“Hebb's Law”- Neurons that fire together, wire together.
This simple but rational statement is what enables us to make habits, learn new tasks and even remember the extensive lyrics to our favourite songs. However, the brain has now become a mechanism which is less exercised and more stored- exactly like the mush in our skull. Which it is. But, it is extremely sardonic- this very organ that used to be trained carefully- years ago, by the active use of it in numerous cognitive activities, has now been degraded and scraped off of its potential.
This same “mush” so powerful was actually USED and exercised. Trained with the intention of increasing some sort of competence in people- who were voluntarily desiring to do so. Why this change you may ask? In our current world with users boasting- yes, boasting; about using Artificial Intelligence furthermore, endless memes which don’t even make sense, competing amongst each other about who scrolled on Tik Tok whilst “bed-rotting” the longest. And oh! How could I even forget! Usage of THE Chat GPT! Our favourite little friend. I can guarantee half of its users don't even know what the full-form “GPT” is.
We are precariously getting more incompetent- and truthfully so, the opposite should be happening. I mean why is it that, in our current world, that is coloured with all kinds of right resources, inclusivity and opportunities; our brains have started to lose their sense of responsibility, we face short attention spans (a true crisis) and lack of motivation? This article aims to answer it all.
As you mindlessly scroll through your favourite doom-scrolling apps, your brain is quite literally being wielded against you- and this is where Hebb’s Law comes into play once again. The more frequently certain parts of the brain are activated, the stronger and more familiar those neural pathways become. From a neuroscience perspective, this occurs due to the repeated firing of neurons; when one neuron consistently activates another, their connection strengthens over time. As this process repeats, these neural networks become increasingly dominant and easier for the brain to access. As a result, when we attempt activities outside these established neural networks- or try something entirely new- the habitual reliance on social media and other unproductive digital substitutes makes it extremely difficult to maintain focus or remain calm without our devices.
This is exactly how habits are formed.
Repeated actions reinforce specific neural circuits, making those behaviours more automatic and ingrained. In simple terms, whatever you do repeatedly- scrolling, studying, creating- your brain becomes more efficient at doing.
To be frank, instead of letting this mechanism work against us, we should be exploiting it. We can intentionally train our brains to find familiarity and satisfaction in productive behaviours, effectively programming ourselves to enjoy growth over distraction.
Now, the question arises, are our brains being trained to work against us? The answer is yes, but not in the way you might expect:
your brain isn’t turning on you; you’re training your brain to work against yourself.
Confusing, right? Think about it- does this sound like you? You wake up, and before you can even piece your thoughts together into a puzzle or grab a glass of water, you reach for your little best friend: THE PHONE. If this sounds even remotely like your morning routine, I hate to break it to you, but you’re absolutely cooked.
Here’s what happens when you take these first few steps every morning-
our brain is a reward system. Each time you do a task- any task you get a dopamine hit which are the little happy hormones inside your brain (yay!). When you get an instant dopamine rush at the beginning of your day due to checking your phone, the dopamine receptors in your brain get overstimulated- this is actually something that sets up the rest of your day for failure. Due to the instant gratification received by your dopamine receptors and the neurotransmitter (dopamine) attaching itself with minimal effort and maximum output- it makes you “feel good” and almost acts like a drug.
Thereby, any task you do afterwards- will make you feel sluggish and not reach up to the standards that the instant gratification of dopamine you had first thing in the morning. Furthermore, it makes all other tasks under-stimulating. The thing is, the “dopamine hits” your brain receives due to the usage of technology and social media is almost artificial. Even though it is your own, that’s not how quick dopamine naturally acts and works. It is a slow, time consuming process, and with this short-form content you expose yourself to, make your receptors vulnerable and used to the over-concentrated amounts of dopamine they receive second after second, video after video.
Hence, when there is a big task at hand- you simply cannot get yourself to focus or commit to it. Your brain is simply not receiving the “dopamine hits” as quickly as it is used to receiving them.
So, who’s really the villain here? your brain or you?
The truth is, it doesn’t matter. Your brain is a powerhouse, a machine capable of incredible growth, but it’s only as loyal as the habits you feed it. Every morning you surrender to instant gratification, every scroll, every mindless tap, you are wiring your brain to crave the easy, the shallow, the fleeting. But here’s the kicker: you can flip the script. That same mechanism that now works against you can be hijacked to work for you. Train your neurones to crave challenge, discipline, and creativity. Make your brain a hero instead of a villain. Because if you don’t, if you keep letting your little device dictate your dopamine hits, your potential- the real, unfiltered, raw potential- will remain trapped in the mush. And that, dear readers, is the real tragedy.
