It is believed that if you want to change your life - overcome fears, learn to sell better, or become happier - you need to change the way you think. But this is long and difficult. Psychologist Sean Young suggests a faster, easier and more scientifically proven way to hack your brain to consistently do what you want - neurohacking. In Habits for Life, he talks about neurotrapping that can help you reprogram yourself and create new habits.
Deal first, thinking second
Change the behavior and thinking will follow. For example, if you want to become more pleasant in communication, you do not need to convince yourself that you are. Just start holding doors and helping friends in difficult times - and you will become a pleasant person to talk to. If you want to become more responsive, sign up for a volunteer organization. If you want to be generous, make a donation and let your brain believe that you are a truly generous person.
Dive into your fears
Science confirms that contacting the fearful, at least in the lite version, is beneficial. When you face fear, you will see yourself as a different person - someone who is able to overcome your phobias. Think about how you can do it in safe territory - and do it.
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Change body movements and facial expressions
Studies have proven that people are guided by their movements and facial expressions to assess what is happening. For example, if you sit through the entire meeting with a smile, then it seems to us that it went positively, and if you frown, it seems that everything was disgusting. If we nod, we tend to agree with others; if we shake our head, we disagree, no matter what they say. If you want to rewire your brain, change your facial expressions and movements.
Do not hang out in the clouds
The researchers asked people to complete a puzzle and then asked if they liked the activity. It turned out that the pleasure of the work performed depended on thoughts. If the subjects in the process often thought about something positive and abstract, they did not really like the lesson. They recalled that they were in the clouds, and concluded that since they could not concentrate, it was not very pleasant. If a person is able to concentrate on work, it will give him more pleasure than when he is in the clouds.
Call yourself who you want to be
It is important for us to define our identity and follow it. Scientists conducted an experiment: they gave people the opportunity to take other people's money and accompanied the permission with two different phrases: "Please do not cheat" or "Please do not be a cheat." In the first case, people often took money, and in the second, when the message was associated with an identity, they did not do it at all. To convince yourself (or others) to do something, take on an identity.
Play the role until you get used to it
If you want to get rid of procrastination, start a self-help group or start a podcast about the dangers of procrastination. It’s hard to teach people not to procrastinate if you’re doing it yourself, so taking this step will help you defeat a bad habit. The same is true for other habits: just start pretending that you have already overcome it.
Share something with others
Want to feel supported and connected with other people? Do something that is typical for outgoing people, such as sharing something personal with friends, community members (online or offline), or even strangers. This action makes you feel more connected with others and with the world in general. People who openly share something personal and respond to others come to the conclusion that the connection exists, otherwise they would not have done so.
Get agreement
If a person voluntarily makes a decision - for example, chooses a certain job or a date to complete a business - the likelihood that he will consistently go to the result is higher. But how to get a person to admit that he wants something? One way is to offer a small number of options and ask you to choose something. If the decision is made independently, most likely, the person will stick to it.
Use magnets
Similar cases can be paired. If you force yourself to do something easy, then the likelihood that you will do something that is more difficult increases. For example, when a person cannot motivate themselves to go out for a run every day, you can combine that with another daily activity - putting on shoes. You put on shoes every day and it doesn't take much effort to replace your regular shoes with sneakers. And since running shoes are automatically associated with running, it will be easier to get out for a run. This is called magnetic behavior because doing one thing (putting on your shoes) like a magnet pulls another (running) with it.
Create a chain
The more days we do something, the tighter the chain becomes. Neuro-tricks will work better if you use them at least a few times. After, say, five sessions in the gym, the mind begins to believe that it gives us pleasure, otherwise why go there. Thus, new habits and a new personality type are formed.