A simple way to break a bad habit | Judson Brewer | TED

Translator: Maria Serrano Lopez Reviewer: Xusto Rodriguez

When I was first learning to meditate,

Cando estaba empezando a aprender a meditar,

the instruction was to simply pay attention to my breath,

a instrución era simplemente atenderlle á miña respiración,

and when my mind wandered, to bring it back.

e cando a mente se dispersara, traela de volta.

Sounded simple enough.

Soaba ben doado.

Yet I'd sit on these silent retreats,

Aínda así, senteime neses silenciosos retiros,

sweating through T-shirts in the middle of winter.

suando camisetas no medio do inverno.

I'd take naps every chance I got because it was really hard work.

Botaba toqueadas cada vez que podía porque era un traballo duro.

Actually, it was exhausting.

De feito, foi esgotador.

The instruction was simple enough

A instrución era abondo simple

pero faltábame algo moi importante.

but I was missing something really important.

So why is it so hard to pay attention?

Por que é tan difícil poñer atención?

Ben, os estudos din

Well, studies show

that even when we're really trying to pay attention to something --

que aínda cando realmente intentamos poñer atención en algo

like maybe this talk --

--como por exemplo esta charla--

at some point,

nalgún momento,

about half of us will drift off into a daydream,

arredor da metade de nós acabaremos soñando despertos,

or have this urge to check our Twitter feed.

ou teremos a necesidade de mirar o noso Twitter.

So what's going on here?

Que está pasando?

Resulta que estamos a loitar contra un dos procesos de aprendizaxe

It turns out that we're fighting one of the most evolutionarily-conserved

learning processes currently known in science,

mellor conservados evolutivamente dos que coñece a ciencia,

one that's conserved

un que se conserva

back to the most basic nervous systems known to man.

no sistema nervioso máis básico coñecido polo home.

This reward-based learning process

Este proceso de aprendizaxe baseado na recompensa

is called positive and negative reinforcement,

chámase reforzo positivo e negativo,

and basically goes like this.

e basicamente funciona así.

We see some food that looks good,

Vemos comida que ten boa pinta,

our brain says, "Calories! ... Survival!"

o noso cerebro di: "Calorías! Sobrevivir!"

We eat the food, we taste it --

Comemos a comida, gústanos,

sabe ben.

it tastes good.

And especially with sugar,

E especialmente co azucre,

our bodies send a signal to our brain that says,

os nosos corpos dinlle ao noso cerebro:

"Remember what you're eating and where you found it."

"Acórdate do que estás a comer e onde o atopaches".

We lay down this context-dependent memory

Establecemos este recordo dependente do contexto

e aprendemos a repetir o proceso á vez seguinte.

and learn to repeat the process next time.

See food,

Ver comida,

eat food, feel good,

comer alimentos, sentirse ben,

repeat.

repetir.

Trigger, behavior, reward.

Detonante, comportamento, recompensa.

Simple, right?

Fácil, non si?

Well, after a while, our creative brains say,

Despois dun tempo os nosos cerebros creativos din

"Sabes que?

"You know what?

You can use this for more than just remembering where food is.

Podes usar isto para algo máis ca para recordar onde está a comida.

You know, next time you feel bad,

Así que, a próxima vez que te sintas mal,

por que non comes algo rico para sentirte mellor?"

why don't you try eating something good so you'll feel better?"

We thank our brains for the great idea,

Dámoslle grazas aos nosos cerebros pola boa idea,

try this and quickly learn

probámolo e axiña aprendemos

that if we eat chocolate or ice cream when we're mad or sad,

que se comemos chocolate ou xeado cando estamos enfadados ou tristes,

we feel better.

sentímonos mellor.

Same process,

O mesmo proceso,

só cun detonante diferente.

just a different trigger.

Instead of this hunger signal coming from our stomach,

No canto do sinal de fame que chega do noso estómago,

this emotional signal -- feeling sad --

este sinal emocional, sentirse triste,

triggers that urge to eat.

desencadea esa ansia de comer.

Se cadra, cando fomos adolescentes,

Maybe in our teenage years,

we were a nerd at school,

eramos uns chapóns no instituto,

and we see those rebel kids outside smoking and we think,

e víamos aos rebeldes fumando fóra e pensamos,

"Hey, I want to be cool."

"Eu quero molar."

So we start smoking.

Así que empezamos a fumar.

The Marlboro Man wasn't a dork, and that was no accident.

O home de Marlboro non era unha parvada, nin unha casualidade.

See cool,

Gustar,

smoke to be cool,

fumar para gustar,

sentirse ben. Repetir.

feel good. Repeat.

Trigger, behavior, reward.

Detonante, comportamento, recompensa.

And each time we do this,

E cada vez que o facemos,

we learn to repeat the process

aprendemos a repetir o proceso,

and it becomes a habit.

e convértese nun hábito.

So later,

Despois,

feeling stressed out triggers that urge to smoke a cigarette

o estar estresados desencadea a necesidade de fumar

or to eat something sweet.

ou comer algo doce.

Now, with these same brain processes,

Con estes mesmos procesos cerebrais,

pasamos de aprender a sobrevivir

we've gone from learning to survive

a literalmente matarnos a nós mesmos con estes hábitos.

to literally killing ourselves with these habits.

Obesity and smoking

A obesidade e o tabaquismo están

are among the leading preventable causes of morbidity and mortality in the world.

entre as principais causas evitables de morbilidade e mortalidade no mundo.

So back to my breath.

Volvamos logo á miña respiración.

What if instead of fighting our brains,

E se no canto de loitar co noso cerebro,

ou tratar de obligalo a poñer atención,

or trying to force ourselves to pay attention,

we instead tapped into this natural, reward-based learning process ...

usaramos este proceso de aprendizaxe natural baseado na recompensa

but added a twist?

pero engadíndolle un xiro?

E se mirásemos con moita curiosidade

What if instead we just got really curious

about what was happening in our momentary experience?

o que estaba pasando na experiencia dese momento?

Vou poñer un exemplo.

I'll give you an example.

In my lab,

No meu laboratorio estudouse

we studied whether mindfulness training could help people quit smoking.

se adestrar a consciencia plena podería axudar a deixar de fumar.

Now, just like trying to force myself to pay attention to my breath,

Igual ca cando intento forzarme a atenderlle á miña respiración,

they could try to force themselves to quit smoking.

poderían tratar de obrigarme a deixar de fumar.

And the majority of them had tried this before and failed --

A maioría dos participantes xa o intentou antes e fracasou,

on average, six times.

seis veces, como media.

Now, with mindfulness training,

Adestrando a consciencia plena,

we dropped the bit about forcing and instead focused on being curious.

deixamos de forzar e pasamos a centrarnos en ser curiosos.

In fact, we even told them to smoke.

De feito, ata lles dixemos que fumaran.

What? Yeah, we said, "Go ahead and smoke,

Que? Si, dixémoslles, "Veña, fumade,

just be really curious about what it's like when you do."

simplemente sede realmente curiosos sobre o que sentides ao facelo".

And what did they notice?

E de que se decatan?

Velaquí un exemplo dunha das nosas fumadoras.

Well here's an example from one of our smokers.

She said, "Mindful smoking:

Dixo: "Fumar con consciencia plena:

smells like stinky cheese

cheira a queixo apestoso

and tastes like chemicals,

e sabe a productos químicos,

YUCK!"

Que noxo!"

Now, she knew, cognitively that smoking was bad for her,

Sabía cognitivamente que fumar era malo para ela,

por eso se uniu ao noso programa.

that's why she joined our program.

What she discovered just by being curiously aware when she smoked

O que descubriu só por estar curiosamente consciente ao fumar

was that smoking tastes like shit.

era que fumar sabe a merda.

(Laughter)

(Risas)

Now, she moved from knowledge to wisdom.

Pasou do coñecemento á sabiduría.

She moved from knowing in her head that smoking was bad for her

Pasou de saber na súa cabeza que fumar era malo para ela

to knowing it in her bones,

a sabelo profundamente

e rompeuse o feitizo do tabaquismo.

and the spell of smoking was broken.

She started to become disenchanted with her behavior.

Comezou a desencantarse co seu comportamento.

