What is addiction and how to avoid situations that harm you, according to a neuroscientist

It is common that when people adopt a routine, they become accustomed to certain elements, which cease to attract attention when they become part of daily life. .

For example, Perhaps someone has always been amazed by the smell of freshly brewed coffee. of a specific location.

However, Once he went to work where they were doing it, his attention to that aroma began to wane. .

This is normal and can also occur with several other senses. like sight or sound, to name a few.

If before you were bothered by listening to music during the day and today you work in an instrument store, you’re probably already used to listening to songs all the time .

Furthermore, If before you were amazed every time you went to a city with the sea and today you live in a city, you may no longer pay so much attention to the waves. or on the sand.

This happens because a phenomenon psychological what we call habituation .

Generally speaking, it is the decrease in attention which brain gives to items that are already part of a routine or habit .

As explained in BBC neuroscientist and academic at University College London, Tali Sharot, “there is an evolutionary adaptive reason for this “And we need to conserve our resources.”

“Reacting to something new that we see, smell or feel for the first time makes sense, but when after a while you notice that you are still alive and everything is fine, you no longer need to respond to them as much as before (…) It is better to save these resources and prepare for the next situation we face.”

Sharot, who is also the author of the book Look again: the power of noticing what has always been there (Atria/One Signal Publishers, 2024), specified that understanding habituation can be useful both to improve our well-being how to avoid scenarios that harm us .

These are the reasons you mentioned .

First of all, the neuroscientist stated that Getting used to it can be essential to motivate us to move forward in different areas of life, such as work. .

“Think about your first job, at the initial level. You were probably excited and happy. But if you were still that enthusiastic 10 years later, you wouldn’t be as motivated to get a promotion. ” he explained.

The same could apply, for example, in the case of an athlete who wishes to exceed increasingly high marks or in the case of an artist who wishes to produce a more complex work. than the previous ones.

In this way, addiction can make people decide to move on towards new goals.

With, can play a vital role in overcoming difficult situations, such as the death of a family member or a friend.

How time passes, Getting used to the absence of this person helps the person concerned to continue their life. .

“It’s good that over time you get used to it, because This will allow us to continue operating. It would be very difficult if you felt as angry and sad as you did at the beginning. (when you heard the news),” Sharot emphasized to the aforementioned media.

However, addiction can also lead to a series of harmful aspects .

For example, You may be accustomed to having a toxic connection with a person, which may also make you stop paying attention to them, even if it makes you uncomfortable. .

That This can also happen, for example, in a job where you have already become accustomed to your schedules not being respected. .

Although addiction is a phenomenon that has its basis in the brain, the expert said that You can use a strategy to avoid falling into harmful scenarios .

It is take the time to distance yourself from the situation and thus be able to analyze it later with a more objective vision .

Thus, according to the University College specialist, “Things will be more likely to come out, whether they are good or bad.” .

“If you walk away from a situation, Even if it is for a short period of time, whether it is a weekend, a few days or a longer period, you will lose this habit to some extent and you will be able to notice things better. around you,” he told the BBC.

In this sense, he emphasized that Taking a break from your routine will help you “see things more clearly” when you return. .