Repetitive Behavior Reduces Anxiety

According to a new study done by researchers at Tel Aviv University, repetitive behavior can help to reduce anxiety and stress in a variety of situations. Professor David Eilam and his graduate student Hila Keren of TAU's Department of Zoology at the George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences discovered that repetitive behavior in general, as well as ritualistic behaviors, repeat themselves not only in the human world but in the animal world, and that the practice can greatly reduce stress.

According to the study, ritualistic behavior in humans and animals developed as a way to induce calm and manage stress caused by the unpredictability of everyday life and uncontrollable circumstances. In doing repetitive things, we feel that we are in better control of ourselves.

The research was published in the journal Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews and was pursued in collaboration with Professor Pascal Boyer of Washington University and Dr. Joel Mort of the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory.

According to Professor Eilam, almost every human and/or animal can be divided into three parts - "prepatory", "functional", and "confirmatory". The functional aspect is defined by the specific actions that occur in order to complete tasks. The preparatory and confirmatory actions, which are referred to as "head" and "tail" actions by researchers, are not required in order to complete the task.

The professor and his team analyzed videotapes of people completing generalized tasks, such as getting dressed, locking up their vehicle and making coffee, as well as basketball players completing free-throws. Researchers noticed that ball players ritualistic bounced the ball a certain number of times before attempting to make the shot.

According to Eilam, "The routine they perform in the moments before shooting the ball is a method to focus their full concentration and control their actions."

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