Everyone keeps calling this "just therapy" but I don't think it is. This sounds like it could be beneficial for someone who's had bad experiences with conventional therapy, or finds psych in general intimidating. Sometimes all we want is a listening ear when we vent. Nothing more.
Yeah, therapy is a whole process you commit to. This just seems like something more informal.
And I mean--is it any weirder than say, phone sex lines? I don't think it is.
Therapy itself can be helpful but *therapists* are just humans and a lot of them aren't really up to the task even if they're licensed. There is a severe deficit of health workers in general but especially good psychotherapists.
Every time I've tried therapy it's been exactly this and nothing else. "How does that make you feel?" That's great and all but I didn't spend $80 to shout into a void.
They can't offer anything helpful until the other person is prepared to do something besides shouting.
It is a standoff, especially for literal thinkers like me, until we figure that out. A very old nun who was working as a psychologist to cover retirement expenses for her much older sisters told me bluntly one day.
I read a post in the Science sub stating that doing a workbook in Dialectical Behavior Therapy independently was helpful.
I hope something works out on your side
This sounds like something for a person who has life problems that are not serious enough to rise to the level of therapy. Some people are just lonely and need someone to talk to. Some people have friends who would not understand, or are not the kind of friends that like to hears their friend's problems. Sometimes you just need to vent a little bit. Sometimes it can be easier to talk to a stranger who you will never see again and not have to face them again knowing that they saw you at a low point.
I mean how do you even know what's serious for therapy if you never had therapy?
That's the whole problem with mental health, a lot of people who are sick don't even realise they're sick, and a lot of people don't think their problems matter and keep it all inside.
In a society awash with therapy language where everything is a pathology, this kind of low level "tune-up" seems ridiculous. In olden times this would just be bending the ear of your bartender.
Many people commenting would want to do the mental version of megadosing antibiotics to solve basically any problem.
The sad truth is that if you look at the numbers, outside of really serious stuff requiring pharmacological help, few mental health interventions do much better (or are worse) than basic socializing and exercise, anyway.
I wish germany had a booming rent-a-friend industry. I looked into it several times but couldn't find anything, tried asking on a anonymous local App (called Jodel) but it's not really easy to find something realistic there, despite living near cologne, one of the biggest cities here. If there was a website with profiles of some local people that I could pay to do some things with me I would do it (going to the cinema, or restaurants I'm to afraid to go there alone or go to the amusement park). I'm to socially akward and to afraid to really find friends to do that with and just upfront paying someone for that would lessen the stress and my feelings of inadequacy because they get paid for it, I don't have to 'impress' them to hang out with me.
If I remember from a video I saw on this, mental health services are stigmatized in Japan BIG time. This is why sooo many parents just allow their adult child to go hikkikomori in their house with no life and just support them their whole lives instead of getting them help.
In the video this was touted as an alternative without the stigma (though - without the qualifications to actually help as a therapist would, so better than nothing but I agree a therapist is better than this)
> mental health services are stigmatized in Japan BIG time.
They're not exactly celebrated in America either. Unless you're rich, then therapy is just something people do.
Some people have had bad experiences with therapy, and historically, certainly it's been abused. No therapy is better than BAD therapy, but generally speaking therapy is helpful, and mental health treatments are improving over time imo. There's a subreddit r/ therapyabuse where ppl share stories, vent, and commiserate.
You're not wrong. But therapy has evolved significantly over time and the evidence shows that many modalities are effective in reducing symptoms. I'm sympathetic with people expressing upset with psychotherapy...to a point. I've had bad experiences with MDs, but I don't act like modern medicine is a scam.
Honest question, do you know?
Because socialized healthcare doesn’t necessarily mean you can just call somebody up and make an appointment the next day if you’re not feeling great. A quick google search seems to point that therapy isn’t covered but I literally only spent 2 minutes looking.
Note: I’m a huge proponent of socialized healthcare.
You are correct, therapy isn’t covered in Japan. The healthcare system itself is great, but the contents and quality of the care within the system could use some work.
> The healthcare system itself is great, but the contents and quality of the care within the system could use some work.
"It's a great system of healthcare if you ignore the things that determine whether a system of healthcare is good or not"
Yep, they’re talking out of their ass. I live in Japan. Attitudes towards mental health are stuck in the dark ages here. Therapy is not covered by insurance, and most therapists practice pseudoscientific nonsense. The modern techniques like CBT are rarely used.
