"Do I Need To Get Rid Of The Everyday Routine If She's Tired To The Devil ?!" - Society

In the early 1970s, the famous American neurophysiologist Karl Pribram described the so-called "Bowery phenomenon" (Bowery is the name of a street and district of the same name in New York). The phenomenon was that the police received a flurry of calls from local residents who complained that "something suspicious is happening." Most of the calls came at night, when people woke up with vague anxiety. They did not understand the reasons for their fear, but they called the police just in case.

It turned out that the source of concern was … the New York elevated railway. Or rather its absence. The fact is that over the years the residents of the area got used to the noise and rumble, and in the mid-1960s the road was dismantled. And there was an unusual silence, which at first caused fear.

The Boveri Phenomenon is another illustration of a well-known fact related to our habits and routine reactions. So far, everything around is familiar - we feel good, as soon as the familiar environment has changed - discomfort arises

Any living organism can survive only in a limited and unchanging range of external conditions. For example, there are bacteria that can live in the throat of a volcano, but any mammals cannot.

Routine is good

The stability of the habitat forms stable adaptive responses. For example, if a hungry winter follows a well-fed summer, then it is necessary either to accumulate subcutaneous fat in advance or to make food supplies.

At the biological and physiological level, a person is a "machine". The normal functioning of this "machine" is based on the stability of external conditions and on the repeatability of basic functions

Simply put, any routine for our body is good! Exercise regularly - improves strength, endurance, flexibility, etc. Eat on a schedule - significantly reduces digestive problems and overweight. Observe the mode of sleep and wakefulness - not only do you feel vigorous and efficient, but it is also the best prevention of many diseases.

But what about our psyche?

In order not to break away from biological roots, let us recall the great Russian physiologist I. P. Pavlov. He proposed such a concept as "the reflex of novelty" (or the reflex "What is it?"). It is an innate reaction to novelty that can be easily observed even in babies and animals. The reflex of novelty manifests itself as a complex of motor and physiological reactions: dilated pupils, head rotation, increased muscle tone (readiness to move), changes in breathing and heartbeat, etc.

Later, scientists began to use the term "orienting reflex" and explained the mechanism of the "What is?" Reaction. Our brain continuously creates an informational model of the external world. With a certain frequency, our senses "scan" the world around, checking it for compliance with the existing model. If something has changed (ie, the results of the "scan" diverged from the existing model), then the orienting reflex is immediately activated.

The orienting reflex is an automatic (at the physiological level) exploratory reaction. But at the level of the psyche, this reaction is associated with such an emotion as interest, curiosity. Usually this emotion is considered positive, although there may be nuances (more on them later)

Interestingly, any emotion can be "disconnected" from the primary stimuli and can become an independent need. This is how the excessive craving for new experiences makes us travel lovers, hyper-consumers who buy up any “new products” invented by marketers in a row, suffering from FOMO syndrome of “social media maniacs” who are afraid to miss some “important” news, etc.

Curiosity is not a vice

Curiosity is not a vice, but it can be too superficial and fluid, posing a threat to established routines. Therefore, the more conservative a society exists, the more negatively curiosity / interest is perceived, and the more is the desire to limit it. As the saying goes, "they ripped off the nose of a curious Barbara" - do what you must, that is, maintain the established traditions, customs and routines, and do not meddle in your own business.

Any social relationship from the state level to the family level is also to some extent a “machine”. For the normal functioning of this "machine" stability and predictability are important. Each member of society is expected to play his social roles and meet the role expectations of others.

Society is nothing more than a set of routines, which, in a pessimistic version, can be represented as the "Matrix" from the Wachowski brothers' trilogy of the same name, completely controlling human behavior

• In more conservative societies, curiosity and other manifestations of the orienting reflex can be taboo. But following the routines in the form of traditions, customs, rituals will be considered a virtue and approved.
• In liberal societies, by contrast, interest will be a welcome and positive emotion. Although the “matrix” (society) in any case will try to direct this interest in the right direction for itself, for example, by educating hyper-consumers, and not scientists-researchers.

In fact, it is extremely difficult to answer the question: “Routine - is it good or bad? Do I need to get rid of some everyday routine, especially if she's tired of it as hell ?!"

On the one hand, routine is good. Because the presence of a certain "minimum stability and predictability" is a prerequisite for our survival and well-being (biological, social, psychological).

On the other hand, routine is bad. Because our interest and other manifestations of the "orienting reflex" to life are suppressed, and we literally grow dumb. Boredom and demotivation replaces interest. And if you do something without desire, then disappointment creeps in, moral fatigue accumulates. When work or relationships with loved ones turn into a routine, then it is not far from emotional burnout or life crisis.

What to do, how to get rid of the routine?

It is impossible to get rid of various routines, they are the basis of life. But the most tiresome ones can and should be changed. If life itself does not make these changes, then you need to do it yourself. Let us recall that the “orientation reflex” arises in response to any discrepancy between reality and the information model that exists in our brain (or consciousness).

There are two ways to approach the problem:

• a) make changes to routine activities;
• b) make changes to the information model (in consciousness).

The easiest way is to implement the first method: just try to perform the usual actions a little differently. For example, if you eat with your right hand, try holding the cutlery with your left. This example is primitive, but changing more complex routines (such as the way you interact with your spouse) will require more creativity.

Changing the information model is about rethinking and re-evaluating the routine that is performed

You can do exercises every morning just out of habit, or you can set a goal (“I need to be in good shape because I want to run a marathon”) or set a meaning (“I need to be healthy so that my family is safe, because because I am the main breadwinner ").

And finally, two little tricks

First, for de-rutinization to be successful, it is best to combine both approaches: change the way of action and change the meaning / purpose.

And secondly, most of all we get tired (physically and psychologically) from those routines that are too labor-intensive for us. Accordingly, you need to either increase your "quota" for rest and recovery, or think about how you can simplify and facilitate this routine.