The Tetris Effect
We all know that guy who always finds something to complain about whenever he walks into a room. That friend who always predicts bad things whenever an exam approaches. That parent who always focuses on what the child has done wrong, instead of how he/she is improving. Maybe you are even one of them.
If you are this type of person, you are probably stuck in some version of the Tetris Effect.
❔What is the Tetris Effect? It is a psychological effect that occurs when people devote so much time and attention to an activity that it begins to pattern their thoughts, mental images, and dreams.
💡I first came across this concept in the book ‘The Happiness Advantage’ by Shawn Achor and I was really fascinated.
🎮The term Tetris Effect is coined from the video game Tetris. In Tetris, players complete lines by moving differently shaped pieces, which descend onto the playing field. The completed lines disappear and grant the player points, and the player can proceed to fill the vacated spaces. The game ends when the playing field is filled. The longer the player can delay this outcome, the higher their score will be.
🤔What happens when you play the game for long periods? You start seeing forms that can be flipped and arranged, just like in the game, in everyday objects such as cereal boxes or buildings. You keep on thinking about ways that different shapes around you could fit together. In a way, your mind continue playing even after they have finished the game.
I am not interested in the game itself but how it affects our real life experiences. Shawn Achor suggests that the Tetris Effect is a metaphor for the way our brains dictate the way we see the world around us.
We naturally remember negative experiences better than pleasant ones. But this comes with a cost. We become less creative, our stress levels spike and our motivation levels take a dip. This is called the Negative Tetris Effect.
💡When our brains constantly scan for and look for the positives, we gain gratitude, optimism and happiness. Armed with optimism your brain stays open to possibility. This is the Positive Tetris Effect.
📈How can we train our brains to be more positive? It doesn’t happen overnight. Just as it takes weeks of concentrated practice to master JavaScript or pharmacology, training our brains to focus on the positive takes practice.
✍️Personally, I think journaling helps to achieve this. It simply involves taking five minutes before bed to write all the good things that happened to you in a particular day. I haven’t made it a habit yet but I feel a lot happier whenever I do so. Oh and did I mention it being fun?
Warning: Looking at the world through lenses that filters out all the negatives comes with its own problems. I would rather suggest looking at the world in a way that you are aware of the negatives but your focus should be largely on the positive.
Tiny Bits
Music🎶- Adele’s new album, 30 was released on 19th November. I think Adele sounds a little bit more ferocious in this one.
World🌍- Chile is expected to hold elections on 21st November with Gabriel Boric and Antonio Kast seen as frontrunners in the presidency race.
Music🎶- Afrobeats star Davido raised over $490,000 in cheeky online fundraiser announced on his twitter account. He has announced that he will donate $600, 000 to orphanages across Nigeria.
Crypto📈- A cryptocurrency group, ConstitutionDAO lost in its efforts to buy a rare copy of the US constitution at an auction after raising more than $40m worth of donations through crowd-funding. The group has said that all the money will be returned to the donors. Crazy world!
Climate🌲- Data shows that deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon forest has hit its highest level in over 15 years.
Sports🏎️- Lewis Hamilton wins the Qatar Grand Prix with Max Verstappen finishing second and Fernando Alonso taking third.
Sports⚽- Manchester United sacked Ole Gunnar Solskjær after failing to win a trophy in nearly three years as manager. The sack came after the 4-1 defeat at Watford over the weekend.
Quote of the week
Even if five to seven years are required to accomplish each goal, you have enough time to become a serial achiever: a person who accomplishes this, then that, then that, then that . . . all while working hard to succeed and advance in your career. That means you can become an “and”: a person who is this, and this, and this, and this.
From the book ‘The Motivation Myth’ by Jeff Haden.
💡Thoughts: I believe generalists trump specialists in today’s professional landscape. The more varied your training is the more flexible you will be in applying your skills to various situations. Your surface area for serendipity is also increased.
Tweet of the week
💡Thoughts: I enjoyed this thread a lot. Joe breaks down how we spend our lives and ways to get the best out of it.
Have a great week, won’t you?
Dennis