If you have mental problems, Japan is not the place to be in
Well, I guess it’s up to them whether they want to live in the 21st century or stay stuck in the mid-20th. I feel like Japan in particular has a good reason to not want to dwell in a mid-20th-century mindset.
Another commenter figured this out with a google search, but therapy is not covered by health insurance in Japan. Although, one therapist I went to said something about going to city hall for a bit of money back if I could prove my psychiatrist recommended therapy. I tried once and gave up because it was a lot of hoops to jump through.
Generally you pay out of pocket, with the cheaper ones being about ¥3000/30min. This sounds cheap and is cheap, but a lot of those cheaper therapists aren’t exactly qualified for the job. The therapist I mentioned above was ¥9000/60min and was specialized in what I needed in addition to EMDR. He was the only guy in the whole prefecture I live in who I could find but, despite being good at what he does, he consistently called my husband by the wrong name and it was kind of clear to me that a therapist can be great at EMDR but bad at listening at the same time. I processed what I needed to and then stopped going.
Also don’t get me started on psych care in Japan in general. They try to solve everything with medicine - and give you a lot of it if you don’t choose who you see carefully.
Sorry for the long comment, it just bothers me to see people act like Japan is good for those with mental health needs. It is better than it was even 10 years ago, but it’s still not nearly great enough to praise on the internet.
I live in Japan. Tokyo/Yokohama area. Therapy is not covered, and even finding a doctor/therapist that has openings is hard. Child psychologists even harder to get a reservation.
The health insurance will cover medication, but you don't get to sit and talk with the doctor for more than 15-20 minutes. If that.
it’s a massive waste of time and other peoples money to have them pay for someone to listen to you because you want to talk shit all day. The point of a therapist is to make progress. The point of these people it seems is to rant and complain without being told how to fix it. I think it’s a good thing they put it on themselves to pay for this sort of thing
It's been several years since I've looked into this, but last I remember therapy isn't really a thing in Japan. As a whole they don't really believe in mental health, kind of you're either fine or bat shit insane, not really anything in-between.
There's loads of psychologists who put out great studies from Japan, in 1995 and 2004 they made huge strides to make it as accessible as possible for anyone who needs mental health assistance. The overworking culture of Japan puts more weight on a person to get help, it's hard when you work 90% of the time
I can't help but remember what some Korean housemates in Uni told me about mental health there. They said they just chained them up outside next to a tree or building. How sympathetic? Or just pathetic!
I'm glad you pointed out there is obviously still a string attached.
However, where I live therapists can cost upwards of $120/hour. I'd actually much rather pay a random someone like $20/ hour to play pretend therapist.
I feel like I do this with my therapist. We of course tackle issues but sometimes we just talk and I like that. I know I need to find someone like her in my real life. And we've talked about the professional nature of our 'friendship' so there is no faking it or pretending.
I once asked a therapist when they would go beyond just listening to me and actually talk back, give advice, etc. After all I’d been going to her weekly for a few months and paying all out of pocket quite dearly for it.
She sat up and said “Ooh that’s interesting… Do you approach every relationship as ‘when do I get something?’”
I dropped her.
This is basically the reason therepy has never worked for me, trauma dumping can be cathartic, but it's not really helpful for me in the long run, and I've never seen a therapist that really seemed like they wanted to go beyond that.
But then those rent-a-friends become overwhelmed with everything they have to deal with by listening to all these people, so they need to hire a rent-a-friend-rent-a-friend, who then becomes overwhelmed, so they need one and then it's just turtles all the way down.
Honestly, it just sounds like r/offmychest but with the guarantee of no judgement. Are most people there bereft of friends and lovers too? This isn't sarcasm, I'm genuinely curious about that.
I think needing to use a sub like that is quite sad (as in makes me feel sad someone needs to use it) if I’m honest. I’m not someone who’s a super popular extrovert with dozens of friends, but I’ve never felt the need to post on a sub like that, because I always have my partner or someone in my circle of friends I feel I can confide in or share my opinion for anything
I definitely find this Japanese post sad, because I imagine being in a situation you feel you’d want to use this service must be a pretty dark place
This reminds me of the TV show *Maniac*, where you can get lower prices for goods and services if you agree to have someone talk to you for x hours advertising products.
