by Caryl Teh

Does your brain feel comfortable with the familiar, but also occasionally crave something new or different? Don’t worry, you’re not losing your sanity. That’s just how all human brains are hard-wired.

And today, we hope to put your mind at ease by helping you understand this part of yourself a little better.

Your Brain Finds Comfort in Consistency

Your brain is built to help you survive. It does this by building a memory bank of causes & effects. Any cause & effect that repeats over time becomes predictable, and your brain doesn’t worry because it knows what to expect, even if the effect is negative.

But with something erratic, your brain has to constantly observe and try to anticipate. It doesn’t know whether it can lower its guards or whether it needs to stay alert to keep you alive. That’s why your brain sees any uncertainty as a risk of danger, a threat and keeps your body hovering in “fight or flight” mode. 

You might be wondering, “If my brain loves things that are regular and predictable, then why is it so hard for me to stick to a schedule, like going for a run every morning, or showing up to the same job every day?” Well, because, in a strange twist of neurological wiring, your brain also loves things that are new and easy.

But Your Brain Also Gets Bored… Kind Of

To say the brain loves novelty isn’t quite accurate. What your brain actually loves is rewards. But your brain associates novelty with rewards because when something unexpected happens that isn’t negative, your brain is flooded with dopamine (the “feel-good” neurotransmitter).

Let’s say your goal is to start a new habit of running at least three times a week to improve your physical and mental health. And so you determine to wake up at 5 a.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday to get your run in before the hectic work day starts. 

Researchers have found that at first, your brain will be more focused on the potential reward rather than the effort it will take to achieve that goal. (“I’ll be in better shape, AND be able to start my work day feeling energised and accomplished!”)

But once you’ve started carrying out the behaviour needed to achieve your goal, your brain starts focusing more on the effort, and you lose sight of the reward. (“5 a.m… still dark outside… bed lulling me back to sleep… feels like warm hug… goodnight.”)

This explains why your motivation to achieve a new year’s resolution often peters out by February. Sure, the allure of the eventual reward is still there, but you won’t see the reward for months down the line. Plus, it takes so much effort to get to it.

Your brain’s primary objective is to help you survive, and it’s constantly looking for ways to save energy any place it can. So if presented with the opportunity to sleep in versus get up early to go for a run, which do you think it’ll prefer?

To summarise, consistency and novelty are not at odds. Your brain is at ease with consistency because it knows what to expect. But with things that are new, easy and rewarding, it gets a kick out of that dopamine hit. Yes, your brain might be inconsistent that way, but at least now you understand why. Rest assured, you’re not losing your sanity.

P.s. You might be wondering, “So will I ever be able to achieve any new year resolutions?”. It’s possible! Keep an eye out for our upcoming etc on “5 Tips to Build Better Consistency”.

Source:
Trello