A phenomenon where an attempt to inspire or motivate someone backfires, causing them to feel mildly discouraged, hopeless, and completely losing interest instead. It’s that exact
moment when you hear a
fact or a story meant to encourage you, but it makes you say, "You know what? Screw it, I’m out. I'm not even gonna
try."
Ben: "
Man, I'm contemplating whether I should join the marathon or not. The grand prize is huge, but I'm just so lazy..."
Tom: "Come on, join the marathon! My 60-year-old uncle did it last year. He trained for
5 years, broke his ankle twice, but he finally finished it!"
Ben: "Wait... even a dedicated guy broke his ankle twice? Yeah,
screw the prize. Thanks for the demotinspiration, I’ll just stay on the couch."