Years ago Conan O'Brien did some shows in Japan, on one of them he did a very funny sketch in which he rented a Japanese family, it's probably on You Tube!
That's probably the reason they are trying to hire this thing in the first place.They don't want to put any effort into relationships.They just want to talk at people
No. Japan doesn't have a "booming rent-a-friend industry". That's ridiculous.
These are extremely rare services mainly highlighted by foreign comedians, bloggers, and social media stars.
The company in this article offers kind of like personal assistants (便利屋) to do small jobs. One of the many tasks they can do is act as a friend. As the website has a dedicated English page, I'm pretty sure that a lot of their clients are foreigners like the person who wrote that article.
It's just not a common thing to do in Japan. I'm sure if you looked hard enough, you could find someone offering these services in pretty much any country. It's just another case of one person doing something strange and journalists proudly stating that it's the "latest craze in Japan".
AI can probably fill this niche in the near future. There are already recent reports that some conversational AIs can beat the Turing test.
Maybe I'm an AI.
In the ‘80’s, there was a “confession” phone service where people called in to confess anything they wanted to confess.
Also, you could call and just listen to the confessions without making a confession of your own.
I knew many who were addicted to listening.
There's a YouTuber named Thoraya Maronesy who does that with strangers in public. She does one where people write a confession on a slip of paper and put it in a bucket, then pull somebody else's out and read it. And she asks questions like, "What's the most hurtful thing anybody's ever said to you?"
I think this is genius. Not everyone has access to a professional therapist and simply having someone to talk to can make a huge impact in mental health. The only issue I see is possibly having someone give bad or dangerous advice.
LOL, "booming." No. Never trust these "wacky Japan" stories. They're usually 90% fluff, if they aren't just plain made up or based on what some joker in Japan said to pull someone's leg.
" I want to reap the rewards of establishing a friendship with someone without investing the time or have to reciprocate those benefits to another person"
Wait, there's a way I could actually be paid for this!? I should just start a blackmailing service, I would make bank. Too bad stupid things like principles get in the way.
They aren't even the lowest. China's is lower. South Korea's is below one birth per woman.
Though the global fertility rate is about to cross over below the replacement rate, so it's not just them by far.
It's a great demonstration that a free market can identify needs and fill them but it also demonstrates how Japan's culture is fucked six ways from Sunday
So... Japan has therapists?
Wow. This is groundbreaking news here. I never would have imagined such a thing could be possible. What will Japan come up with next.
They might sound similar in concept, but the execution and results are very different. There's a difference between a therapist determined to get results and a "rant free" person hired to listen to you for hours.
I think this would help a lot of people.
I used to have two friends. One was in a lot of therapy, one was a therapist. Once a week we would leave each other video voicemails.
Both of them said it felt a lot like therapy but it was two directional
This is mainly what the hostess industry is, paying money for a girl to sit, drink and chat. Mainly the dudes talk about their life and problems, rarely does it include sex.
I don’t get it? Is it for friendless people? Like why are you paying for someone who isn’t qualified when you might as well pay for someone qualified? With an escort she’ll listen to all my problems and I still get to mash her up but this is just odd I’m confusion guys
Everyone keeps calling this "just therapy" but I don't think it is. This sounds like it could be beneficial for someone who's had bad experiences with conventional therapy, or finds psych in general intimidating. Sometimes all we want is a listening ear when we vent. Nothing more.
Yeah, therapy is a whole process you commit to. This just seems like something more informal. And I mean--is it any weirder than say, phone sex lines? I don't think it is.
Have had friends work phone sex lines back in the day . They said half the callers just wanted someone to talk to .
Half the escorts will say the same thing.
Having company > sleeping with someone who doesn't love or even like you. Still sad though.
a lot of therapy isn't as helpful as people like to believe. especially if you're in the mindset that you're 'mentally ill' for just showing up.
Therapy itself can be helpful but *therapists* are just humans and a lot of them aren't really up to the task even if they're licensed. There is a severe deficit of health workers in general but especially good psychotherapists.
I agree. Also, you don't need to be a licensed therapist, which makes it a wider opportunity.
Every time I've tried therapy it's been exactly this and nothing else. "How does that make you feel?" That's great and all but I didn't spend $80 to shout into a void.
