It seems like the idea of “muscle memory” spans many aspects and activities of life, from small fine motor movements such as playing an instrument, to large movements such as gym exercise or running. The list goes on. What is this phenomenon?
In: Biology
I actually use this in my classes on CBT, because it kind of works for thought pattern development as well.
Effectively, repeating an action makes your brain more efficient at that action. The brain creates very specific pathways to send the information about which muscle groups to activate when exposed to trained and reinforced triggers.
So, for instance, walking up a flight of stairs. I’m tall, so I generally walk up them two at a time,, doing so for decades now. Walking up the stairs one at a time feels ‘unnatural’, and requires me to be more intentional with each step, oftentimes catching myself going for two at a time. This is because the brain wants to use the efficient pathway, and doing something different requires much more effort than doing it the way you have already trained yourself on.
A good practice for this is the pattern you dry yourself when you get out of the shower, or a related, relatively automatic task, something you *really* don’t think about. Do it deliberately in a different pattern, and you’ll see what I mean.
Latest Answers