Sedentary work, many hours of traffic jams – we try to compensate for a sedentary lifestyle with sports. And we even decide to buy a subscription so that we are guaranteed not to miss classes. But some are not motivated by this either, while others are ready to get up at 5 in the morning for a run or a morning workout. What is the reason for such a different attitude towards sports and how to change it?
The way we see and perceive the world around us is at the heart of our approach to sports. So says social psychologist, professor at New York University (USA) Emily Balsetis. A simple example – 120 participants in the experiment were shown a portrait of a man and asked to describe his emotions.
The responses varied widely, ranging from discomfort, regret, and skepticism to sympathy and even hope.
Such variability of answers appears because our vision is not objective, but draws a picture in front of us, “censored” by our own imagination and consciousness. Emily Balsetis gives another example: Dieters find apples to be much larger than non-dieters.
Why does it happen this way? One of the answers lies in the way our eyes work. The area that the human eye can clearly and sharply perceive, on which it is able to focus, is quite small. It does not exceed the size of the thumb, located at arm’s length.
If we focus on it, then the space around it will be blurred. What is there, in this defocused set of color spots, we do not see, but we know thanks to the work of our brain. You can also recall texts popular in social networks, consisting of words, the letters inside of which are rearranged in the wrong order. But we can still read them without difficulty.
Some of us just literally see exercise as more challenging.
We start our new sports life “from Monday”, in a new month, from a new year. But soon our resolve dwindles and we give up our training a few days later.
“Of course, there is no simple answer to why this is happening. But one reason is that our inner view of the subject can work against us. Some of us just literally see exercise as more difficult than others,” says Emily Balsetis.
The researcher came to this conclusion as a result of the following tests. Their participants had to go with weighting a certain distance. But first, their physical condition was measured (the ratio of waist circumference to hip circumference). Before the start, everyone was asked to estimate the distance to the finish line.
For those who were in worse physical shape (their waist-hip index was higher), the distance seemed to be longer. As a result, Emily Balsetis and her colleagues came to the following conclusion: “The physical state of the body of the participants in the experiment influenced their perception of the environment.
But our brains can do the same. After all, in fact, our attitude to the world around is equally influenced by the brain and the body. This was confirmed by the second test. It turned out that more motivated participants, regardless of their physical condition, perceived the distance as shorter.
The visual system draws a picture in front of us, but our consciousness gives it a mood.
The results of the research helped a team of scientists develop a principle that could make training easier. Emily Balsetis calls it “keep your eyes on the prize”.
The first group of test participants were trained based on this strategy. They were set up: do not look around, focus on your goal, everything around is blurry and insignificant, there is only the finish line.
The second group was given exactly the opposite instructions – to behave “as usual”, look around, allow themselves to notice not only the finish line, but also the environment around it. As a result, the goal-focused participants perceived the distance, on average, 30% shorter than the group members prepared according to the second model.
But it was not only their subjective perception of the distance that differed, but also quite objective indicators. Those who kept their eyes on the reward covered the distance faster and were not so tense.
What we literally see with our own eyes may actually be completely different. The visual system draws a picture in front of us, but our consciousness gives it a mood. Motivation can make the distance shorter, and therefore easier to overcome.
By setting ourselves up for the goal, that the training is “winnable”, we increase the chances of completing it, not quitting, or at least starting it. With the realization that vision is biased and subject to the influence of our inner mood, we can take a broader look, move beyond the boundaries of a fitness club into a greater life. Instead of irritation, disappointment and nervous attacks against us, try to see the second plan in the behavior of loved ones, take their place.
Maybe the burden in reality is not so heavy? Maybe friends react this way because they are worried about us? Maybe a loved one is not angry at our late arrival from work, but sympathizes with us and regrets that you spend so little time together?
“Sometimes the world seems to us to be a dangerous place, difficult, full of insurmountable obstacles. But it doesn’t have to be that way all the time. We can teach ourselves to see life from different points of view, a little easier and more beautiful. And maybe then she will be like that. ”