Incorporate Novelty and Spontaneity into Your Life

Have you ever thought about what parts of your life are spontaneous? Unfortunately, too many people are trapped in a daily routine—they wake up, go to work, and feel miserable there, and then they come home, do chores, and fall asleep till the next morning when the cycle repeats itself. One study found that we are more predictable than we think. About 93 percent of the time, scientists can predict our day-to-day mobility, and that percentage does not change much on the weekends.

Even when you try to invite novelty into your world, things may get complicated. For instance, have you ever noticed that if you want to buy a new book, online bookstores will recommend you the ones that are very similar to those you’ve already read? Or if you want to buy some new clothes or find a new music artist of a different genre on YouTube, you’ll get a recommendation based on your past decisions? You may quickly come to a conclusion that, in large part, we live in a tailored bubble limited by algorithms. So are you really living a life trying something new, something entirely different or random? Probably not. Nevertheless, there are a few things you can do.

For a start, get into the physical world—travel. While being in another corner of the world, you will certainly experience novelty. But there is another low-budget option. Simply go to places nearby that you have never visited before. For instance, go to a neighborhood in your city you have always walked past. Or go to a different park, café, or restaurant you have never been to. Order black tea instead of your favorite coffee, or order a different kind of pizza than usual. See this activity as local travel and yourself as a sort of a local tourist. 

Another thing you can do is pick one thing every season that you wish to learn. Maybe try solving Sudoku puzzles, rock climbing, or learning to play an instrument, or even something a bit extravagant, like ventriloquism. Maybe delve into studying a completely new topic, perhaps together with someone else. For example, it’s been shown that if you share your novel experiences with your partner, it will benefit your relationship. 

Need more reasons to put yourself in new situations throughout your life? Not only does it make you feel more alive, but it also broadens your perspective, promotes your creativity, and helps you find new solutions by seeing things in a new light. On top of that, it is also good for your health. Novelty is a challenge for your brain which presents an exercise for it that, in turn, keeps it in better shape.

Learning new things also puts you in a position of a beginner. This can sometimes be hard, as it takes you out of your comfort zone. But at other times, it is liberating since no one expects a novice to excel. Everybody sucks at new things at first. 

So take advantage of living in such a big and diverse world, and incorporate novelty and spontaneity into your life. Maybe you’ll find something so enjoyable, it will stay with you. Maybe you won’t like it, but you’ll certainly gain new experiences, and, last but not least, maybe you’ll view yourself in a new light. Try something different, go somewhere new, learn something unusual. Put yourself in random situations and experience a whole new perspective. Travel into the unknown—even if it is just taking a new route to your friend’s house.

References:

Vanderbilt, T. (2021). Beginners: the joy and transformative power of lifelong learning. Alfred A. Knopf.

About 93 percent of the time: Song, C., Qu, Z., Blumm, N.,& Barabasi, A.-L. (2010). Limits of predictability in human mobility. Science, 327(5968), 1018–1021.
http://doi.org/10.1126/science.1177170.

promotes your creativity: Gilhooly, K. J., Georgiou, G.,& Devery, U. (2013). Incubation and creativity: Do something different. Thinking & Reasoning, 19(2), 137–149.
https://doi.org/10.1080/13546783.2012.749812

if you share your novel experiences with your partner: Aron, A., Norman, C. C., Aron, E. N., McKenna, C.,& Heyman, R. E. (2000). Couples’ shared participation in novel and arousing activities and experienced relationship quality. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78(2), 273–284.
https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.78.2.273

it is also good for your health: Oltmanns, J., Godde, B., Winneke, A. H., Richter, G., Niemann, C., Voelcker-Rehage, C., Schömann, K.,& Staudinger, U. M. (2017). Don’t lose your brain at work—The role of recurrent novelty at work in cognitive and brain aging. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 117. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00117; Park, D. C., Lodi-Smith, J., Drew, L., Haber, S., Hebrank, A., Bischof, G. N.,& Aamodt, W. (2013). The impact of sustained engagement on cognitive function in older adults. Psychological Science, 25(1), 103–112.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797613499592

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