Human habits, in many ways, make up and determine people’s lives. They help to reduce the amount of mental activity because these automatic actions do not require a constant thinking process. That said, there are numerous beneficial habits, such as washing your face or making a bed. Thus, they positively affect human life but do not require concentration and significant effort (Egner, 2017). Negative habits play a big role in people’s lives too, but they also do not require a high mental effort level. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the habit of brushing teeth in terms of different areas of cognition.
Most adults brush their teeth once or twice a day. This habit takes time to develop because it involves complex action. In other words, people need to follow several steps to achieve the desired result. That is why it is so difficult for children to reinforce this habit, and it usually takes several years of life. However, in adulthood, people brush their teeth without a reminder and do not experience internal resistance. They do not feel this action to be hard and long but perceive it as something good and beneficial. Several factors influence this.
The first area of cognition that the brushing habit engages in is attention. Early in life, children require a high level of attention to understand how and what they are doing. They need to open and squeeze out the toothpaste, properly clean their teeth, and then rinse their mouth and toothbrush. Each action is new and unusual; therefore, it requires high concentration, and children cannot turn their attention to something else.
In adulthood, people can focus on anything other than brushing their teeth. The process is so automated that some people listen to music, watch videos, or just get lost in thought during the process. Thus, once a habit is formed, it does not require increased attention. This simplifies its execution and helps to consolidate the practical action.
A second important area of habit cognition is memory. Short-term memory requires a lot of effort from people since the information is not fixed too well in mind. Long-term memory, on the other hand, stores data more reliably and is easier to work with. Children need to use their short-term memory regularly to mimic the sequence of brushing steps early in life. Therefore, they have to strain harder and remember the process. The sequence of actions when brushing teeth over the years is fixed in long-term memory. It requires no effort to reproduce. Consequently, people do not strain during this process and experience fewer difficulties.
The third area of cognition associated with habit is perception. Undoubtedly, in adolescence and adulthood, people perceive different things in different ways (Verplanken, 2018). Children perceive brushing their teeth as a daily burden that keeps them from other exciting activities. Thus, they treat the process negatively, which complicates the process of forming a habit. In addition, this negative attitude makes children periodically skip brushing their teeth. Undoubtedly, in this way, they prevent the fixing of the habit and make this process much longer.
Adults, on the other hand, perceive brushing their teeth as routine and necessary. They clearly understand its importance for their health. Undoubtedly, many are still not very fond of brushing their teeth, but they get used to it, so they do not skip regular brushing. Others, on the other hand, experience positive impressions from the process. They know they are promoting health and positive attitudes from others.
The fourth area of cognition that influences the formation of habits is reasoning. It is difficult for children to understand each action’s causal relationships (Caruana & Testa, 2020). In addition, they are not future-oriented but live immersed in the present moment. Therefore, for them, a positive impact on their teeth’ future state is not a sufficient justification for brushing their teeth. In the present, this gives them discomfort, which is why it is so difficult to convince them of the need for this action.
Adults, on the other hand, are much more aware of the consequences of their actions. In addition, they were repeatedly convinced of the results of brushing their teeth and its absence. Therefore, they know that there are various good reasons for this action. This is an added incentive to brushing teeth regularly and helps maintain the habit. Undoubtedly, some people do not pay enough attention to this, but in general, potential dental problems are enough motivation for most.
Thus, numerous factors of human cognition influence the formation and maintenance of habits. These include attention, memory, perception, and reasoning. Their combination helps to create habits at a young age and maintain them later. This opportunity of the brain is helping people to stay concentrated on essential things, other than maintaining their clean and healthy. This applies to both positive and negative habits. It is undoubtedly important for everyone to be aware of one’s actions and choose beneficial habits. This will help maintain physical and mental health and a harmonious state.
References
Caruana, F., & Testa, I. (2020). Habits: Pragmatist approaches from cognitive science, neuroscience, and social theory. Cambridge University Press.
Egner, T. (2017). The Wiley handbook of cognitive control. John Wiley & Sons.
Verplanken, B. (2018). The psychology of habit: Theory, mechanisms, change, and contexts. Springer.