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Saturday, June 15, 2013
Activity 2.1
I'm not sure it's possible to separate behavior into something so dichotomous as habit or freewill. Thinking about my daily activities a lot of what I do is not simply habit or freewill. Some of it is more a mixture; for example, consider my bathing activities. I shower usually every morning; however, sometimes if I have to wake up early the next day I choose to shower in the evening. When I take a shower, many of the motions I go through to clean myself are based on habit. However, I'm big believer of owning a variety of shampoos so usually I have to choose which shampoo or body wash to use. Also, the way in which I shower was originally a conscious choice that after completing time and time again became habit. Further, when I think of activities such as sleeping it's not fully habit or freewill. I have a habit of going to sleep at certain time every night but mostly it's controlled by a biological need to sleep. Is a biological necessity habit or freewill? I also have a habit of sleeping in certain positions etc. However, I am also able to control many aspects of my sleep cycle like when I go to sleep, etc. So, factoring out things that are based on biological necessity (aspects of eating and sleeping) here is my habit vs. freewill chart.
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I too contemplated on whether or not sleeping should even be considered a behavior identified as free will or habit on the very reasons you mentioned. Biologically we are governed by our SCN or biological clock, along with day and night, and generally our bodies become fatigued and need restoration. However, and this is where I struggled, for some they do have a regularly set time for sleep which is coinciding with a specific schedule, but what about those individuals who don't? Is it free will on whether or not they decide to go to bed at 10pm or midnight? I generally have an ideal bedtime of 10-11pm, which is a range in which I can decide just when I want to retire, but for example last night I did not go to bed until 1am because I was engrossed in a game. Was it free will that sent me to bed so late, choosing a game over sleep, or was it solely the game dictating my sleep behavior? Either way, to me, it's mind boggling!
ReplyDeleteGreat discussion on sleep.
ReplyDeleteHere's another question for you, though, that I wondered. You considered having multiple shampoos an example of having choice. Is it? Or is it possible that there are reasons you like to have multiple shampoos of which you are not even aware? Does anybody else in your family do the same thing? Could it be that this behavior was developed in you by your experiences when you were younger so it's just another habit in your life that involves a more complex pattern of behavior? It's interesting to consider how many choices we may think we are making that aren't really choices at all.
Even if I learned to have more than one shampoo bottle in my shower from someone in my family the choice I make that moment in the shower between shampoos is not affected by them. Honestly, I think about what I'll be doing that day, what one I most recently used, how my hair behaved the day prior, etc. I agree that a lot of things we might think are choices are ingrained in complex habits but in this case I think choosing a shampoo is choice :)
ReplyDeleteAhh! I just realized I got these backwards. I meant 60% Habit and 40% Freewill. Jeez, apparently that chart making website was too much for me!
ReplyDelete