Flash Mobs

You’re walking through New York’s Union Square when thousands of people suddenly begin plummeting each other with pillows. This yearly tradition is part of a global fad known as flash mobs. Groups gather through social networking at a particular location. They may stop and remain still for one minute, offer synchronized applause or create some other harmless disturbance.

The man who started this phenomenon was Bill Wasik. He’s written a book called And Then There’s This.

Wasik suggests that our new internet world is moving at such a rapid pace we are wasting our lives on the trivial. We must “feed the beast” with our texting, blogging, twittering and emailing. Never able to pause without falling behind, we begin to “seize upon these tiny little things and try to elevate them into sensations but of course they can't bear up under the weight of it.. the challenge is to try to find ways to partially unplug ourselves. To carve out spaces in our lives away from information. Away from the sort of constant buzzing of the hive mind.”

Read more in a Salon interview with Wasik.

Stephen Goforth

Coasting

If you are in go-go-go mode with the gas pedal stuck in the down position, it isn’t necessary to slam on the break. Instead, try to give your mind enough time to process your experiences, instead of just "having them." Allow your body time to coast.

Otherwise, you may find yourself bouncing back and forth between the go-getters, pulling you toward constant activity by modeling it for you (and making you feel guilty for failure to keep up) and the enablers on the other side, pushing you to keep the engine running at all costs.

Since the important stuff is going on internally, figure out ways to get breathing into your life.

Stephen Goforth

Thinking Too Much

When a person gets nervous about performing, he naturally becomes extra self-conscious. He starts to focus on himself, trying to make sure that he doesn't make any mistakes. He begins scrutinizing actions that are best performed on autopilot. This kind of deliberation can be lethal for a performer. The opera singer forgets how to sing. The pitcher concentrates too much on his motion and loses control of his fastball. The actor gets anxious about his lines and seizes up onstage. In each of these instances, the natural fluidity of performance is lost. The grace of talent disappears.

Jonah Lehrer
How We Decide

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