The human brain is lazy. Or, looking at it another way, the brain finds ways of doing things that allow it to work less.
And that’s precisely why we have habits. Habits enable the brain to work less.
With habits, the prefrontal cortex, the brain’s primary energy hog, has a minor role – identifying external triggers in the environment and communicating those triggers to the basal ganglia, the command and control center for habits.
Once the basal ganglia is notified about a trigger, it takes over from there, leaving the prefrontal cortex free to do other things, like be lazy.
So, you can imagine, the prefrontal cortex loves habits.
Habits put you on autopilot. This is a good thing if you have far more good habits than bad habits and a very bad thing if you have far more bad habits than good habits.
The vast majority of people around the world have far more bad habits than good habits. How do I know?
Bad habits show up in a number of ways:
- Ever increasing credit card debt – Poor Money Habits
- Obesity epidemic – Excess Eating Habits
- Type II diabetes epidemic – Unhealthy Eating and Poor Exercise Habits
- High rate of infidelity – Poor Decision-Making and Emotional Control Habits
- Various addictions (drugs, alcohol, gambling, etc.) – Destructive Addiction Habits
- Criminals behind bars – Toxic Relationships Habits
- Unemployment – Bad Work Habits or Lack of Self-Improvement Habits
- Millions disabled – Poor Health Habits (in most cases)
- Widespread high blood pressure – Poor Eating, Excess Drinking and Poor Exercise Habits
I could go on. The point is, you see the affects of bad habits all around you.
The next time you are in a public setting, just spend some time observing those around you.
It’s an eye opener, for sure.
You’ll see many bad habits on display.
How many overweight people do you see?
How many people smoking something?
How many people cursing?
How many people just sitting, doing nothing?
You’ll also see many good habits on display.
How many people do you see jogging?
How about biking?
How many are reading a book?
Do you see more bad habits on display than good habits?
When you have too many bad habits and too few good habits, your life sucks and you are unhappy. Bad habits lead to a bad life.
When you have many good habits and few bad habits, your life is great and you are happy. Good habits lead to a good life.
My mission is to share my unique research in order to help others realize their dreams and achieve their goals. If you find value in these articles, please share them with your inner circle and encourage them to Subscribe. Thank You!
About Thomas C. Corley
Speak Your Mind