Saturday, February 25, 2023

Habituation

 I'm learning about this new concept.  Humans have a diminished response to the same stimulus over time.  Things we once might have found new we might not even notice over time.

I was once filled with wonder going on a plane.  There were all these things I didn't understand.  Going on a plane is amazing.  You fly which is awesome.  There is even food on the plane.  One of my favorite memories is Yusuf getting a meal for the first time on a plane as a very little kid and exclaiming, "this is all for me?!".    You can even look out the window and get an amazing, different perspective on the world.  You live in the sky and at the end of it you're somewhere far away.  On vacation or visiting someone or doing something memorable, but almost always something good.

I've done it a few hundred times and now it's not wonderous anymore.  Something can only be wrong.  A flight get's delayed or a bag is late or there might be some other problem.  That's so sad.  I'm so used to it that I don't feel wonder, only possibly annoyed.

Taher, habituation probably happens all the time.  Remember the wonder.  Don't get so used to things that you don't notice the amazingness everyday.

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