A Pipeline to Greener Sewers

Researchers in Portugal were able to stress rats until they fell into a vicious cycle of clinging to familiar routines and rote responses to their environment. The rodents became predisposed to doing the same things over and over. Even worse, the parts of their brain associated with goal-directed behaviors shriveled. At the same time, the sectors linked to habit forming grew.

Ever find yourself in a rut, digging yourself deeper? We often don’t recognize when our normal coping mechanisms aren’t working. Instead of trying something new, we bear down and repeat the same routine, thinking that if we just try harder, we’ll make it work.

Maybe it's time to break out of the box.

The study is detailed in the journal Science.

Stephen Goforth