, I just lie down on the bed and sofa.
To avoid the mountain of tasks, anxiety, and worries, I just look at my smartphone.
It's out of reach.
Every night I'm afraid of tomorrow and waking up in the morning is a chore.
Seeing diligent people on social media fuels self-reproach, and the thought, "Why am I so unmotivated?"
But this may not be laziness, but a 'stop signal' sent by our brain and body.
"Why Don't I Want to Do Anything" views lethargy not as a simple lack of will, but as a response of the brain and emotions, examining both scientific causes and practical solutions.
Director Bae Jong-bin, a specialist in psychiatry, wrote this book based on his extensive clinical experience and his own experience overcoming apathy.
It covers the neuroscience of apathy, the vicious cycle of addiction, actionable recovery strategies, and even overlooked physical factors.
This book helps readers understand and adjust to themselves rather than blame themselves.

Lethargy is not simply an enemy to be overcome; it is an important signal from our bodies and minds.
When you feel lethargic, hastily setting new goals and burning your will will only lead to more failure and self-reproach.
The most important thing for those who are feeling lethargic is to calmly understand and properly manage their body and brain.
Let's read the signals our body sends and find practical solutions for a better life.
After reading this book, you will have the confidence and tools to understand and manage apathy.


“In a society where self-abuse is considered dedication, apathy is considered laziness.
This book serves as a quiet consolation for those who are tired, and as a guide that identifies hidden causes.” - Jeong Hee-won (Internal Medicine, Operator of Jeong Hee-won’s Slow Aging)

Neuroscientifically, the reason we turn away from a problem is because we judge that behavior to be beneficial.
When we ignore a problem, our brain's emotion-reward circuitry kicks in, and the amygdala and dopamine pathways in the midbrain play a key role.
The amygdala is the part of the brain responsible for anxiety and fear, and in stressful situations, it sends a signal that 'it is safer to avoid this situation.'
And when avoiding a situation temporarily reduces uncomfortable feelings, dopamine is released, making me feel like this behavior is beneficial to me.
---From "The Neuroscientific Reasons Why We Keep Procrastinating"

People with perfectionist tendencies are more prone to and more likely to experience helplessness due to loss aversion.
Perfectionists set higher goals than others because they strive for perfection.
Since it is not easy to achieve this goal with ordinary effort, it has the advantage of making you work harder than others and achieving higher results.
In contrast, perfectionists are more likely to fail to achieve their goals.
In other words, even if the same task is performed, the possibility of experiencing failure is high because the standards or goals are relatively high.
As explained earlier, the brain tends to avoid losses in situations where failure is expected, and perfectionists tend to avoid losses more because they are more likely to fail.
---From "Perfectionism that prevents you from starting because you're afraid of failure"

The more people value diligence and sincerity, the more they experience cognitive dissonance due to helplessness.
Because these people value time and place great value on effort, they also find it difficult to accept their own actions of wasting time in apathy.
At this time, the helplessness caused by cognitive dissonance leads to experiencing even greater cognitive dissonance.
It is like falling into a vicious cycle.
In this way, the strong beliefs and values ​​that made us shine when we were healthy actually cause us to experience strong cognitive dissonance when we are weak.
---From "The more honest and moral you are, the more likely you are to become apathetic"

The process of thinking in your head is like dancing in a ballroom.
You can't dance with multiple partners at the same time at a ball.
You must choose an opponent and dance with them until the end of the song, after which you can switch to another opponent.
Most people want to dance with someone they find attractive, and if possible, they want to dance to more songs with someone they find attractive.
The same goes for our brain.
The brain can only be conscious of one thought at a time.
You can move from one thought to another, but you can't have multiple thoughts at the same time.
Also, the more attractive a thought is from the brain's perspective, the more conscious the brain is of it and the longer it holds on to it.
---From "People who hide in their smartphones to avoid anxiety and worry"

Doing what needs to be done first is a brain-efficient way of using the brain from a neuroscientific perspective.
As previously reported in the Science journal, the brain assigns value to each food when choosing which food to eat, and works to determine which foods are worthwhile for us.
Not only when choosing food, but also when choosing what action to take, the brain diligently considers which action will be more beneficial to us.
The brain fatigue that builds up during this process of repeating decision-making is called decision fatigue.
---From "Reduce Decision Fatigue"

I recommend viewing the time of lethargy as a natural cycle.
Just as trees shed their leaves and rest quietly during the winter, lethargic times can also be a process in which our inner selves prepare for a new beginning.
Just as trees sprout new buds in spring, the day will come when we too will experience change and growth.
By accepting helplessness as a part of life, we can more clearly feel that the present moment is not eternal.
---From "Helplessness is a pain that has no end"

The most effective way to escape the helplessness that comes from inferiority is to give up on possibilities.
This may sound absurd at first.
Giving up on a possibility can feel like giving up on a goal or dream in life.
But if we look deeper, we see that this is a key solution to freedom from comparison and overcoming the helplessness caused by inferiority complex.
---From "Don't Fall into the Swamp of Infinite Possibilities"

Whenever you encounter the problem of lethargy, you will try various solutions depending on the cause of the lethargy.
When judging the effectiveness of a solution, it should not be evaluated solely on whether the lethargy disappears in the short term.
Let's remember that apathy cannot be overcome in a short period of time, and that a life without apathy does not exist.
Rather than aiming for a life where lethargy is completely eliminated, we should aim for feelings of lethargy to become less frequent, less intense, and with less of a negative impact on our lives.
Even if things are slow to improve, don't be discouraged or give up.
Just as dripping water wears away a rock over time, small changes that continue to change our lives will make a big difference.
---From "Practice in Letting Go of Unrealistic Expectations"

If I could do just one test for a patient experiencing lethargy, I would choose thyroid function tests without hesitation.
Hypothyroidism is common because it often presents with lethargy, affects one or two in 100 people, and can be easily diagnosed with a simple blood test.
Hypothyroidism is particularly common in women, with a prevalence rate 10 times higher in women than in men, so any woman experiencing lethargy should consider getting tested.

---From "Hypothyroidism, which can easily be mistaken for depression"