Now, the prefrontal cortex,

O córtex prefrontal,

a parte máis nova do noso cerebro desde unha perspectiva evolutiva,

that youngest part of our brain from an evolutionary perspective,

it understands on an intellectual level that we shouldn't smoke.

entende a nivel intelectual que non debemos fumar.

And it tries its hardest to help us change our behavior,

E trata de axudarnos arduamente a cambiar o noso comportamento,

to help us stop smoking,

para axudarnos a deixar o tabaco,

to help us stop eating that second, that third, that fourth cookie.

a deixar de comer esa segunda, terceira, cuarta galleta.

We call this cognitive control.

A isto chamámoslle control cognitivo.

We're using cognition to control our behavior.

Usamos a cognición para controlar o noso comportamento.

Unfortunately,

Por desgraza, esta é tamén

this is also the first part of our brain

a primeira parte do noso cerebro

que se apaga cando nos estresamos,

that goes offline when we get stressed out,

which isn't that helpful.

algo que non é tan útil.

Now, we can all relate to this in our own experience.

Todos podemos relacionar isto con experiencias propias.

We're much more likely to do things like yell at our spouse or kids

Somos moito máis propensos a berrarlle ao noso home ou fillos

se estamos estresados ou cansos,

when we're stressed out or tired,

even though we know it's not going to be helpful.

a pesar de saber que non vai ser útil.

Simplemente non podemos evitalo.

We just can't help ourselves.

Cando a corteza prefontal se desconecta,

When the prefrontal cortex goes offline,

we fall back into our old habits,

volvemos a caer nos nosos vellos hábitos,

which is why this disenchantment is so important.

por iso este desencanto é tan importante.

Seeing what we get from our habits

Ver o que obtemos dos nosos hábitos

axúdanos a comprendelo a un nivel máis profundo

helps us understand them at a deeper level --

to know it in our bones

sabelo nos nosos ósos

so we don't have to force ourselves to hold back

así que non temos que obrigarnos a detelos

or restrain ourselves from behavior.

ou restrinxir o noso comportamento.

We're just less interested in doing it in the first place.

Simplemente, estamos menos interesados en facelo.

And this is what mindfulness is all about:

E diso trata a consciencia plena

de ver claramente os resultados de seguir os nosos hábitos,

Seeing really clearly what we get when we get caught up in our behaviors,

becoming disenchanted on a visceral level

quedar desencantados a un nivel visceral

e desde esta postura desencantada, abandonalos naturalmente.

and from this disenchanted stance, naturally letting go.

This isn't to say that, poof, magically we quit smoking.

Isto non quere decir que por arte de maxia deixen de fumar.

But over time, as we learn to see more and more clearly

pero co tempo, ao aprendermos a ver máis e máis claramente

os resultados das nosas accións,

the results of our actions,

we let go of old habits and form new ones.

abandonamos os vellos hábitos e adquirimos outros novos.

O paradoxo aquí

The paradox here

is that mindfulness is just about being really interested

é que a consciencia plena trátase só de estar realmente interesado

in getting close and personal

en saber de cerca e personalmente

with what's actually happening in our bodies and minds

que está sucendendo realmente no noso corpo e mente

from moment to moment.

en todo momento.

Esta vontade de voltarnos cara á nosa experiencia

This willingness to turn toward our experience

rather than trying to make unpleasant cravings go away as quickly as possible.

no canto de facer desaparecer os desexos o máis axiña posible.

And this willingness to turn toward our experience

E esta vontade de voltarnos cara á nosa experiencia

is supported by curiosity,

co apoio da curiosidade,

which is naturally rewarding.

é, naturalmente, gratificante.

Como é a curiosidade?

What does curiosity feel like?

It feels good.

É unha boa sensación.

E que pasa cando somos curiosos?

And what happens when we get curious?

We start to notice that cravings are simply made up of body sensations --

Comezamos a notar que os desexos son simplemente sensacións corporais

oh, there's tightness, there's tension,

--hai opresión, hai tensión,

hai inquietude--

there's restlessness --

and that these body sensations come and go.

e estas sensacións corporais van e veñen.

These are bite-size pieces of experiences

Son pequenos anacos de experiencias

that we can manage from moment to moment

que podemos xestionar de momento a momento

rather than getting clobbered by this huge, scary craving

en vez de sermos esmagados por ese enorme e arrepiante desexo

que nos afoga.

that we choke on.

