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Each week on Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke, explore different aspects of human behavior and the brain.

When Our Brains Go on Autopilot

Flickr user apdk, bit.ly/Rvw4I8
Mindless eating in front of the TV is one example of automaticity.

We may think we’re making conscious decisions about everything we do on a daily basis – but a large portion of things we do during each day, we do without thinking about them.

Take turning on a light, or consuming snacks in front of the TV. These automatic behaviors are great because they allow our brains to consider more complex ideas and thoughts. They’re great, that is, until we are doing things automatically that are harmful to others or ourselves.

In these cases, just changing our environment can help us break bad habits. In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke take us through the ins and outs of automaticity.

Rebecca McInroy is an award-winning show creator, host, and executive producer for KUT, KUTX, and KUT.ORG.
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