It’s fitting that I talk about human nature in a blog with “human interaction” in the domain name. But here I am, stumped. This prompt initially was simple, like duh, its easy to not be a robot. But the more I thought about it the more I realized that we, in a sense are robots. Humans are habitual. We program our brains as we grow up, creating habits, and neural pathways that fire everyday.

Think about it.

When the bell rings we naturally get out of our seats, and follow the similar path we do, day after day. But it can be more complex than just walking. The way we react to certain situations is “robot” like. We train ourselves to react differently to all sorts of scenarios. For example, if a person sees someone being bullied, they may react differently than others. Some might stand up for the victim, some might walk by acting like they didn’t notice, and some might lack the confidence to do something about it.

I think the best way to prove you’re not a robot, is to do something unexpected. And it can be as simple as choosing a new path to walk to class, or more complex like, giving the bully and victim a piece of candy, and telling them to be friends.

When we do new things, our brain is stimulated chemically. It starts firing new neural pathways and that feels good. That’s why adrenaline junkies are real. Our brain loves new things. So if you’re ever feeling down, bored, or restless, do something new.