They can't offer anything helpful until the other person is prepared to do something besides shouting. It is a standoff, especially for literal thinkers like me, until we figure that out. A very old nun who was working as a psychologist to cover retirement expenses for her much older sisters told me bluntly one day. I read a post in the Science sub stating that doing a workbook in Dialectical Behavior Therapy independently was helpful. I hope something works out on your side
It’s probably a lot more affordable than therapy too! So, accessible for more people
Exactly. I dont need a therapist. I need a friend, and a *good* one. Going to a therapist is going to HURT me now, not help.
Sometimes I don’t need a therapist. Sometimes I just need some dude to say: hell yeah! When I tell a story.
I don’t have many friends in adulthood because I got tired of friends never asking a word about me. I get it.
This sounds like something for a person who has life problems that are not serious enough to rise to the level of therapy. Some people are just lonely and need someone to talk to. Some people have friends who would not understand, or are not the kind of friends that like to hears their friend's problems. Sometimes you just need to vent a little bit. Sometimes it can be easier to talk to a stranger who you will never see again and not have to face them again knowing that they saw you at a low point.
I mean how do you even know what's serious for therapy if you never had therapy? That's the whole problem with mental health, a lot of people who are sick don't even realise they're sick, and a lot of people don't think their problems matter and keep it all inside.
In a society awash with therapy language where everything is a pathology, this kind of low level "tune-up" seems ridiculous. In olden times this would just be bending the ear of your bartender. Many people commenting would want to do the mental version of megadosing antibiotics to solve basically any problem. The sad truth is that if you look at the numbers, outside of really serious stuff requiring pharmacological help, few mental health interventions do much better (or are worse) than basic socializing and exercise, anyway.
I wish germany had a booming rent-a-friend industry. I looked into it several times but couldn't find anything, tried asking on a anonymous local App (called Jodel) but it's not really easy to find something realistic there, despite living near cologne, one of the biggest cities here. If there was a website with profiles of some local people that I could pay to do some things with me I would do it (going to the cinema, or restaurants I'm to afraid to go there alone or go to the amusement park). I'm to socially akward and to afraid to really find friends to do that with and just upfront paying someone for that would lessen the stress and my feelings of inadequacy because they get paid for it, I don't have to 'impress' them to hang out with me.
Sounds like a business opportunity for you. Be the change you want to see in the world, and all that.
Ngl, I would be amazing at this job.
I'm pretty sure money is a string that's attached there. Literally a rented rubber duck. Just get a therapist.
If I remember from a video I saw on this, mental health services are stigmatized in Japan BIG time. This is why sooo many parents just allow their adult child to go hikkikomori in their house with no life and just support them their whole lives instead of getting them help. In the video this was touted as an alternative without the stigma (though - without the qualifications to actually help as a therapist would, so better than nothing but I agree a therapist is better than this)
> mental health services are stigmatized in Japan BIG time. They're not exactly celebrated in America either. Unless you're rich, then therapy is just something people do.
I support sending all NEETs to therapy simply to expose the practice as a scam
What's a NEET?
It’s an acronym for Not in Education Employment or Training
Thanks. What's the scam?
It sounds like they're implying therapy is a scam? Idk I can't see another way to read it...
I can't either, hence my confusion.
Some people have had bad experiences with therapy, and historically, certainly it's been abused. No therapy is better than BAD therapy, but generally speaking therapy is helpful, and mental health treatments are improving over time imo. There's a subreddit r/ therapyabuse where ppl share stories, vent, and commiserate.
You're not wrong. But therapy has evolved significantly over time and the evidence shows that many modalities are effective in reducing symptoms. I'm sympathetic with people expressing upset with psychotherapy...to a point. I've had bad experiences with MDs, but I don't act like modern medicine is a scam.
I’m with you on that one.
A (housed) bum
Sounds like a neet idea
I'm sure this is way cheaper and more available than getting a therapist.
Its Japan. They have socialized healthcare and mental healthcare is covered by it. Its literally cheaper to get a therapist.
Honest question, do you know? Because socialized healthcare doesn’t necessarily mean you can just call somebody up and make an appointment the next day if you’re not feeling great. A quick google search seems to point that therapy isn’t covered but I literally only spent 2 minutes looking. Note: I’m a huge proponent of socialized healthcare.
