Table of contents:
Video: Addicted Brain - Reviews, Self-development
Brewer J
Addicted brain
M.: Mann, Ivanov and Ferber, 2017.
Many of us are at the mercy of bad habits. And it doesn't have to be smoking or drinking. You can be addicted to social networks, fatty or sugary foods, and spontaneous and unnecessary purchases. We check again and again the comments and "likes" under our photos on Facebook, we cannot pass by the shelf with "sweets", we do not refuse Friday get-togethers with a glass or two of beer
Some of us do not even notice that we are wasting our time and health on nonsense, others are aware of their addiction, but do not know how to overcome it.
The author of the book, Jadson Brewer, a psychiatrist and neuroscientist, has studied addictions for a long time: the mechanism of their occurrence and methods of getting rid of bad habits. Brewer suggests using mindfulness practices and explains in detail how they can help you realize your addiction and break free from captivity. Studying the work of the human brain is not only interesting, but also very useful. Knowledge will help you better understand yourself and your life, learn to create and find harmony.
What makes us suffer? Most often it is a feeling of lack of something
We feel emptiness, dissatisfaction. And we can easily fill the void with what lies on the surface - and often this "investment" turns out to be viral, harmful and costly.
“The book is written in an accessible language that reveals the essence of complex scientific positions, contains a fundamentally new view of learning and suggests abandoning the habits of the mind without coercion and willpower. It helps us understand how to stop clinging to short-term, transient rewards - all thanks to a true sense of our being, the skill of mindfulness and the ability to fully live the endless moment in which we are right now.
Attention only attention
In every moment of life, the attentive presence and equanimity of the spirit can be concentrated.
To practice mindfulness in this way , all you need to do is learn to be relaxedly aware and understand that awareness is what you already have. Bad habits will go away from your life. Such awareness is not easy, you have to admit it. We need to do a lot of work on ourselves, and Jadson Brewer tells what steps we have to take on the path to freedom. The author expounds his method in a professional, but at the same time, language accessible to the general reader, with a considerable amount of humor and examples from practice.
Moreover, to meet the demands of the modern world, he and his colleagues have developed and described in this book highly effective smartphone apps that will assist in mindfulness practice, especially if you are using it to quit smoking or change your eating habits. …
How to break out of the vicious circle
For all species, the learning process is the same: trigger - behavior - reward. We see food - we eat - we feel full. This algorithm is fixed in our brain, and we learn to repeat the experience over and over again.
And everything would be fine, but sometimes the algorithm fails: we eat not because we are hungry, but to experience pleasure. And the chocolate really improves your mood! The hunger trigger is replaced with sadness or anxiety.
The pattern of behavior is fixed in our brain, and now the bad habit has already been formed
In psychology, such a vicious circle is called a loop of habit.
“If we are confused because subjective attitudes force us to walk in circles, then the
practice of mindfulness will help us realize these very attitudes and see how we ourselves are deluding ourselves. Once we realize that we are at a dead end, we can stop, get rid of unnecessary ballast and reorient. Metaphorically,
mindfulness becomes the very map that helps us navigate our living space."
The learning mechanism is inherent in us by nature, we unconsciously associate our actions with their results, a trigger with reward. But studying and understanding learning algorithms gives us the opportunity to change them for the better.
