How Accessibility Affects Human Behavior AKA Setting Ourselves Up For Success
Recently, I’ve been nibbling on some not-so-healthy snacks and spending a bit too much time binging tv shows. Stuffing yet another chip in my mouth, I paused and took stock of my cupboards & tables. My home is filled with items that no longer match the lifestyle I wish to live - my normal, daily routine no longer embodies my values. This led me to consider how accessibility affects behavior and how one can set themselves up for either success or failure before even beginning a journey of personal development.
A fine line
I believe there is a fine line between laziness and ingenuity. All creatures, not just humans, look for the simplest method to achieve their goals. It’s what causes the lion to prey upon the old, weak, and injured instead of the hale and healthy. It’s why the discovery of fire, which cooked our meals and provided greater caloric benefits, caused us to evolve as a species. It’s what changed us from hunter-gatherers to settled farmers and it is what causes us to continue innovating progressive technology and improved transporation. Who wouldn’t choose the path that requires less effort yet leads to equal (if not greater) results?!
“I choose a lazy person to do a hard job. Because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.” - Bill Gates
But sometimes taking shortcuts is not the best choice. The ease of accessibility is what causes students to copy/paste on an essay. It’s what causes the “litterbug” to drop trash on the walkway instead of in the trashcan ten steps away and the dieting individual to reach for pre-packaged snacks instead of cooking a meal.
It’s what causes us to use products that are detrimental to the earth and our bodies in the long run… but are just so easy to reach for.
Looking around my home, I realized how easy it is to set yourself up for success or failure simply by what you surround yourself with. I think that’s why so many people avoid earth-friendly and/or healthy practices… because they’re not “avoiding” them, they are simply not as readily available. Instant gratification is our greatest weakness.
How can we better set ourselves up for success from the very start? Comment below!
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It used to be that humans are forced to live in a way that only the healthiest and strongest survive. Which is why most archeological sample of paleo-humans are near Olympians physiologically, past humans are strong!
Id like to think on tangent that the wheat and agricultural revolution isn't really a form of human empowerment, rather a slavery of humans by the things we farm. Imagine a world where we don't have farmed wheat or chickens or beef. We need them more than they needed us. And the longer we rely on them the weaker we become. Making health problem more prevalent.
What we eat really matters. All too often the food people consume are just empty calories with no nutrition, and so the body compensates by craving more food in hope of getting nutrition. To which the person consumes more empty calorie in a vicious cycle that ends up with obesity and a plethora of health problem.
I guess it starts with the mindset. The human body by defaults function on scarcity mode. It craves for food as soon as it sees it for fear of famine later on. But with the world we live today, food quantity is no longer an issue. It matters now more than ever the quality of food we consume over the quantity.
Exactly awesomianist and our society is rotten to the core with poor nutrition if any at all. I enjoyed the article but disagree with the evolution of our species through fire and cooking our food. I think we de-evolved at that point. before this act of transforming our food into something not meant for us I believe we were much more than we are today. I could be wrong but through my own experience in life with food and health I see it differently. I do believe that our instant gratification mind set is a bad thing. Also the fact that anything is at our finger tips makes us lazy and in my opinion uneducated in a sense that allows us to harm ourselves through ignorance. Maybe that's why corporations are running so rampant selling us all types of harmful products these days. I laughed at Bill's quote. That type of mindset doesn't work in an environment where people depend on one another. I'll take the hard working non lazy person any day over the lazy. Had enough "lazy" in my life. Enjoyed the post very much. Made me think and want to respond. I mean no offense at all just an opinion and reply. Thank you for your time. Much appreciated!
Interesting point of view @stillwater! But I have to disagree with your explanation of humanity "devolving" with the discovery of fire... at this point, humans had to hunt and eat and then immediately hunt again. The nutrients absorbed didn't provide enough for us to have time for anything other than simply living. Fire does most of the work for us -breaking down the food and providing greater caloric benefits. This means we had time to grow as a species and focus on more "evolved" things such as transportation, medicine, inventions, etc. I simply meant it was a significant advancement in the evolution of our species... not that the continued practice of "making food faster, easier, and tastier" is healthier. We took it too far when we started to eat prepackaged, plastic and hormone filled things that can hardly be classified as real food! Thanks for responding, I enjoyed reading your comment! I'm glad you liked the post :) I hope I continue to write interesting articles that you can enjoy!
I think that many people avoid earth-friendly practices just in order not to ruin their own comfort. Sad but true.
And about the surrounding myself:) I always try to fill my appartment with things that can make me smile, and motivate, and create coziness:)
Exactly, comfort usually involves the shortest and easiest journey from A to B! I hope to gain and blog about practices that (hopefully) more people will be inspired to follow. And that's a good idea! I definitely need to work on surrounding myself with things that set my up for success instead of failure... it also makes things easier and therefore more likely for me to stick to! Cheers @inber, thanks for commenting!
In fact I made a post about thing surrpunding me a few minutes before you posted yours, so it's destiny, haha:)
And about comfort...There I meaned that people will more gladly think ONLY about their comfort then about nature prosperity, for example. Even in smallest things. For example it took me a year to wean the saleswoman in nearby shop to put all my milk and other products in a plastic bag. Danm, it's three minutes to get home for me, and then what? I will just throw them away. These three minutes worth that? No. But it's "comfortable". And if it took me a year to stop them from giving me plastic bags all the time - I assume that other people take them. I mean most of them. Tiny example, but I think I made my point.
If you'll create a blog with practices I will be really happy to see it!