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The Nuance
Why the Stressed Brain Falls Back on Old Habits
In an effort to save energy and cognitive resources, the stressed brain prioritizes old habits and routines over purposeful, deliberative action
5 min readOct 15, 2020
Distressed dogs tend to repeatedly lick their forelegs and paws. Happy and healthy dogs also do this, but stressed dogs do it more. In severe cases, they lick so frequently that they develop bald patches and skin ulcers.
Researchers have noticed similar anxiety-related behaviors in other animals — including humans. Many nervous or stressed-out people chew their nails, pick at their skin, or engage in other so-called body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs) to the point of self-injury.
What explains BFRBs? The answer may be wrapped up in the way stress biases brain activity toward habitual thoughts and behaviors.
