If you ever need evidence of the sheer lengths to which people can forgo rationality, look no further than the practice of cutting - not the proactive, self-improving act of shedding fat, but rather the act of physically mutilating yourself to express/relieve sad feels. I used to hear a lot about this on news reports and such, but I didn't realize the extent until going through high school and college and meeting dozens of people, men and women, who had or were currently self-mutilating. It's absolutely insane. Most of these people's source of pain was low self-esteem: and yet they decided the best course of action was to mutilate their own body, not take steps to improve. Yes, for some its a call for attention. But I genuinely believe that some actually do try to hide their scars. It's nothing new. It's 21st century monastic flagellation.
But it's a good reminder that people can and will do anything, even if it is so beyond the realms of rational action as to be absurd.