How Habits Can Make Idiots of Us All

The “power of habit” works both ways, unfortunately

Image by Ulrike Leone (edited by author)

Years ago I heard of an experiment supposedly performed at the Yerkes Primate Research Center in Atlanta. What they did, so the story goes, was to put a scaffold in the chimpanzees’ rec room with an enormous bunch of grapes perched on top.

Apes, in case you are unaware, adore grapes!

Unbeknownst to the chimps, however, a motion sensor had been pointed toward the upper regions of the scaffold and wired to the room’s sprinkler system. So that whenever a chimpanzee climbed the scaffolding to snatch the fruit, the sprinklers kicked on, drenching everybody in a cold shower. It didn’t take long for the chimps to start ignoring the grapes.

But then, the researchers began moving chimps out of the group and bringing new ones in, one at a time. And sure as sunrise, the newb would make a beeline for the scaffold. But as soon as he set foot on the first rung, the nearest old timer would yank him down and everyone would commence to kick his ass. And thus, peace, order, and comfort were preserved for the community.

Then came the day when the last chimp who had actually witnessed the sprinklers being triggered was rotated out. As the scientists observed from behind their reinforced glass window, pencils…