Alain De Botton On Habit

It’s not unusual to witness how people when faced with the same situation form different perceptions. These perceptions are shaped by our mindsets and their interaction with our surroundings. The kind of action that occurs as two or more objects be it living or non-living have an effect upon one another is called interaction. The idea of a two-way effect is essential in the concept of interaction and also how much we interact and to what degree is also influenced by multiple factors. Both Alain de Botton, the author of “On Habit” and Adam Gopnik, the author of “Bumping into Mr., Ravioli” talk about our interaction with our environment and how different mindset perspectives affect this interaction. Both de Botton and Gopnik observe how we become “blind” to our surroundings be it the place we live or the people we live with because we are too “busy”. We have a set of beliefs, powerful incentives called mindsets that directly or indirectly affect our behavior towards others and our perception about the world and these mindsets affect our interaction with the environment. I believe, with the world becoming more interconnected instead of interacting more we have stopped interacting at all. We don’t exchange intimacies be it with people or things in our surroundings. Our mindset now days is such that it forces us to work like machines giving us little or no time to imagine, think and interact. In this fast-paced world, we are always “bumping” into people, “grabbing” lunch instead

In context to reverting the process of habituation, Alain de Botton states,” I forced myself to obey a particular kind of mental command; to look around me as though I had never been in this place before. And slowly my travels began to bear fruit. Under the command to consider everything as of potential interest, objects released latent layers of value,” (De Botton, ). Here, he states that it is necessary to adapt a mindset in which you look at your surroundings and familiar objects from a way that one had previously not seen it before. By this, an individual can develop,” latent layers of value,” (De Botton, 63). Familiar objects in a habituated surrounding can exhibit deep, hidden meanings that one may not have realized before. At times it may feel like there is nothing to be discovered because one has become so habituated to one’s surroundings. Changing one’s perspective can reveal the true value of an object that had been long forgotten about. It can also remind an individual of the memories and experiences related to the object. When adapting an “open-minded mindset,” an individual can help differentiate between the ordinary and the extraordinary

During this essay written by Walker Percy, it is clear that his overall opinion of experiencing new things is in the eye of the beholder and/or the hands of those around them and their social status. Percy uses many examples in his writing including that of an explorer, tourist, and local all seeing things for the first time either literally or in a new different light. In this essay, I will play on both sides of regaining experiences, seeing things on a different level then before or the first time. Regaining experiences is a valid argument brought up by Percy as it is achievable. While criticizing each side of the argument, I will also answer questions as to the validity of Percy's argument,

ESSAY 3 People don’t pay attention to the nature. Rather, they just think about their own matters for finding happiness. That exactly the point both Annie Dillard and David Foster Wallace have indicated on their writings “Seeing” and “This is Water”. Annie Dillard is an American author, best known for her narrative prose in both fiction and non fiction. She has published works of poetry, essays, prose, and literary critisism, as well as two novels and one memoir.

In Charles Duhigg’s book The Power of Habit, he asserts that individual habits can be understood and changed. Duhigg backs this claim with a description of the so-called habit loop which is composed of a cue, routine, and reward, pointing out the cues start habits and rewards signal the brain to remember routines. The author's purpose is to give information about habits in order to change them for the better. With Duhigg’s insight about habits, students can stop the bad habit of procrastination, the habit of delaying assignments until the last minutes. In particular, students should “recognize which craving is the driving behavior” of procrastination and change it as a first step to stop (50).

When it comes to the topic of addiction, most of us will readily agree that it is a miserable trait to possess. An addiction is a physical and psychological state of being that if not treated correctly could result into harmful wrongdoing. In The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg, he recounts a story in which a fatigued housewife named Angie Bachmann lost all of her family’s assets, amounting to a million dollars due to a gambling addiction. Every habit has three components: a cue or a trigger of an automatic behavior to start, a routine the behavior itself, and a reward which is how our brain learns to remember this pattern for the future. According to Duhigg, “you cannot extinguish a bad habit, you can only change it” (63). Duhigg

“The more often we see the things around us even the beautiful and wonderful things the more they become invisible to us. That is why we often take for granted the beauty of this world” -Joseph B. Wirthlin. Humans live life day to day without noticing the little things and are too absorbed by themselves to appreciate everyone and everything around them. Thornton Wilder, the author of Our Town addresses key life lessons in act three of the play.

Stephen R. Covey first wrote the self-help book entitled, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, this book has since opened the eyes and hearts to millions of people throughout the world. After discovering the success that so many individuals encountered and still encountering, Dr. Covey decided to write the sequel entitled, The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness. This habit is explained as, “Finding your voice, your calling, your soul’s code and inspire others to do the same.” What does that mean exactly and how would one implement that particular habit into the business world? It is simple really, that is if you know what it is that you are working towards, having an end in mind. With some direction, a foundation, and a

People go through their lives paying attention to only a fraction of the things going on around them that they may easily see, hear, smell, and feel if they could only expand their attention. Although many people probably wish they could pay attention to 2 things at once and remember everything about both of them, it may be impossible. Humans possess something called selective attention which means exactly how it sounds. People pay attention to only things they choose to pay attention to around them when there is a vast amount of things they may never even notice because there attention isn’t on it and it may be because we believe it isn't as interesting as what our attention is on (Selective). There are so many things that we may miss out on daily because we are focused on what are attention is on but that may

Often, before experiencing something, influences and research can create an aura of understanding. This results in expectations and assumptions. However, with these preconceived ideas, unfamiliar landscapes can create burdens of constant scrutinisation and ultimately dissatisfaction of the experience. Alain

In this quote the author is saying that we don't realize it but when we are playing video games or watching television or doing whatever it is we are doing on a television we are missing out on the outside world. The author is saying the outside makes you feel open and free and that being out gives people the sense of freedom. The author is concluding that just taking a step out of your comfort zone every once in a while can be great and replenishing for you, your mental health, and your physical health. This sense of openness and freedom and replenishment are all related. For example, I love to play video games and watch television but when I go on a hike I feel free and I realize that when I'm stuck onto a screen, it feels like I'm cooped

|take the time to look at their surroundings. Many get comfortable|reach beyond the “norm”, and to look outside their normal |

The Power of Place makes me realize how influential my surroundings create my persona; however, I

Our modern world is unlike the worlds of 17th or 18th centuries. It has been continually developed and went to the point where most of the people have a choice of freedom. In our modern world, people can choose what to do, where to go, and where to dwell. A modern man’s goal isn’t easily accessible. He wants to have a satisfactory life and chooses to go to and to live in a place where he can achieve his goal. However, changing place isn’t as easy as changing old clothes. It involves more than just moving from one place to another place. It expects some crucial changes in our bodies and brains. Because “everybody should wear the hat of the host country (Memory),” this movement challenges our way of thinking and, at the same time it challenges our former selves which are so intimate, immaculate, and splendid to us. In this position, we have to become “a bigamist of languages (Dorfman 3);” therefore, I agree with Dorfman and I believe that this dual

First off, we are creatures. We are animals. We're very sophisticated and good-looking and all that, but let's never forget that we're made of flesh and blood. In particular, our brains are incredibly complex evolved machines. Our brains govern basic processes such as breathing and food intake, and also enable us to appreciate the finer points of John Cleese's performances in Fawlty Towers.