Why do people take downvotes so personally?
Two reasons:
It hurts to be told that you are wrong.
Downvotes lead to a ban.
The rep loss seems (mostly) a minor thing.
Answer from user000001 on Stack OverflowTalkspace
12 Comments that Are Unexpectedly Detrimental to People's Mental Health - Talkspace
June 17, 2020 - The best way to support someone working through mental health challenges is to listen, not talk. We all want what’s best for each other, and are eager to provide any solution to help ease someone’s pain. But suggesting random solutions isn’t always the answer.
Medium
Downvotes, Punishment, & Behaviorism | by Dan Bayn | User Experience & Behavior Design | Medium
May 5, 2021 - Many Facebook users, mostly trolls, have been requesting a “dislike” button for years, but imagine what it would be like if everyone in your extended network was one click away from telling you your…
Quora
Why do people downvote each other on Reddit for disagreements? Is that what the downvote button is for or do a lot of people abuse it? - Quora
Answer (1 of 4): I checked out reddit for a year and I ascertained that the CEO is not a very nice person, I read somewhere that he changes things in people’s accounts if he wants to manipulate them to shift blame onto the mods instead of something he has done, and that he is trying to profit ...
Yale Medicine
How Social Media Affects Your Teen’s Mental Health: A Parent’s Guide > News > Yale Medicine
June 17, 2024 - The advisory states that other studies "point to a higher relative concern of harm in adolescent girls and those already experiencing poor mental health, as well as for particular health outcomes, such as cyberbullying-related depression, body image and disordered eating behaviors, and poor ...
Rsph
RSPH | #StatusofMind
The report includes a league table of social media platforms according to their impact on young people’s mental health. YouTube topped the table as the most positive, with Instagram and Snapchat coming out as the most detrimental to young people’s mental health and wellbeing
Rsph
RSPH | Instagram Ranked Worst for Young People’s Mental Health
Young people back RSPH call for pop-up heavy usage warning on social media in a new report
teddit
Meaningless downvotes and mental health : r/arknights
" if you cant handle negativity ... few medias you can downvote and that comes with it's own challenges. But tbh this aint important to me, mental health is important to me though and I Just wanted to state my opinion on the matter. Obviously people can downvote as they like ...
Disqus
Here Are the Reasons Why People Downvote Comments
Recently, we polled readers and commenters about the reasons why they downvote comments. Today, we’re sharing the results of our research and summarizing the feedback you provided.
Ladders
12 comments that are unexpectedly detrimental to people’s mental health
December 18, 2019 - If a friend suffers from mental illness, wanting to help or offer supportive words is understandable. Seeing someone you love in pain hurts your heart, too. There’s nothing wrong with reaching out about a friend’s mental health — but respect and delicacy is paramount.
Hhs
Social Media and Youth Mental Health | HHS.gov
February 19, 2025 - This Advisory describes the current evidence on the impacts of social media on the mental health of children and adolescents.
Harvard
Is social media use bad for young people’s mental health? It’s complicated. | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
November 22, 2024 - Postdoctoral research fellow Laura Marciano says that social media use might be detrimental for young people’s well-being but can also have positive effects.
Beyondblue
Social media and mental health - Beyond Blue
We look at the effects of social media on mental health, including positive and negative impacts, tips for healthy social media use, and online resources.
Stack Exchange
Encouraging people to explain downvotes - Meta Stack Exchange
The comments are there for people who want to explain their downvotes.
The only thing I can think of is an AJAX <div> reminder for users when they cast downvotes:
Please consider adding a comment if you think this post can be improved.
After the first downvote, we can't say we didn't remind them, and honestly that's as good as it gets. Forcing a comment will end in even worse results.
edit: this is now status-completed and live for users with reputation below 2000. It is shown on every downvote until you get to 2k.