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

Prevoditelj: Sonja Žarić Recezent: Maja Covic

When I was first learning to meditate,

Kad sam prvi puta učio meditirati,

the instruction was to simply pay attention to my breath,

upute su bile da jednostavno obratim pažnju na svoje disanje,

and when my mind wandered, to bring it back.

i kad mi um odluta, da ga vratim natrag.

Sounded simple enough.

Zvuči prilično jednostavno.

Yet I'd sit on these silent retreats,

No, ipak sjedio bih na tim tihim okupljanjima,

sweating through T-shirts in the middle of winter.

znojeći se kroz majicu usred zime.

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

Odspavao bih svakom prilikom jer je bilo teško.

Actually, it was exhausting.

Zapravo, bilo je iscrpljujuće.

The instruction was simple enough

Upute su bile jednostavne

but I was missing something really important.

no nedostajalo mi je nešto veoma važno.

So why is it so hard to pay attention?

Zašto je tako teško obratiti pozornost?

Well, studies show

Istraživanja pokazuju

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

da iako se zaista trudimo obratiti pozornost na nešto --

like maybe this talk --

kao na primjer ovaj govor --

at some point,

u nekom trenutku,

about half of us will drift off into a daydream,

skoro polovica će odlutati u sanjarenje,

or have this urge to check our Twitter feed.

ili imati potrebu provjeriti svoju Twitter objavu.

So what's going on here?

Što se ovdje događa?

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

Ispada da se borimo protiv jedne od evolucijski najočuvanijeg

learning processes currently known in science,

procesa učenja trenutno poznatog u znanosti,

one that's conserved

onog koji je pohranjen

back to the most basic nervous systems known to man.

u temeljnom živčanom sustavu poznatog čovjeku.

This reward-based learning process

Ovaj proces učenja putem nagradi

is called positive and negative reinforcement,

naziva se pozitivno i negativno uvjetovanje,

and basically goes like this.

i u osnovi, ide ovako.

We see some food that looks good,

Vidimo hranu koja dobro izgleda,

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

naš mozak kaže, "Kalorije! ... Opstanak!"

We eat the food, we taste it --

Pojedemo tu hranu, probamo je --

it tastes good.

ukusna je.

And especially with sugar,

A pogotovo sa šećerom,

our bodies send a signal to our brain that says,

naša tijela pošalju signal mozgu koji kaže,

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

"Sjeti se što jedeš i gdje si to pronašao."

We lay down this context-dependent memory

Pohranimo ovo sjećanje ovisno o kontekstu

and learn to repeat the process next time.

i naučimo ponoviti proces sljedeći puta.

See food,

Vidi hranu,

eat food, feel good,

jedi hranu, dobro se osjećaj,

repeat.

ponovi.

Trigger, behavior, reward.

Okidač, ponašanje, nagrada.

Simple, right?

Jednostavno, zar ne?

Well, after a while, our creative brains say,

No, nakon nekog vremena, naš kreativni dio mozga kaže,

"You know what?

"Znaš što?"

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

Možeš ovo iskoristiti za više nego za pamćenje gdje je hrana.

You know, next time you feel bad,

Znaš, sljedeći puta kad se budeš osjećao loše,

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

zašto ne probaš jesti nešto ukusno da se osjećaš bolje?"

We thank our brains for the great idea,

Zahvalimo mozgu na ovoj odličnoj ideji,

try this and quickly learn

probamo to i ubrzo naučimo

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

da ako pojedemo čokoladu ili sladoled kad smo ljuti ili tužni,

we feel better.

bolje ćemo se osjećati.

Same process,

Isti proces,

just a different trigger.

samo drukčiji okidač.

Instead of this hunger signal coming from our stomach,

Umjesto da ovaj signal dođe iz našeg želuca,

this emotional signal -- feeling sad --

ovaj emocionalni signal -- osjećaj tuge --

triggers that urge to eat.

nas nagoni da jedemo.

Maybe in our teenage years,

Možda u tinejdžerskim godinama

we were a nerd at school,

kad smo bili štreberi,

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

i vidjeli smo one buntovne klince vani kako puše i pomislili,

"Hey, I want to be cool."

"Hej, ja želim biti cool."

So we start smoking.

Počeli smo pušiti.

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

Marlboro čovjek nije bio šmokljan, i to nije bila slučajnost.

See cool,

Vidi nešto cool,

smoke to be cool,

puši da budeš cool,

feel good. Repeat.

osjećaj se dobro. Ponovi.

Trigger, behavior, reward.

Okidač, ponašanje, nagrada.

And each time we do this,

I svaki put kad smo ovo radili,

we learn to repeat the process

naučili smo ponavljati proces

and it becomes a habit.

i postao je navika.

So later,

Kasnije,

feeling stressed out triggers that urge to smoke a cigarette

kad smo pod stresom to potiče nagon da zapalimo cigaretu

or to eat something sweet.

ili da pojedemo nešto slatko.

Now, with these same brain processes,

S istim procesima u mozgu,

we've gone from learning to survive

smo od učenja preživljavanja

to literally killing ourselves with these habits.

došli do doslovnog ubijanja samih sebe s ovim navikama.

