Remember Tetris? Amazing game, right?
Surprisingly enough, researchers found a key to happiness in it. But it probably isn’t what you think!
In studies, people were instructed to play Tetris for an extended period of time. At the end of the required playing time, the participants noticed that as they were out and about, they were bombarded with “Tetris shapes” everywhere: the brick or stone patterns in buildings, looking down a supermarket aisle, looking at cars in a parking lot – and their mind was working on how could these shapes fit better together.
This holds the key that keeps some people locked in unhappiness while others remain happy. It’s called the Tetris effect and it’s this:
What we train our brains to see, we see more of.
When we are playing Tetris, we are training our brains to recognize shapes, spaces and patterns.
Here is the pivotal question:
What are you training your brain to see in the game of life?
All that’s wrong and negative?
Or what’s is right in the world?
The negative is EASY to see. The media reports on it 24/7. It takes no skill to see it.
Shifting your focus requires a tiny bit of effort but it can make the difference between unhappy and happy.
Which do you want?
In this short episode, I share 2 simple practices that can help you train your brain to see the good that is already around you but might be invisible to you.
Show Notes
Finding Patterns – Bobbi talks about how the Tetris game worked and some of the studies that observed how Tetris players were noticing more patterns in the environment after extended hours of playing Tetris.
Negatives are Easy – Why do our brains start to notice negative things around us more when we’re bombarded with negative stories about the world through conventional media, social media, and even our peers?
Training the Brain – Simple things we can do to train our brains to notice more of the positive things around us so we’ll become happier.
