Premack’s Principle Can Make Home Insulation More Bearable

There are several reasons why Premack’s principle can make home insulation more bearable. First and foremost because it is an ideal psychological tool for improving productivity and establishing better behavioral patterns. Furthermore because it can be used in countless areas of your life.

In this exceptional situation, many people try to make an effort to get many different things done every day. On social media, you probably see friends, acquaintances and influencers exercising, cooking, or studying, among other activities.

It is clear that all of us handle isolation time in different ways. Everyone spends their time the way they want. Every day, it is as permissible to take a nap as to redecorate your home.

During this isolation period, however, Premack’s principle is both interesting and useful. Read on to find out why!

Premack’s principle can make home insulation more bearable

Before we dive deeper into what are the reasons why Premack’s principle can make home insulation more bearable, we must make clear what this theory is about and where it originates. This approach was inspired by the psychologist BF Skinner’s instrumental (operant) condition.

The ideas are based on a simple premise: humans and animals do things or stop doing them based on a psychic dimension that either motivates them or makes the behavior disappear.

Here is an example of this: “ I stopped studying German because it was boring. Now I spend more and more time on different streaming platforms because I love TV series “.

Well,  one thing Premack’s principle aims to do is to make our motivated behavior act as an impulse so that we can make less interesting things happen. In other words, I could use my love of comics as a reward mechanism for studying German every day. This technique is often used to change behavior and even to treat addiction or phobias.

Below you will discover how Premack’s principle can make home insulation more bearable.

Premack’s principle for organizing time and creating routines

One of the recommendations for managing your time in home insulation better is  to create routines. You should try to organize your time to make sure you have enough for both your commitments and your leisure activities.

• Premack’s principle can make isolation time more bearable  if you organize your schedule by mixing motivating and positive tasks with others you do not like so much.

• For example, you may feel apathetic every morning when you wake up. When this happens,  you may not feel like doing housework.
• In this case, according to Premack’s theory, it  would be ideal to start with a task you do not feel like doing  with the knowledge that if you spend an hour and a half on that task, you can watch the next episode of the TV series you are hooked on. .

The same applies if you work from home. Even if you have to start the day with work, you can promise yourself that you will take a short break in a couple of hours to do something more enjoyable.

Premacks principle and eating

During the COVID-19 crisis, you are more likely to start eating unhealthy foods and not following what you eat. You start eating unhealthy snacks that help relieve your anxiety.

However, the Premack principle can also be very helpful when it comes to your eating habits. Here is an example:

• Whenever you feel hungry or want to eat snacks, do the following. Grab an apple and the other treat you fancy.
• First you  eat the least appetizing (apple), and then the other treat. In this case, if we take into account that apples can be quite filling, it is likely that you will not feel like eating the other treat anymore.

The Premack principle can make the isolation time with children more bearable

Premack’s principle can make home isolation with our children more bearable because it can help them finish more of their schoolwork. This is how it works:

• Children have an attention span of about 40 to 45 minutes.
• The most ideal is to start the day with the tasks they dislike the most or the ones they find most difficult (eg math). However, they can do them with the knowledge that after 45 minutes, they will be able to take a break and focus on something fun for a few minutes. It is best to focus on school-related activities in the morning and leisure activities in the afternoon.

Between school hours in the morning, however, you can let them do short activities that they enjoy doing.

As you have seen, this strategy is based on using positive reinforcement. During home insulation, this may be exactly what we need. Try it today!