Excessive Kindness Floods Public Spaces, Putting Japanese Critical Thinking at Risk

Japanese people are becoming more and more “childish” ……

Residents should greet each other.

I saw such a sign with an illustration posted in an elevator of an apartment building. I was appalled that such a sign was necessary in an apartment building where adults live and not in a school, but when I thought about it, I realized that there are many such signs all over Japan.

In a private restroom in a commercial building, there was a sign that read, “Have you forgotten something?　Check your cell phone, wallet, and your purchases one last time! Do not flush a large amount of toilet paper at one time,” and “Please be careful not to let children’s hands or fingers get caught in the door.

On refill packages of detergents, there are notices such as “Refill after most of the liquid is used up to prevent overflow,” “Be careful where you place the detergent to prevent accidental ingestion by people with dementia,” and on paper packaged juices, “Be careful not to hurt yourself with the straw or outer lid edge,” “Be careful not to drink too vigorously with the straw as you may choke,” andother such fine print . For example, ” Be careful not to injure yourself with the straw or the rim of the outer lid” and “Be careful not to drink too vigorously with a straw as you may choke on it.

The warning is not limited to just a warning. When boarding a train or bus, there are not only information on stops and transfers, but also announcements to prevent accidents, suchas “Please step back to the yellow line, as it is dangerous. The announcements were made to warn passengers against such nuisance behavior, and they were heard incessantly.

Psychologist Hiroaki Enomoto, author of “The Pathology of Thought Stopping” (Heibonsha Shinsho), points out that excessive warnings and announcements cause people to stop thinking. He warns that the childishness of the Japanese people is accelerating.

For example, when drinking a glass of juice, don’t you think it would be a problem if people cannot drink it safely without warning signs such as “Be careful, it may hurt you” or “Be careful, it may make you swallowed.

The other day, I saw a small bag of bean-candy that said, ‘Do not feed to children under 5 years old. If they run or cry with it in their mouths, they may accidentally swallow it and choke on it. It is natural for parents to think and take care of their own children even if such a thing is not written.

Because of the increasing number of such solicitous warnings, we are losing the ability to pay attention on our own. It seems to me that more and more people have stopped thinking and are unable to notice unless they are warned.”

While some people believe that “it is inevitable to prevent accidents and nuisance behavior,” Dr. Enomoto continues, “it is necessary to prevent accidents and nuisance behavior.

Some people believe that it is unavoidable to prevent accidents and nuisances, but Dr. Enomoto continues, “I understand that it is necessary to prevent accidents and nuisances, but if we continue to rely on warning signs and announcements, we will increase the number of people who are unable to notice things on their own. If more and more people are unable to notice unless they are warned, this will lead to accidents, and more and more warnings and announcements will be made in excess.

This vicious cycle needs to be broken somewhere. What is really needed, I believe, is to create a society without caution signs and announcements.”

A “meddlesome” weather forecast that even gives advice on what to wear

I don’t think the sign I mentioned at the beginning of this article, warning people to be careful about forgetting things in the restrooms, existed until a few years ago. In recent years, the number of cases of people forgetting their cell phones in restrooms has been increasing, and one can imagine that the facilities are getting a bit tired of it, but a sign saying “Lost and Found! should be enough to alert people to the fact that they have left their mobile phones and wallets in the restrooms. But a sign that reads, “Check your cell phone, wallet, and your purchases at the end of the day! I can’t deny that it seems a bit “excessive,” but what is it that has brought about this situation?

When you go abroad, you will find that in most countries, there are no notices for restrooms or even announcements for train transfers. Therefore, when I ask people from overseas about warning signs and announcements, they sometimes praise me, saying, ‘I think Japan is exceptionally kind.

However, kindness is excessive. ‘ “ Kindness is to take care of people. It has become a service war in which people are competing for “good care” that is different from the products and services they are supposed to be selling.

A good example is the “weather forecasting” that has recently become a bit too meddlesome.

