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Operant Conditioning, And The Silver Lining in Our Obsession with the Zombie Apocalypse

May 28, 2013
black swans and zombies

Black Swans by unknowme at sxc.hu
Zombies (not pictured)

Zombies have become extremely popular in our culture.

They have been a staple of our entertainment for a long time. Today the trend continues with films like World War Z and shows like The Walking Dead.

It looked so fun that even the U.S. Military wanted in.

Critics hammer this trend, perhaps because ‘any publicity is good publicity’, and they want it to continue. Others hate it because it appears to reflect that we as a culture are obsessed with disease, decay, death, and destruction. I agree, but we’re not going to go into that right now.

The Walking, Living, 28 Days, Dawn-of-the-Shawn-of-the-Legend, Evil Dead

What came out of our obsession with zombies is the self help section that has swelled with useful guides to surviving the zombies.

But zombies do not exist, you say? Not in the literal sense…

True, but zombies represent an idea: the idea that all the systems of human decency, infrastructure, and survival have great flaws. If any of these flaws are exploited, many of us would be in danger. It matters less that this danger comes from a fictitious undead monster, and more that people are now talking about what they should do if the things we rely on every day become unreliable.

Scoff all you want about zombies. They may not be real, but operant conditioning is real. Black swans can occur. And it is worth our time to consider how they would affect our lives.

Operant Conditioning

  • You write a headline, and it does really well.
  • You buy flowers for your date, and she loves them.
  • You ask a question at an appointment, and the ensuing conversation leads to a sale.

What do we do after these things happen?

More of the same.

Why?

If we want the same results on a consistent basis, we’ll keep doing the activities that led to those results.

Most of the time, there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s how we get good manners, make friends, and provide for our families.

It’s called operant conditioning – a method of learning that occurs through rewards and punishments for behavior. Through operant conditioning, an association is made between a behavior and a consequence for that behavior.

And I have a confession to make: when I figure out how to make the most entertaining, moving, and inspirational stories out there, I’ll probably keep doing it.

The Dark Cloud of Operant Conditioning

Whenever you need groceries, you go to the store. Because that’s where the food is.

Imagine: one day you go to the store, and there aren’t any groceries – at any of the stores.

Your life is in immediate danger. In this hypothetical scenario, you may figure something out, even if it takes a few months to find a consistent source of food. When that source is secured, operant conditioning will cause you to make that your new ‘grocery store’. When you need food, you’ll go to that ‘store’ instead, whether that’s a farmers’ market, a neighbors ranch, eating shrubbery in the woods, or growing your own food.

If you bought flowers for your wife every day, expecting an outpouring of love and affection every time, then you are setting a very unrealistic expectation.

Eventually, to get those results, you will have to do something different: A special date night, vacation, taking care of the kids for a night so she can have time to herself, compliments – you’ll do something different to show that you care.

Clearly, operant conditioning, in an activity-to-results scenario, is flawed. At the same time, we have to do what works, or our lives will be a constant state of panic. Life experience has to count for something. We don’t have time to reinvent the wheel every single day with everything.

Operant conditioning isn’t going away.

Systems Will Save Your Life

So, how do we use operant conditioning in a way that makes us less vulnerable to big changes?

We use systems.

Once you find that your spouse’s primary love language is Quality Time, you’ll use a system to find things to do that he’ll like where you can spend time together, instead of just watching a movie once a week.

If you’re really worried about the grocery store conundrum, you’ll have two month’s supply of storable food and maybe a small garden where you can brush up your skills on growing your own food in just a few minutes a day. You can still go to the store, and it’s possible that no problems will ever occur. If something bad does happen, though, you have a system that deals with that sort of thing.

Instead of just making a list-style headline (5 ways to drive your boss crazy) for your blog, you’ll learn about a system that uses proven principles, like the 4-U’s of effective headlines. From there, you can create with very little fear.

In my own writing, I have a system for putting together stories. While it changes a little with each project, the foundation is pretty much the same. I’m now looking for a similar system for Editing and Rewriting.

Operant conditioning is your friend only if you use it on systems, rather than attaching it to specific actions. When you have good systems in place, you are free to repeat whatever works best for you – this time with the confidence that you’ve planned for any unexpected changes.

How have you changed how you live or work to prepare for the unexpected? Let me know in the comments!

In Behavioral Change, Writing , , , ,
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