# Our monitors are sending us into trances! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 18, 2003, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-monitors-are-sending-us-into-trances/202470 "2003-09-18T21:49:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-monitors-are-sending-us-into-trances/202470/1 "2003-09-18T21:49:38Z")
For 10 seconds, turn off your computer monitor. (then turn it back on to continue reading) Do it. I am being serious. If, as soon as the screen went blank, you did _not_ feel like you just awoke from a trance, and you did not feel more alert, you are either lying or you have a well-behaved monitor. A conspiricy theorist would say that the refresh rate on computer monitors is deliberately low in order to stupefy us into doing things we would not normally do (like buy £300+ mp3 players on amazon) discuss. ---
**Author:** ![Already\_in\_Use](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@Already\_in\_Use](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Already_in_Use)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-monitors-are-sending-us-into-trances/202470/2 "2003-09-18T22:04:30Z")
I didn’t feel like I woke up out of a trance. Granted, I did pay a little more attention to my surroundings. But that happens whenever you’re paying close attention to something and then do something else – like when you walk out of a movie theater, finish watching TV, or finish drawing/reading/making origami/masturbating :D/whatever. My refresh rate is 60 Hz. ---
**Author:** ![Monstre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@Monstre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstre)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-monitors-are-sending-us-into-trances/202470/3 "2003-09-18T22:13:23Z")
**Lobsang** is just trying to trick us into turning off our monitors, isn’t he? Lob: “Now let’s see if I can get all these trained monkeys to pick their noses at the same time! Muhahaha!” Well, **Lob** – I see through your tricks! Ha! probably shouldn’t admit to having just turned off the monitor for 10 seconds… ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-monitors-are-sending-us-into-trances/202470/4 "2003-09-18T22:14:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Already in Use \* > **finish drawing/reading/making origami/masturbating :D/whatever.** That’s nothing – try doing them all at the same time. _Then_ you’ll feel like you woke up from a trance, I guarantee you. 😃 As for the OP, I find my post-computing mental state greatly depends on what I’m doing with the computer, which makes the refresh rate (or related theories) highly unlikely. ---
**Author:** ![Armilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e19b73/32.png) [@Armilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Armilla)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-monitors-are-sending-us-into-trances/202470/5 "2003-09-18T22:22:08Z")
If you think just switching it off makes you feel weird just wait until you try the degauss button. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-monitors-are-sending-us-into-trances/202470/6 "2003-09-18T23:15:56Z")
When I get turn off my monitor and stand up, I often notice that I’m temporarily “blind” in my dominant eye – (that is, everything appears much darker through that eye.) This messes with my depth perception and is slightly disorienting. If you really want to trance out on your monitor, [look here](http://www.ritsumei.ac.jp/~akitaoka/saishin-e.html). ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2003, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-monitors-are-sending-us-into-trances/202470/7 "2003-09-19T00:16:33Z")
The refresh is low just because people don’t know better. I’ve got my users all running at 75 or 85 Hz. 60 Hz (unless it’s an LCD panel) is just criminal. After looking at that site Larry linked to, I’m seeing all sorts of after-images when I close my eyes. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Already\_in\_Use](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@Already\_in\_Use](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Already_in_Use)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2003, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-monitors-are-sending-us-into-trances/202470/8 "2003-09-19T00:20:23Z")
Yeah, mine is 60 because it’s a flat screen. I still wish it could be higher though. ---
**Author:** ![green\_bladder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@green\_bladder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/green_bladder)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2003, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-monitors-are-sending-us-into-trances/202470/9 "2003-09-19T01:38:40Z")
Nope, no trancy or alerty sensations here. But that’s probably because the screen on my monitor is piss-yellow for around 80% of the time, so I sort of feel relieved when I turn the damned thing off. ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2003, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-monitors-are-sending-us-into-trances/202470/10 "2003-09-19T02:23:35Z")
And your point is? [stares blankly]