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  • As humans, we have a strong need to feel like the masters of our own fate.

  • And when your freedom of choice is threatened,

  • it creates an arousal in the body and brain, and the motivation to react,

  • ultimately compelling you to do things you're told not to do.

  • Like watching this video.

  • Let's try a little thought experiment.

  • Please don't think about a white bear right now.

  • Oops, you're probably thinking about one.

  • Studies that give participants the same instructions

  • and have them think out loud for five minutes find that

  • on average, the white bear appears in their thoughts

  • not only at the onset of the experiment, but once every minute.

  • This automatic compulsion manifests in more concrete ways as well.

  • Like the literary world, where the attempted banning of books

  • has often led to them being more successful.

  • Seriously. Books like The Great Gatsby,

  • Catcher in The Rye, and To Kill A Mockingbird

  • are some of the most frequently banned books in the world

  • yet some of the most successful.

  • So why can't we help ourselves?

  • The impulse comes from the perception that we're losing our freedom

  • and is a psychological behaviour called reactance.

  • Have you ever been told you couldn't have something

  • only to realise you that it made you want it more,

  • when in the first place you never even really wanted it?

  • A classic example is the limitation of alcohol consumption.

  • In the late 80s, when the U.S. increased the legal drinking age to 21,

  • a study of thousands of people found that those affected by the new law

  • had higher than expected alcohol consumption

  • compared to their legal age counterparts.

  • Studies have even found that there's an increased interest in entertainment programming

  • when it begins with a warning.

  • Viewer discretion is advised.

  • Our curiosity is a powerful force

  • which has lead to the successful rise of clickbait on the internet.

  • Titles like, "A wealthy person lost all their money!"

  • "You won't believe what happened next!"

  • gives you essential information that leaves a gap in the knowledge that you must fulfil.

  • Known as the information gap theory, we're primed to want to fill in the blanks.

  • This taps into our psychological and physiological response.

  • In fact, studies measuring pupil arousal

  • showed that if you were more emotionally aroused from a headline

  • you're more likely to click it.

  • And we put up with clickbait because, well, sometimes it works.

  • Sometimes we get the satisfaction and release of dopamine we wanted

  • by satiating our desire to fill in the information gap.

  • Which makes your desire to click next time even stronger.

  • In the same way, when we disobey rules,

  • we can also find pleasure in a surge of dopamine which creates positive reinforcement.

  • You may also be a genetically predisposed rule-breaker.

  • Studies on twins and adopted children have shown

  • how your genes play a large role in how impulsive you are.

  • In general, people with lower levels of baseline seratonin

  • were seen to have increased impulsive behaviour

  • which led to breaking the rules.

  • With all that said, don't you dare go watching more AsapSCIENCE videos.

  • You're simply not allowed.

  • I'm putting this playlist right here, but its not for you.

  • And you better not subscribe for more weekly videos every Thursday.

  • We won't see you back here then.

  • Bye.

As humans, we have a strong need to feel like the masters of our own fate.

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