Reference::
You are the subject of your environment. Here are a couple of reasons for that.
Through priming and association your surroundings—people, places, things—influence what you think and do. For example, hearing Italian music makes you more likely to buy Italian wines, upbeat music makes you more likely to spend more, and other people's ideas make you more creative. The saying that you're the average of your five closest people is in general true (just look at your own life to get proof). And most of it happens unconsciously.
Another aspect that informs how the environment shapes us is our innate decision-making wiring. Our bodies want to spend energy in the most effective manner. Fogg described it using psychological motivation and ability, saying, in short, that the simpler a behavior is, the more likely we are to do it (all other things being equal). For instance, if you have cookies at your home, you'll be more likely to eat sweets compared to if you didn't have them because it's simpler. You don't have to get to the shop to get them, you just need to get to the kitchen and grab them.
Related to that, our decisions are largely guided by the amount of willpower we have. Willpower could be described as the amount of mental energy we have to perform deliberate and non-routine actions such as reading, learning, working out, new habits, and so on. It's a finite yet renewable resource. Like a battery, every time we do something deliberately we have less of it and it recharges in our sleep. The harder a task is, the more willpower it requires. And once we run out of willpower, we return to our default, automatic, low-effort behaviors—like water that fills the deepest areas on a surface.
Is system 2 dependent on willpower while system 1 doesn't require it? R: Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
To summarize, the environment has a huge impact on us. It happens because:
due to the phenomenons of priming and association, our surroundings influence our decisions, usually without us being consciously aware of it.
we usually take the path of least resistance, doing the things that require the least effort.
our tendency to lean toward our old habits and automatic behaviors is amplified when our willpower is drained, which usually happens at the end of the day.
Knowing that, it's useful for you to set up your environment so that it supports your goals—i.e., cues you in the right direction and facilitates desired behaviors.
Relevant notes (PN: )/questions (Q:):
TK PN: The environment is a bitch: how we're vulnerable
P: To persuade change the environment, not the person: to persuade someone, it's sometimes better to change the environment, rather than the person.
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First, I want to quickly recall what we’ve learned so far about the environment: