Russian psychologist Pavlov was right to suggest that we learn to regulate our brains. As obvious as it sounds, this is a psychological phenomenon that can actually help you start your life over again, only better. We have the ability to train the brain to live life much happier than before. The best part is that all you have to do is change your environment to make it happen.
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The principle of familiarity
According to the American social psychologist Robert Zajonc, familiarity does not breed contempt. It's a good thing on the contrary. He proved this claim made in a seminal 1968 article called "The Attitude Effects of Mere Exposure". Through a series of experiments, Zajonc showed that we tend to favor objects and situations in which we are repeatedly present, but to which we are subtly exposed.
He calls this the “mere exposure effect,” otherwise known as the familiarity principle. Now think about the social and behavioral cues all around us and all the information we might have without realizing it, for better or worse. The effect is two-way, that is, the brain favors good and evil the more it sees it.
Fraction of seconds for the brain to store information
According to the Emirati clinical psychologist, Dr. Lakshmi Saranya, it only takes a fraction of a second for the subconscious, responsible for decision making and habit storage, to internalize what it sees.
When exposed repeatedly, the neurons continued to fire. As a result, a certain part of the brain becomes more active. That's why the vision starts to look familiar. We feel safer when we have more exposure to the same person, object or social situation. This reduces uncertainty in the environment.
Learn to condition your brain
Humans are comfortable creatures, so it's not hard to see why we prefer familiarity over change. The sooner we realize this, the sooner we can make decisions to avoid harmful traits and habits before we get used to them.
The contextual cues around us play a very important role in how we interpret things, because exposure alone is more likely to have a positive or negative effect on the behavior of somebody. It all comes down to self-awareness so you can sound the alarm when you recognize patterns.
Be more aware of the space you are in, the sights you constantly see, and the people you work and live with. This will be very beneficial in the long run.
