Road Rats
Rat Race
Teaching someone a new skill isn't always the easiest thing to do. As parents of adolescents old enough to drive know, teaching the rules of the road can be a stressful, nerve-wracking process, requiring exorbitant amounts of patience for both parent and pupil. But what if the concept being taught actually lowered the student's stress level?
Scientists at the University of Richmond did just that when they taught lab rats to drive tiny cars. Trained to grasp a small wire that acted like an accelerator and press levers to steer, the rats learned to navigate their low riders from one side of a room to the other, where they would receive a Fruit Loop as a reward. As impressive as that might be I, too, would be happy and stress-free if I was given free food after driving cross country through no traffic.
One might think the drop in cortisol could be due to the their new-found autonomy and false hope of escaping their environment, but additional observations showed that some of the rats loved getting behind the wheel so much, they chose to hit the drive thru to retrieve their snack even when walking would've been faster. Hopefully they checked the bag for accuracy before they pulled off.
While teaching rats to roll out like Autobots is definitely noteworthy, it'd be more so if scientists taught them to calmly parallel park in a tight spot on the first attempt after circling the block five times. Better yet, expose them to dangerous NYC cabbies who make left turns from the right lane and obnoxious drivers who try to put their front bumper in the back seat of the car in front of them just to keep their position in gridlock, and those driving rats might learn to swear.
Now THAT would be impressive!
Enjoy the Ride
With the exception of New York City rats, humans owe a debt of gratitude to those seemingly unlovable rodents. Their (unwilling) participation in millions of experiments since the early 1800's has helped us treat diseases, advance our understanding of genetics, and uncover principles of behavior and learning. Specifically, those road warrior rodents mentioned above helped us learn how we can lower our stress levels by anticipating positive experiences, delaying gratification, and embracing the journey.
When we set our sights on learning a new skill for work the anticipation of a positive outcome, say a promotion, a raise, recognition, or whatever floats your boat, often fuels the early stages of the journey. Then, when we experience challenges during the learning process and consider throwing in the towel — a phenomenon Seth Godin refers to as The Dip — it's those visualizations of success that compel us to keep going. That's because positive thinking and delayed gratification have been shown to increase dopamine, a.k.a. the feel good hormone, in our brains.
Speaking of delayed gratification, while it may not always be an appealing concept, it has proven to be beneficial in some instances. For example, when those "roadents" were forced to wait just 15 minutes for a Fruit Loop, they eventually performed better on cognitive tests, applying more bold problem-solving strategies than rats that were rewarded instantly. Basically, that means we can shift our minds from being pessimistic to being optimistic just by patiently waiting to receive the expected reward at the end of a diligent pursuit.
And speaking of that pursuit, the unpredictability of life guarantees the path to success won't be straight, as road blocks and setbacks cause us to pivot or completely change course. However, as important as it is to remain focused on the destination, it's just as important — maybe more so — to remain in the moment. Fully embracing the journey and truly savoring the experience increases our ability to retain the new skills we learn while simultaneously lowering stress.
So, when you find yourself stressed as you attempt to acquire a new skill — for work or in life, in general — try to adopt the mindset of those Road Scholar Rodents and enjoy the ride.
