The Brain Hack From The 60s That Still Works Today
Your brain works on a reward circuit.
- Stimulus.
- Behavior.
- Reward.
That's the cycle.
Example:
- You see the living room is dirty and kinda smelly.
- You spray Febreeze.
- It smells fantastic.
That's the whole cycle and its part of everything we do as humans. No matter what you want to do, you will need to face this cycle.In fact, super successful products like Febreeze, Listerine, and Coca-Cola have built-in rewards that increase consumption behavior from customers.This isn't new--it's called reinforcement and it was coined by B.F. Skinner and the other Behaviorist Psychologists in the 60s.
It works in business and it works in life.
If you want to build a habit, break a habit, stop dating the same type of person, start exercising more, finish that novel, improve test scores, increase sales, decrease staff turnover, quit smoking, eat healthily, or WHATEVER . . .You're going to need to understand this basic, fundamental human circuit for behavior and how people respond to it.If your employees feel crummy every time they talk to you, they are going to stop talking to you and leave.If your students feel empowered and capable every time they leave your class, they're going to show up and try hard.If your customers feel like they didn't get what they expected, they are not going to tell you (they'll tell their friends) and they are not going to come back.
2 Minute Action
What's a habit or behavior you want to start, stop, or otherwise change?Don't stop there.What's the stimulus, behavior, and reward?It's up to you to identify, test, and solve for this reward circuit. If you're serious about getting your results, you're going to need to figure out how to hack your own behavior and do what you need to do.
"A failure is not always a mistake, it may simply be the best one can do under the circumstances. The real mistake is to stop trying."- B.F. Skinner
The Unusual Reason Listerine Is So Successful
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How many times have you gotten this within 2 seconds of hitting a new website or page?
How bad is that?We just met!Now you want me to upgrade? I haven't even used your product yet!
The first interaction someone has with you, your service, or your product, should be positive.
The first thing that should happen is that they get something. They feel good for making the decision to hit your page, buy your product, or hire you for the job.The first thing they need is a hit of dopamine to reinforce their behavior.Sounds a little mechanical but that's how brains work.
Stimulus. Behavior. Reinforcement.
EXAMPLE:Listerine doesn't need to be painful.But the marketing team found out that when consumers got "feedback" from the product, they felt like it was "working."They continued to use the product.You have to make your own ethical decision about whether the ends justify the means, but that's up to you.All I can share is what I know works.
2 Minute Action
What's the first interaction someone has with you, your brand, or your product?An email? A cold sales call? A welcome desk at your office?It only takes 2 minutes to come up with something small you can do, offer, or say within the first 2 minutes of meeting a new customer to make them sure that they made the right choice.Lollipops for their kids.A cold bottle of water.A cable to charge their iPhone.It's little things like these that your customers, clients, patients, or students will remember and then tell others about.
Why You Might Never Actually Take Action
You’ve been trained to NOT take action since the beginning.
Procrastinating on school projects. Cramming for exams. Sound familiar?How about pushing the meeting back until next week? Telling yourself you'll start working out once x, y, or z happens first?Well, these habits are also related to the way your mind and body work. By not practicing a habit of action, we are practicing a habit of inaction.This is critical.Your brain adapts to new environments, situations, and stimuli. It’s called neuro-plasticity. (citation: Hebbian Theory) It’s how you can stink at playing piano on day 1, but become proficient after a few years. You’ve literally rewired your brain to perform a new task that you couldn’t do before.THIS, is learning.Which means that no matter what, everyday, every second, you’re learning. When you’re out there practicing, and when you’re inside watching TV. Your brain’s only job is to adapt to what’s in front of it. The less you do with it, the better your brain gets at doing less. The more you do with it, well, you get the picture.Obviously, this means that building a habit of taking action takes time, intentional effort, and consistency. It also means you’ve got to unlearn a bunch of nasty habits (behavior habits and thought habits) that you picked up in school and from the office.
Tools and strategies for battling non-gen and other psychological barriers
The hardest part of changing your mindset is habit.The mind is good at doing what it’s always done, so you’ve got a lifetime of habits to relearn! Don’t expect this to happen quickly. Unrealistic expectations can lead to unnecessary anxiety, guilt, and depression.We’ve spent a lot of time and intentional effort building tools and strategies that will empower you to create a habit of action with small, consistent actions (and accountability partners).
***Side note: if you'd like to join a community of folks who are like-minded and are looking for accountability partners like you, you can join the Private Relentless Community Facebook Group.***
So how do we change our brains?You guessed it. Small, daily, consistent actions. Slowly pushing the flywheel, one revolution at a time until the momentum begins to push the flywheel for us.
Habits require 3 things to work:
A stimulus, a behavior, and a reward.
- Smell smoke, light a cigarette, get a nicotine hit.
- Clean your house, spray Febreeze, get a pleasant smell.
- The sound of your alarm clock, getting out of bed, grogginess.
Starting to make sense?
Here's one of the most undervalued keys to changing a habit:
Kicking habits is easier when you replace one or more pieces of the puzzle.You've been trained by school, work, and social norms NOT to take action. It's this reason that most people never do. But not you.
2 Minute Action:
What's a habit you want to kick?What is your current stimulus, behavior, and reward?What might you change to alter your behavior?Increase the reward? Take it away? Change the time you wake up? Plug your phone in on the other side of the room, away from your bed? Would love to hear your thoughts on this, especially on the specific habits you're trying to start or break right now.
| “You have everything you need to build something far bigger than yourself.”- Seth Godin |