Obesity and smoking

Pretilost i pušenje

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

su među vodećim uzrocima bolesti i smrti u svijetu.

So back to my breath.

Da se vratim na moje disanje.

What if instead of fighting our brains,

Što ako umjesto da se borimo protiv naših mozgova,

or trying to force ourselves to pay attention,

ili se pokušavamo natjerati da obratimo pozornost,

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

možemo iskoristiti ovaj prirodni proces učenja koji se temelji na nagradama,

but added a twist?

s jednim preokretom?

What if instead we just got really curious

Što ako samo pokažemo znatiželju

about what was happening in our momentary experience?

za ono što se događa u našem trenutnom iskustvu?

I'll give you an example.

Dat ću vam primjer.

In my lab,

U mom laboratoriju,

we studied whether mindfulness training could help people quit smoking.

proučavali smo može li osviještenost pomoći ljudima da prestanu pušiti.

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

Kao što sam se morao tjerati da obratim pozornost na svoje disanje,

they could try to force themselves to quit smoking.

oni se mogu pokušati natjerati da prestanu pušiti.

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

I većina njih je pokušala ovo prije i nije uspjela --

on average, six times.

u prosjeku, šest puta.

Now, with mindfulness training,

S ovim treningom osviještenosti,

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

izbacili smo dio gdje ćete se natjerati i usredotočili se na znatiželju.

In fact, we even told them to smoke.

Ustvari, čak smo im rekli neka zapale.

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

Što? Da, rekli smo im, "Hajde, zapali,

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

samo budi zaista znatiželjan kako je kad to napraviš."

And what did they notice?

I što su primjetili?

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

Evo jedan primjer od jednog pušača.

She said, "Mindful smoking:

Rekla je, "Osviješteno pušenje:

smells like stinky cheese

ima miris smrdljivog sira

and tastes like chemicals,

i okus kemikalija,

YUCK!"

Bljak!"

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

Ona je znala, kognitivno da pušenje nije dobro za nju,

that's why she joined our program.

zato se priključila našem programu.

What she discovered just by being curiously aware when she smoked

Ono što je otkrila samom znatiželjnom svijesti dok je pušila

was that smoking tastes like shit.

jest da pušenje ima okus izmeta.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

Now, she moved from knowledge to wisdom.

Sada je prešla od znanja na mudrost.

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

Odmakla se od znanja u svojoj glavi da je pušenje štetno za nju

to knowing it in her bones,

do istinskog znanja,

and the spell of smoking was broken.

i čarolija pušenja je slomljena.

She started to become disenchanted with her behavior.

Počela je biti razočarana svojim ponašanjem.

Now, the prefrontal cortex,

Prednji mozak,

that youngest part of our brain from an evolutionary perspective,

najmlađi dio mozga s evolucijskog gledišta,

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

taj dio razumije na intelektualnoj razini da ne bi trebali pušiti.

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

I trudi se najjače da nam pomogne da promijenimo svoje ponašanje,

to help us stop smoking,

da nam pomogne prestati pušiti,

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

da nam pomogne da ne pojedemo taj drugi, treći ili četvrti kolačić.

We call this cognitive control.

Ovo nazivamo kognitivna kontrola.

We're using cognition to control our behavior.

Koristimo spoznaju za upravljanje svojim ponašanjem.

Unfortunately,

Nažalost,

this is also the first part of our brain

ovo je isto tako prvi dio mozga

that goes offline when we get stressed out,

koji se ugasi kad smo pod stresom,

which isn't that helpful.

što nam ne pomaže.

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

Svi se možemo poistovjetiti s ovim iz iskustva.

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

Vjerojatnije je da ćemo raditi stvari kao vikati na partnera ili djecu

when we're stressed out or tired,

kad smo pod stresom ili umorni,

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

iako znamo da to neće pomoći.

We just can't help ourselves.

Ne možemo si pomoći.

When the prefrontal cortex goes offline,

Kad se naš prednji mozak ugasi,

we fall back into our old habits,

vraćamo se starim navikama,

which is why this disenchantment is so important.

zato je ovo razočaranje toliko bitno.

Seeing what we get from our habits

Vidjeti što dobivamo od svojih navika

helps us understand them at a deeper level --

nam pomaže razumijeti ih na dubljoj razini --

to know it in our bones

da ih osjetimo u srži

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

tako da se ne moramo tjerati na suzdržavanje

or restrain ourselves from behavior.

ili obuzdavati svoje ponašanje.

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

Prvenstveno smo manje zainteresirani za njih.

And this is what mindfulness is all about:

Osviještenost se radi o ovome:

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

Vidimo zaista jasno što dobivamo kad se prepustimo našim navikama,

becoming disenchanted on a visceral level

budemo razočarani na visceralnoj razini

and from this disenchanted stance, naturally letting go.

i iz ovog stava, prirodno pustimo sve.

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

Ne govorim da, puf, čarobno prestajemo pušiti.

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

No, tijekom vremena, kako učimo vidjeti sve jasnije

the results of our actions,

rezultate naših djela,

we let go of old habits and form new ones.

pustimo stare navike i steknemo nove.