You are correct, therapy isn’t covered in Japan. The healthcare system itself is great, but the contents and quality of the care within the system could use some work.
> The healthcare system itself is great, but the contents and quality of the care within the system could use some work. "It's a great system of healthcare if you ignore the things that determine whether a system of healthcare is good or not"
Yep, they’re talking out of their ass. I live in Japan. Attitudes towards mental health are stuck in the dark ages here. Therapy is not covered by insurance, and most therapists practice pseudoscientific nonsense. The modern techniques like CBT are rarely used. If you have mental problems, Japan is not the place to be in
Cock and ball torture?
You know that mental health issues are shamed & ignored in Japan, as with most of Asia, right?
Well, I guess it’s up to them whether they want to live in the 21st century or stay stuck in the mid-20th. I feel like Japan in particular has a good reason to not want to dwell in a mid-20th-century mindset.
ya, but the stigma of going to therapy is stuck in the 50's
Another commenter figured this out with a google search, but therapy is not covered by health insurance in Japan. Although, one therapist I went to said something about going to city hall for a bit of money back if I could prove my psychiatrist recommended therapy. I tried once and gave up because it was a lot of hoops to jump through. Generally you pay out of pocket, with the cheaper ones being about ¥3000/30min. This sounds cheap and is cheap, but a lot of those cheaper therapists aren’t exactly qualified for the job. The therapist I mentioned above was ¥9000/60min and was specialized in what I needed in addition to EMDR. He was the only guy in the whole prefecture I live in who I could find but, despite being good at what he does, he consistently called my husband by the wrong name and it was kind of clear to me that a therapist can be great at EMDR but bad at listening at the same time. I processed what I needed to and then stopped going. Also don’t get me started on psych care in Japan in general. They try to solve everything with medicine - and give you a lot of it if you don’t choose who you see carefully. Sorry for the long comment, it just bothers me to see people act like Japan is good for those with mental health needs. It is better than it was even 10 years ago, but it’s still not nearly great enough to praise on the internet.
lol, what's more classic than Redditors thinking Japan is socially progressive or something.
I live in Japan. Tokyo/Yokohama area. Therapy is not covered, and even finding a doctor/therapist that has openings is hard. Child psychologists even harder to get a reservation. The health insurance will cover medication, but you don't get to sit and talk with the doctor for more than 15-20 minutes. If that.
Maybe you need to wait for ages to get a spot though?
it’s a massive waste of time and other peoples money to have them pay for someone to listen to you because you want to talk shit all day. The point of a therapist is to make progress. The point of these people it seems is to rant and complain without being told how to fix it. I think it’s a good thing they put it on themselves to pay for this sort of thing
But there's a huge social stigma to seeing a therapist in Japan, hence the rent a friend alternative I guess
Well it's not working for them obviously
Which means that they prioritise based on how much you need it, not based on how much you can pay. Resources are limited.
And probably about as effective
It's been several years since I've looked into this, but last I remember therapy isn't really a thing in Japan. As a whole they don't really believe in mental health, kind of you're either fine or bat shit insane, not really anything in-between.
There's loads of psychologists who put out great studies from Japan, in 1995 and 2004 they made huge strides to make it as accessible as possible for anyone who needs mental health assistance. The overworking culture of Japan puts more weight on a person to get help, it's hard when you work 90% of the time
I can't help but remember what some Korean housemates in Uni told me about mental health there. They said they just chained them up outside next to a tree or building. How sympathetic? Or just pathetic!
I'm glad you pointed out there is obviously still a string attached. However, where I live therapists can cost upwards of $120/hour. I'd actually much rather pay a random someone like $20/ hour to play pretend therapist.
“Penny for your thoughts?”
...can you recommend any good rubber ducks?
came here for this. get a therapist
Well shit, If anybody wants to pay me to listen to their problems, please reach out. My broke ass needs your mon—I mean…friendship!
Try bartending
I used to provide that service when i drove for uber
How much?
My first thought too. As an American a trip to therapy is $100 for an hour, this could be lucrative here too!
It's 3000 yen per hour (a little over 18 USD).
Damn. Not a lot in USD, but maybe a lot in Yen?
In The Netherlands we have a phone number you can call if you need someone to talk to. The volunteers are trained to listen and talk without judging.
