One of the great impediments to attaining sustained happiness is the tendency that is built into all living creatures, to habituate; that is to ignore things that are repeated frequently. Habituation causes us to take thing for granted, to ignore the beauty that surrounds us, to stop seeing all of the wonderful things about the people we’re closest to, to not realize our own good health, and to miss the essence of our being.

Habituation can be demonstrated by simply repeating a simple stimulus such as an audible tap over and over again, initially we will notice it and may be curious and investigate it. But, as it continues we begin to ignore it, and eventually cease to hear it. In essence, anything that is common and usual stops getting our attention and eventually ceases to be perceived.

This very simple process, although useful for the survival of the species, becomes a problem in our lives. Because we habituate to it we take our jobs for granted and loose the excitement and pleasure that we had when we first began the job. If we live in or commute through a beautiful environment we habituate to it and cease to observe and take pleasure in its beauty.

We are so used to our significant others that we stop seeing all the wonderful characteristics that attracted us to them in the first place and begin to take them for granted. We come to take our health for granted unless it is compromised. The sage Thich Nhat Hahn cautions us to be grateful for our non tooth ache. We habituate and take it for granted and don’t notice what a blessing that is.

From a spiritual viewpoint, one of the most significant aspects of our existence is our awareness. Not what we’re aware of, but the entity that is being aware. It’s always there. So we habituate to it and stop noticing it. Most contemplative practices are designed to try to overcome this habituation and induce a renewed awareness of awareness.

It is clear that habituation interferes with our appreciating life, with our ability to continuously see the beauty around us and in us with fresh eyes. As a result we’re driven to constantly seek out new and different experiences in order to feel happy. What a shame, as happiness is always present, we’ve just habituated to it.

Is there a way to overcome habituation? The technical term is dishabituation. The science of mindfulness has yielded answers. Today’s Research News article “More Meditation, Less Habituation? The Effect of Mindfulness Practice on the Acoustic Startle Reflex.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4422735/
https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1019645078059418/?type=1&theater

indicates that mindfulness interferes with the habituation process. It allows us to react to repeated stimuli for a longer period.

It is not surprising then that contemplative practice leads to greater happiness. It interferes with habituation and lets us appreciate and enjoy the good things that have always surrounded us but that we’ve habituated to.

So, practice mindfulness and be joyful with what is right in front of you right here, right now!

CMCS