The paradox here

Paradoks ovdje

is that mindfulness is just about being really interested

jest da osviještenost samo znači da smo zaista zainteresirani

in getting close and personal

u približavanju i shvaćanju osobno

with what's actually happening in our bodies and minds

što se zapravo događa u našim tijelima i umu

from moment to moment.

iz trenutka u trenutak.

This willingness to turn toward our experience

Volja da se okrenemo prema našim iskustvima

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

radije nego da pokušavamo neugodne žudnje otjerati što prije.

And this willingness to turn toward our experience

I tu volju da se okrenemo našim iskustvima

is supported by curiosity,

podupire znatiželja,

which is naturally rewarding.

koja prirodno nagrađuje.

What does curiosity feel like?

Kakav je osjećaj znatiželja?

It feels good.

Dobar.

And what happens when we get curious?

I što se događa kad ste znatiželjni?

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

Počinjemo primjećivati da su žudnje izmišljeni tjelesni osjećaji --

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

oh, stegnutost, napetost,

there's restlessness --

evo nemir --

and that these body sensations come and go.

i da ovi tjelesni osjećaji dođu i prođu.

These are bite-size pieces of experiences

To su maleni zalogaji iskustava

that we can manage from moment to moment

kojima možemo upravljati svakog trenutka

rather than getting clobbered by this huge, scary craving

radije nego da nas savladaju te ogromne, strašne žudnje

that we choke on.

koje nas guše.

In other words, when we get curious,

Drugim riječima, kad smo znatiželjni,

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

udaljimo se od naših starih, na strahu zasnovanim, reaktivnim uzorcima navike,

and we step into being.

i pristupimo biću.

We become this inner scientist

Postajemo unutrašnji znanstvenik

where we're eagerly awaiting that next data point.

koji nestrpljivo očekuje sljedeće podatke.

Now, this might sound too simplistic to affect behavior.

Ovo možda zvuči prejednostavno da bi utjecalo na ponašanje.

But in one study, we found that mindfulness training

No, u jednom istraživanju otkrili smo da je trening osviještenosti

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

dvostruko bolji od zlatne standardne terapije za prestanak pušenja.

So it actually works.

Zapravo djeluje.

And when we studied the brains of experienced meditators,

I kad smo proučavali mozgove iskusnih meditatora,

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

pronašli smo da su dijelovi živčane mreže autoreferencijalne obrade

called the default mode network

koji se zovu zadani način mreže

were at play.

uključeni.

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

Jedna trenutna hipoteza je da se područje ove mreže,

called the posterior cingulate cortex,

koje zovemo stražnji cingularni korteks,

is activated not necessarily by craving itself

ne aktivira nužno samom žudnjom

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

nego kad se upletemo u to, kad nas uvuče,

and it takes us for a ride.

i izvoza.

In contrast, when we let go --

Suprotno, kad pustimo --

step out of the process

izađemo iz procesa

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

samom znatiželjom oko toga što se događa --

this same brain region quiets down.

isti dio mozga se utiša.

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

Sada testiramo aplikaciju i online trening program osviještenosti

that target these core mechanisms

koji ciljaju na ove temeljne mehanizme

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

i, ironično, koriste istu tehnologiju koja nam odvraća pažnju

to help us step out of our unhealthy habit patterns

da nam pomogne udaljiti se od nezdravih uzoraka navike

of smoking, of stress eating and other addictive behaviors.

pušenja, jedenja pod stresom i ostalih ovisnih ponašanja.

Now, remember that bit about context-dependent memory?

Sjećate li se dijela o memoriji ovisnoj o kontekstu?

We can deliver these tools to peoples' fingertips

Možemo dostaviti ove alate na dohvat ruke

in the contexts that matter most.

u relevantnom kontekstu.

So we can help them

Možemo im pomoći

tap into their inherent capacity to be curiously aware

da pristupe urođenoj sposobnosti da budu znatiželjno svijesni

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

u trenutku kad se pojavi potreba za pušenjem ili hranom ili nečim drugim.

So if you don't smoke or stress eat,

Ako ne pušite ili se ne prejedate,

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

možda sljedeći put kad osjetite potrebu da provjerite email kad vam je dosadno,

or you're trying to distract yourself from work,

ili želite odvratiti pažnju s posla,

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

ili možda kompulzivno odgovarate na poruku dok vozite,

see if you can tap into this natural capacity,

pogledajte možete li pristupiti ovoj prirodnoj sposobnosti,

just be curiously aware

budite znatiželjno svijesni

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

onoga što vam se događa u tijelu ili umu u tom trenutku.

It will just be another chance

To će biti druga prilika

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

da ponovite jednu od beskrajnih i iscrpljujućih petlji navike...

or step out of it.

ili se udaljite od njih.

Instead of see text message, compulsively text back,

Umjesto da vidite poruku, kompulzivno odgovorite,

feel a little bit better --

osjećate se malo bolje --

notice the urge,

primjetite potrebu,

get curious,

budite znatiželjni,

feel the joy of letting go

osjetite radost otpuštanja,

and repeat.

i ponovite.

Thank you.

Hvala vam.

(Applause)

(Pljesak)