I’ll bet the fancy title of ‘Region-Beta Paradox’ is likely something you haven’t come across before. Neither had I until a week ago. I was listening to one of my favourite podcast’s (Modern Wisdom) while at the gym. The presenter began discussing some psychological affects that cause people to be paralyzed with inaction; one of which was the ‘Region-Beta Paradox’.
I found it fascinating and immediately began to attribute its concept to people I know, have known, or, spoken with briefly. The concept of this theory can be taken and applied to many areas of life, however, I am going to discuss its relation to fitness and health with some examples to life scenarios.
What is the Region-Beta Paradox?
The Region-Beta Paradox is the phenomenon that people can sometimes recover more quickly from more distressing experiences than from less distressing ones.
Simply put; someone who is an a worse position will probably become happier than someone who is not in such a dire position.
Examples of this Theory;
- Your apartment is small, abit expensive, becoming smelly/stale and the whole place needs renovating, but the landlord is nice and it’s not too far from your work so you’re more likely to just stick around even though you’d be happier moving out. At this point you’d be better off if the apartment was unliveable so you’d be forced to move and ultimately be happier.
- Your job is boring, provides no joy, you’re not passionate, you dread Mondays and live solely for the weekends, but your pay is good and you don’t have to work too hard; which leads to inaction and a longing dissatisfaction in your work. You’d be better off if your boss cut your pay and decided to increase your responsibilities, forcing you into action to find a new job and pursue something you’re passionate about.
So, how can this have an affect on Health and Fitness?
Think about it this way, why do the gyms become suddenly packed on January 1st every year and then die off usually back down to the usual gym goers about 2 weeks later? This could be attributed to the Region-Beta Paradox. People become so hyped on the ‘New Year Resolutions’ trend that they are inspired into action, but these people haven’t hit rock bottom and only have a small desire for change. The people who truly hit rock bottom in this situation are more likely to stick it out and see actual results.
For example;
A person who is overweight and single has double the pain points over someone who is overweight and in a happy relationship. These emotions will ultimately drive the person to seek better results than the person who isn’t as unhappy.
This affect can also be seen in an individual suffering with self confidence issues. If someone is struggling with their confidence levels to such a degree that its affecting their life in a hugely negative way then they will be much more likely to seek ways to make change over someone who is low on confidence but not in a position where it massively affects their life.
I can relate this theory to my own life journey when deciding to move across the world from England to Canada. I had found myself in a job I really hated with no other prospects; even being rejected during a phone interview with a small telephone company. I remember being so low on confidence; looking back I see that was my official rock bottom and ultimately inspired my action into changing my environment and seek new opportunities.
So, what does this all mean?
I know we all won’t hit rock bottom and I’m certainly not driving that point with this blog post, however, it is good to keep in mind this phenomenon for times when we know we should act but don’t. We can be incredibly harsh on ourselves during moments of procrastination or staleness that it can feed a negative narrative in our ‘monkey mind’ brain. They key is to be able to identify these moments and try to establish why we are not producing action, then, develop methods that can become a catalyst for action moving forward, because, as we see; it’s in our human nature to take the easy option.
Although, the easy option is not always the best option, particularly when it comes to health and fitness. Our body loves to conserve energy. Think about it, we spent thousands of years barely surviving, so, of course, we have evolved in such a way that our bodies just want survive and must conserve energy to do so. However, life has become so convenient that this isn’t a suitable way for us to live. UBER, TAXI’s, UBER EATS, DOORDASH, – insert food delivery service here – NETFLIX etc.etc. have made our lives so sedentary that we need – now more than ever – to develop healthy fitness and nutrition habits to keep at bay the looming threat of obesity.
Conclusion
At the end of the day ‘when the sh*t hits the fan, we are more likely to act’ thats how we are hardwired but you don’t need to wait for this moment. Don’t let the Region-Beta Paradox hold you back. If you have been thinking to make changes and have the desire – go and get it – no matter what it is. We shouldn’t have to wait to become miserable to force us to act.
Life is short and we need to live it the way we deserve – so don’t just sit there and accept things as they are. If something is causing you pain or distress, do something about it. Seek out the tools and support you need and if you’re just barely getting by and things are “good enough,” maybe it’s time to shake things up and aim for something better.