“Recently, the weather forecast not only predicts the probability of precipitation, maximum and minimum temperatures, and changes in daytime temperatures, but also offers specific advice such as, ‘You should wear a light jacket before leaving the house,’ or ‘You should leave earlier than usual because there may be delays in the transportation system.

As a result, what would have previously been a matter of thinking, ‘If the daytime temperature is 25 degrees, I should wear short sleeves, or if I need a cloak because it will be late when I get back,’ is no longer a matter of thinking on my own, and I am now going out dressed as advised.

I think some people have gotten so used to getting advice that they don’t know what to wear unless you tell them. I believe that the habit of thinking, synthesizing information, and making decisions on one’s own is being lost as a result of the “hands-on, caring” advice.

Without smartphones, we cannot reach our destinations. ……

In “The Pathology of Stopping to Think,” Dr. Enomoto also notes that “the convenience of civilization deprives us of the ability to think.

He says, “Many people rely on their smartphones when they visit a new place for the first time, which means that they cannot turn down a street without being ordered to do so by their smartphones, and they cannot reach their destination if their batteries run out.

On the other hand, without smartphones, many people would have checked their destinations before going out, so they would have a “cognitive map” in their minds, which they could rely on to help them get there.

When something convenient is created to take the place of one’s own abilities, one becomes dependent on it, and one’s abilities decline. The brain also declines if it is not used.

Therefore, even if the conveniences of civilization, helpful reminders, and excessive announcements are useful and helpful in some aspects, they cause people to stop thinking and diminish the abilities that should be there. We should be aware of this fact.

The “It’s rude to doubt people” mentality causes people to stop thinking.

There are many other factors that cause Japanese people to stop thinking.

For example, there is the “good-natured” mentality that is deeply rooted in the Japanese people.

In recent years, the number of Japanese victims of fraud has been increasing. The Japanese have a deeply rooted belief in “good faith,” and it is easy for them to be bound by the thought that it is rude to doubt people. Don’t doubt people” is a kind of thought suspension. It is easy to be deceived.

On the other hand, overseas, the “sexism” is deeply rooted in the mindsets of people. In some countries, school education teaches students to be suspicious of others, which is the exact opposite of what is taught in Japan.

In addition, Japanese people have the mentality that if you leave things to them, they will not do anything wrong. People who order sushi at a sushi restaurant believe that they will be served the best dish of the day, but if they leave it to the chef overseas, they don’t know how much they will be charged (laughs).

(Laughs.) Until now, there has been no concept of “leave it to the chef” in other countries. Because of this, the habit of thinking and making decisions on one’s own is firmly ingrained in them. This is because it is necessary to protect oneself.

Recently, however, I hear that “leave it to the chef” has become a boom in high-end restaurants overseas as “omakase” as it is. This “omakase” boom may be a reaction to the fact that people overseas are accustomed to thinking and judging for themselves, and may be an expression of their desire to enjoy food by leaving everything to the creator once in a while.

The “I’m not a cook, I’m a cook. Today, globalization has brought an influx of different values, and crime has become more common. We live in an age in which it is no longer possible to protect oneself with the same attitude of “trusting and leaving things to others.

I believe that Japanese people need to recognize that the attitude of leaving things to others is no longer acceptable, and that they cannot stop thinking, and that society as a whole needs to make a change.

Hiroaki Enomoto, Ph.D. in psychology and president of the MP Human Science Institute, was born in Tokyo in 1955. Graduated from the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Tokyo. After working in Toshiba’s Market Research Division, he withdrew from the doctoral program in psychology at Tokyo Metropolitan University. After working as a visiting researcher at the University of California and as an assistant professor at Osaka University, he assumed his current position. He is the author of many books, including “Honto no Jiko no Tsukurikata” (How to Create Your True Self) (Kodansha Gendai Shinsho), “Omotenashi to Isshoku Shakai” (The Cruel Society of Omotenashi), and “Koukou-Stop Toi deno Issho” (The Pathology of Thoughtlessness) (both Heibonsha Shinsho), and “‘Directions’ Dekinai Hito-tachi” (Nikkei Premier Series).