Why is it easier to focus on things that we don’t have to do (like watching YT, TV shows, movies etc.) rather than things we “must” (for example studying, working out, going to job, finishing project and so on) ?
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I’m going to pick a different answer: bias.
So there are 4 category of things:
* Easy and needed: You simply do it, without thinking, like eating, drinking, sleeping.
* Hard and needed: You put a lot of focus on this, because they are needed.
* Easy and not needed: You put a lot of focus on this, because you are a self-aware person with limited budget (time, money, energy), and want to reduce this.
* Hard and not needed: You simply don’t do this, and don’t even think about this.
So you only focus on things that are hard&needed, and eays¬_need. Creating an artificial causation in your mind.
Reactive vs. Proactive? Which is easier?
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Mind seeks what it takes the least effort . This has the roots with the evolutionary psychology but off course our minds has become efficient but the very nature of it remains the same .That’s why daily tasks are performed by habits rather than we consciously doing it.
As others said, well yeah it’s due to dopamine.
Doing those tasks is not only easier, but gives you instant gratification. Why do you have to work if you are enjoying yourself without any pressure? Working isn’t just tedious, but your mind doesn’t link it with a short term reward and hence dopamine, the reward chemical isn’t released to give you any motivation.
It’s easier to focus on things you want to do. Having to isn’t a part of this equation. You don’t have to study, work out, or go to a job. Just like you don’t have to watch TV or movies. Lot’s of people have no issue focusing on studying or going to work, because they want to do those things. Just like most people don’t have an issue focusing on TV they want to watch.
Whether or not you have to do it is irrelevant. There are things you can focus on easily, and things you can’t. You notice three of the four (focus+have to / no focus + have to / focus + don’t have to) but you don’t think at all about the fourth (no focus + don’t have to) because that’s just everything else you could possibly do.
Most things you choose to do provide you some form of enjoyment, which makes them easier to focus on. You wouldn’t sit down and watch a YouTube show that you hate, for example. But a lot of the things that we have to do aren’t fun, yet we still have to do them.
This definitely makes it easier for people who get the runner’s/lifter’s high to work out, for example.
Human brains are designed for ‘short term’ thinking. Anything that gives you joy or pleasure instantly, no matter how much harmful it is for you, your brain will be inclined towards it.
For example, if watching youtube is fun for you then you can’t focus on ‘long term’ gains.Even if you know that studying is important and will lead you to success,you know its long-term gain, so for gaining the short term pleasure, you often end up watching YT and stuff.
See that pink fleshy crinkly thing inside your head? Well, hopefully not. If you can that’s a problem. So you’ll just have to take my word that it’s in there. That this is dumb as hell. All it cares about is short term pleasure and suffering, and the way it understands the pleasure part of that is by the release of a chemical called dopamine. The brain only knows one thing – it likes dopamine and it wants to maximise the amount of dopamine it has and the amount of time it spends experiencing dopamine.
Those easy things to focus on all release dopamine, and that’s great for holding your attention cos your brain is gonna keep doing it until it stops releasing dopamine. The trouble with that though is that the modern world is really, really good at triggering the release of dopamine. Everywhere you turn there’s a new flashy shiny thing saying “Hey kid, you want some dopamine?” And this *wrecks* your attention span. Your brain basically becomes addicted to its own dopamine. Having dopamine starts to feel like the normal thing, and everything else starts feeling like suffering in comparison. This makes your brain crave dopamine even more, and it becomes agitated when it doesn’t have it (and of course, it’s hard to concentrate when you’re agitated). Nothing you *have* to do releases dopamine. It’s all boring and difficult and stressful. So your brain tries to avoid doing, cos why would it want to do that stuff if it can turn on the shiny rectangle and get 50ccs of dopamine straight to the ventral tegmental area?
If you want to be able to concentrate better, you need to snap out of your dependence on quick and easy dopamine. And what that means is getting a fuck ton of willpower and using it to limit how much time you spend doing fun things and when you do them. Repurpose fun things as rewards you give yourself for doing unfun things, and learn how to be comfortable being bored.
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