In other words, when we get curious,

Noutras palabras, cando somos curiosos,

saímos dos nosos vellos patróns de hábitos reactivos baseados no medo,

we step out of our old, fear-based, reactive habit patterns,

and we step into being.

e damos un paso cara ao ser.

Convertémonos nun científico interior

We become this inner scientist

where we're eagerly awaiting that next data point.

e esperamos con impaciencia o seguinte punto de datos.

Isto pode soar demasiado simplista como para afectar o comportamento.

Now, this might sound too simplistic to affect behavior.

But in one study, we found that mindfulness training

Pero nun estudo observouse que adestrar a consciencia plena

era o dobre mellor que o adestramento estándar

was twice as good as gold standard therapy at helping people quit smoking.

para axudar ás persoas a deixar de fumar.

So it actually works.

Así que en realidade funciona.

And when we studied the brains of experienced meditators,

E ao estudar os cerebros dos meditadores experimentados,

we found that parts of a neural network of self-referential processing

vemos que partes dunha rede neuronal de procesamento autorreferencial

called the default mode network

chamada "rede neuronal por defecto"

estaba activa.

were at play.

Now, one current hypothesis is that a region of this network,

Agora, unha hipótese actual é que unha rexión desta rede,

called the posterior cingulate cortex,

chamada xiro cingular posterior,

is activated not necessarily by craving itself

non se activa polo propio desexo

but when we get caught up in it, when we get sucked in,

pero cando nos atrapa, non podemos saír

and it takes us for a ride.

e perdemos o control.

In contrast, when we let go --

Pola contra, cando deixamos que pase,

step out of the process

saímos do proceso

just by being curiously aware of what's happening --

manténdonos curiosamente conscientes do que ocorre,

this same brain region quiets down.

esta mesma rexión do cerebro cálmase.

Now we're testing app and online-based mindfulness training programs

Estamos probando aplicacións baseadas en adestrar a consciencia plena en liña

that target these core mechanisms

que se centra nestes mecanismos básicos

and, ironically, use the same technology that's driving us to distraction

e, ironicamente, usa a mesma tecnoloxía que nos distrae

para saír dos nosos padróns de comportamento pouco saudables,

to help us step out of our unhealthy habit patterns

of smoking, of stress eating and other addictive behaviors.

como fumar, comer por estrés e outras condutas adictivas.

Now, remember that bit about context-dependent memory?

Recordades o do recordo dependente do contexto?

We can deliver these tools to peoples' fingertips

Podemos levar estas ferramentas ás mans da xente

in the contexts that matter most.

nos contextos que máis importan.

So we can help them

Podemos axudalos a aproveitar

tap into their inherent capacity to be curiously aware

a súa capacidade inherente de ser curiosos

right when that urge to smoke or stress eat or whatever arises.

xusto cando ansían fumar ou comer ou o que sexa.

So if you don't smoke or stress eat,

Así que se non fumas ou comes por estrés,

maybe the next time you feel this urge to check your email when you're bored,

se cadra a próxima vez que esteas aburrido e queiras ver o correo

or you're trying to distract yourself from work,

ou intentes distraerte do traballo,

or maybe to compulsively respond to that text message when you're driving,

ou responder compulsivamente esa mensaxe de texto mentres conduces,

podes intentar aproveitar esa capacidade natural,

see if you can tap into this natural capacity,

just be curiously aware

ser consciente curiosamente

of what's happening in your body and mind in that moment.

do que lle está pasando ao teu corpo e mente nese momento.

It will just be another chance

Pode ser outra oportunidade

to perpetuate one of our endless and exhaustive habit loops ...

para perpetuar un dos nosos hábitos eternos e esgotadores...

or step out of it.

ou para saír deles.

En vez de ler a mensaxe de texto, responder compulsivamente

Instead of see text message, compulsively text back,

e sentirte un pouco mellor,

feel a little bit better --

notice the urge,

percibe a urxencia,

get curious,

feel the joy of letting go

se curioso,

sente a ledicia de deixar que pase

and repeat.

e repite.

Thank you.

Grazas.

(Applause)

(Aplausos)