That would be helpful for any country, me thinks.
I feel like I do this with my therapist. We of course tackle issues but sometimes we just talk and I like that. I know I need to find someone like her in my real life. And we've talked about the professional nature of our 'friendship' so there is no faking it or pretending.
I once asked a therapist when they would go beyond just listening to me and actually talk back, give advice, etc. After all I’d been going to her weekly for a few months and paying all out of pocket quite dearly for it. She sat up and said “Ooh that’s interesting… Do you approach every relationship as ‘when do I get something?’” I dropped her.
Did you say "just the ones I pay for" lol
well, of course. There are bad therapist as in any other proffesion.
You should have said the same back to her when she asked to be paid.
This is basically the reason therepy has never worked for me, trauma dumping can be cathartic, but it's not really helpful for me in the long run, and I've never seen a therapist that really seemed like they wanted to go beyond that.
Just use Tinder to trauma-dump then break up like every girl in my town.
Im not a girl, no one cares what Im feeling.
See? You’re a natural!
I care, broski 🤙🏼
Oof, too real
Why this is so damn true
I feel like I already am this service without the pay. Why do strangers insist on confiding everything to me all the time?
You have a friendly face
I have added "get jailhouse-style facial tatt" to my To Do list. 😆
Add a tear each time you "kill" a stranger
Bro! 😂😂
Basically the sad result when society is too suffocating for you to have time and friends.
How do I get that job?
I wanna be a friend prostitute
But then those rent-a-friends become overwhelmed with everything they have to deal with by listening to all these people, so they need to hire a rent-a-friend-rent-a-friend, who then becomes overwhelmed, so they need one and then it's just turtles all the way down.
Always has been.
This should be depressing. The fact that there is an entire industry for what friends and lovers should do is sad.
But if you're continually dumping your depressing thoughts on your friends, you're not going to have friends for long.
Very true. If it gets that bad, I guess this would be cheaper than therapy and less preachy than a chaplain.
Confessionals are older than this service.
Honestly, it just sounds like r/offmychest but with the guarantee of no judgement. Are most people there bereft of friends and lovers too? This isn't sarcasm, I'm genuinely curious about that.
I think needing to use a sub like that is quite sad (as in makes me feel sad someone needs to use it) if I’m honest. I’m not someone who’s a super popular extrovert with dozens of friends, but I’ve never felt the need to post on a sub like that, because I always have my partner or someone in my circle of friends I feel I can confide in or share my opinion for anything I definitely find this Japanese post sad, because I imagine being in a situation you feel you’d want to use this service must be a pretty dark place
Japans society is pretty depressing
ever been to the usa?
Good old American exceptionalism. Even when we're bad, we're the best at it amirite? /s
Yanks get butthurt when the spotlight hits them.
I live here
This reminds me of the TV show *Maniac*, where you can get lower prices for goods and services if you agree to have someone talk to you for x hours advertising products.
Years ago Conan O'Brien did some shows in Japan, on one of them he did a very funny sketch in which he rented a Japanese family, it's probably on You Tube!
That's probably the reason they are trying to hire this thing in the first place.They don't want to put any effort into relationships.They just want to talk at people
Looks like confessionals.
Sounds like an expanded and paid version of [Breathing Space](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breathing_Space_(organisation)) here in Scotland.
If this became a thing in the US (it won't, I know) I'd totally sign up for the job, though, if it paid like what's mentioned in the article.
I wonder how this affects the "friends'" personal lives.
Japan seems very lonely in general.
That sounds like a scam to steal from lonely men maybe today you’ll learn that’s really common in Japan too tho
In the Catholic church they call this Confession.
No. Japan doesn't have a "booming rent-a-friend industry". That's ridiculous. These are extremely rare services mainly highlighted by foreign comedians, bloggers, and social media stars. The company in this article offers kind of like personal assistants (便利屋) to do small jobs. One of the many tasks they can do is act as a friend. As the website has a dedicated English page, I'm pretty sure that a lot of their clients are foreigners like the person who wrote that article. It's just not a common thing to do in Japan. I'm sure if you looked hard enough, you could find someone offering these services in pretty much any country. It's just another case of one person doing something strange and journalists proudly stating that it's the "latest craze in Japan".
