Laziness and its causes

What motivates us?

We eat, we play and we work? But why? What is going on in our heads?

Whenever we do something, our brain thinks there is a reward behind an action. As a result, the brain releases the happiness hormone dopamine after every successful action.

The brain remembers this moment of happiness and later tries to reach it again with the same action. This is how habits or addictions are born.

We avoid pain and look for dopamine around every corner. Be it a cigarette, food, candy, Netflix, or gambling.

The Problem

Back then, people had to work hard to get something. And the reward came after a certain time. Because that's the problem nowadays: We live in an age where instant

gratification is not uncommon. Instead of sitting down and studying for an exam at school, we'd rather play our game on the game console or watch Netflix.

Our brains remember that. He knows that learning is tedious and "painful". In addition, the only motivation behind it is the fear of getting a bad grade.

Playing on the game console and watching Netflix brings instant dopamine. So, the brain moves away and prefers to watch games and Netflix.

Working hard to climb the career ladder or starting your own business is hard, and the results are not immediately apparent. Buying unnecessary consumer goods instead of saving and investing prefers the brain because instant gratification exists.

But in the long term, everyone knows it doesn't get anyone far. We have to learn to control ourselves and often act more rationally.

Consequences

An experiment

Two US psychologists, James Olds and Peter Milner did an experiment with laboratory rats in the 1950s. They put the laboratory rats' electrodes in their brains and put them in a so-called "skinner box". There was a lever in the cage which, when actuated, triggered a slight electric shock on the rat brain.

The rats found this stimulating and kept operating the switch every 5 seconds. Some have simply neglected their food and drink and have broken down accordingly because they preferred the electric shock.

We are not different

Immediate gratification makes us lazy and neglects basic things like eating and drinking. I don't want to know how many young men play video games for hours and don't care about their lives. I used to be one of them…

If you constantly look for the next kick, you will be lost one day. We're all overstimulated these days and crave the bigger kick. As a result, we no longer see a big reward behind simple things. This can be observed very well in addictions.

Let's take the cigarette as an example. It starts with a cigarette at a party. Later you smoke one now and then. Suddenly you smoke one every day. And a few years later, you find yourself smoking 2 packs of cigarettes daily. The brain always wants more and will demand it accordingly.

And in the end, we have an overstimulated brain, which is considered as "lazy and unmotivated"

If you feel unmotivated, think about these words: A good grade in an exam, a successful investment, and a successful career take time. You should always keep this in mind.

Don’t always seek for instant gratification. It doesn’t bring you further in life

Prefer the long run!