Okay, you don’t have a turtle for a brain. We’re just trying to illustrate a point.
We are all vulnerable to modern-day marketing. From hyper-stimulating food, to the enragement engine of social media, to virtually any product or service that has been developed in the today’s world—it’s a minefield out there.
So, blaming yourself for how you are wired is never helpful. The important question is: what can you do about it?
Which brings us back to strategy. Your default strategies for health-related decisions are better suited for short-term results.
Thus, you resort to willpower and self-control (collectively called cognitive brute force) to stop eating cookies, to get to the gym, or to power down your screens. And while willpower has its place, it is a scarce resource and its value for long-term behavioral change is limited.
What’s more, your modern brain is not a marathon runner. As soon as it gets tired or distracted, even for a moment, your primitive brain happily goes back to hitting the repeat button.