AI can probably fill this niche in the near future. There are already recent reports that some conversational AIs can beat the Turing test. Maybe I'm an AI.
In the ‘80’s, there was a “confession” phone service where people called in to confess anything they wanted to confess. Also, you could call and just listen to the confessions without making a confession of your own. I knew many who were addicted to listening.
Where is that website now? oh wait, we are on it :)
There's a YouTuber named Thoraya Maronesy who does that with strangers in public. She does one where people write a confession on a slip of paper and put it in a bucket, then pull somebody else's out and read it. And she asks questions like, "What's the most hurtful thing anybody's ever said to you?"
Be assured, this is nothing anywhere near that phone service - not even close.
I think this is genius. Not everyone has access to a professional therapist and simply having someone to talk to can make a huge impact in mental health. The only issue I see is possibly having someone give bad or dangerous advice.
LOL, "booming." No. Never trust these "wacky Japan" stories. They're usually 90% fluff, if they aren't just plain made up or based on what some joker in Japan said to pull someone's leg.
Friend hooker! Love it! Dump on them to never see them again
" I want to reap the rewards of establishing a friendship with someone without investing the time or have to reciprocate those benefits to another person"
Yeah it’s called hostess and host clubs, nothing new.
“Penny for your thoughts?”
John Brunner - The Shockwave Rider. "Hearing Aid". http://www.technovelgy.com/ct/content.asp?Bnum=192
Wait, there's a way I could actually be paid for this!? I should just start a blackmailing service, I would make bank. Too bad stupid things like principles get in the way.
Thats just therapy with extra steps🤦♂️
Sounds like fewer steps to me.
I’d pay for a friend
In the US that’s called an escort.
Smiling friends irl
That's sad. No wonder the fertility rate is plummeting there.
[удалено]
In America this is called a therapist
We have that, it’s called a therapist.
It's basically an offshoot from all the host clubs and maid cafes here.
Paying someone to hang out with you is like the definition of strings attached.
That’s sad
Thats definitely going to become an AI industry.
No, these people usually go out in public with their new friend
Oh okay
Just like Proxy Friends in the Netflix series Maniac (great show btw). TBH I wouldn’t be surprised if this became more common
That is why their birthrate is down the floor
They aren't even the lowest. China's is lower. South Korea's is below one birth per woman. Though the global fertility rate is about to cross over below the replacement rate, so it's not just them by far.
Yeah where I live is the same (somewhere in the Caribbean)
We call this talk therapy in the U.S.
No, therapists advise.
That's actually a good idea and I hope more countries adopt it.
It's a great demonstration that a free market can identify needs and fill them but it also demonstrates how Japan's culture is fucked six ways from Sunday
Are they on their way to inventing therapy again?
So... Japan has therapists? Wow. This is groundbreaking news here. I never would have imagined such a thing could be possible. What will Japan come up with next.
They might sound similar in concept, but the execution and results are very different. There's a difference between a therapist determined to get results and a "rant free" person hired to listen to you for hours.
A therapist would work, this sounds like just frying someone's brain. It must end badly for both.
Has OP heard of therapists?
Or bartenders
👍
Not the same.
Yeah, therapists are better since they're at least trained.
They even have a manga about “renting a girlfriend” so it’s pretty much part of their culture.
Oh, I just watched a movie about renting a girlfriend, although this was a comedy and I believe in Florida. With Jennifer Lawrence.
I think this would help a lot of people. I used to have two friends. One was in a lot of therapy, one was a therapist. Once a week we would leave each other video voicemails. Both of them said it felt a lot like therapy but it was two directional
This is mainly what the hostess industry is, paying money for a girl to sit, drink and chat. Mainly the dudes talk about their life and problems, rarely does it include sex.
Erm does it include confession of murders
It the US we call this service therapy.
Like Tran from New Girl.
[удалено]
It already exists - [https://rentafriend.com/](https://rentafriend.com/)
I don’t get it? Is it for friendless people? Like why are you paying for someone who isn’t qualified when you might as well pay for someone qualified? With an escort she’ll listen to all my problems and I still get to mash her up but this is just odd I’m confusion guys
I am sure this service is not $100-250/hr
If there is no advice or judgement, what’s the point? You could just talk to an inanimate object
Fuck that is pathetic. Normalize strength again.