Fourth Tunnel: tunnel of repetitions | Hikmat Mursalzade | TEDxADA

This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences.

Why do we repeat the same mistakes? For understanding this, you will meet mind-blowing psychological tests, theories and stories based on real life situations, magician cards, pyraminx, megaminx, skewb, crazy fisher and other Rubik's cubes.

Hi everybody.

I am Hikmat, Hikmat Mursalzadeh.

Today I am going to talk
about repetitions.

And I called this talk Fourth Tunnel

- It doesn't work -

and I called this talk the Fourth Tunnel

because if we put a rat
in a maze with four tunnels,

and always put cheese
on the fourth tunnel,

after a while,

that rat will learn to always go to
the fourth tunnel to get cheese.

We, humans, will do the same.

We want cheese, down
the fourth tunnel, there is the cheese.

Next day you want cheese,

down the fourth tunnel,
there is the cheese.

After a while, when you move
cheese to another tunnel,

something very interesting happens.

The rat goes down the fourth tunnel,
there's no cheese in the fourth tunnel.

The rat comes out.
Goes down, no cheese, comes out.

Again, goes down, no cheese, comes out.

Yes, the same thing over and over again.

Now, here is the question:

what is the difference
between the rats and human beings?

The answer is very simple:

eventually, the rats find their way,

but the human beings will go down
the fourth tunnel forever.

I say "forever", because as human beings,
we develop a belief in the fourth tunnel.

I mean, we repeat the same things
over and over again.

We believe that the only possible choice
after school is university,

the only possible choice after university

is getting a full-time job
from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.,

and that the only possible choice
after getting a job

is getting married and having children.

So, we cannot think in a different way

because we are intelligent,
social creatures that make judgments.

And these judgments define
our belief systems.

Let me quickly demonstrate it
through a little experiment.

Please, look at this picture.

Who sees two shades of gray?

Please raise your hand.

And who sees only one shade of gray?

And now, please raise both hands

if you see the Fifty Shades of Grey.

There can been seen
two different shades of gray,

but, if you cover the middle line
with your thumb, your your finger,

you will find out that there is
only one shade of gray.

They are the same colours,

just our brain accepts the information

through the judgments
of previous perceptions.

In detail, if we see
only one negative side of a person,

we accept him or her
totally negative or vice versa

because we simply establish
a belief in the fourth tunnel.

But rats do not believe in anything,
all they are interested in is just cheese.

And you, people, are unfortunately
human beings, not rats,

that is why, for a long time now

you haven't been getting any cheese,
and your lives are not working.

You've got too many believes
in too many fourth tunnels.

Science says that these meaningless
attitudes are related to the zones;

boundaries of our psychological state,
our psychological mood.

And author of the book named
"Danger in the Comfort Zone",

Judith M. Bardwick, defined these zones.

There are three zones.

In the middle, you can see
the comfort zone.

First is the comfort zone,
where we get bored,

second one is stretch zone,
where we learn,

and the third one is
the panic zone, where we panic.

Please look at the [screen].
And don't let the name trick you.

Actually, the comfort zone
is not comfortable.

The comfort zone is just the zone
that we got used to be in.

For example, if you wake up
everyday at 7:30 a.m.,

go to work, and work
from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.,

every week meet with the same people
or even you need a direction,

you hesitate to talk to strangers,

then you are stuck in your comfort zone.

Because in the comfort zone,
stress can be equal to zero,

but also development is equal to zero.

And if you are still trying
to keep yourself in the comfort zone,

you will never find the inventions
of our contemporaries.

No books or songs would be written.
No ideas would be nurtured.

No successful people would exist.

So, we don't want to stay
in the comfort zone for too long.

The second one is the stretch zone.

The stretch zone is totally opposite
to the comfort zone

because in the comfort zone,
stress and development equal to zero,

but in the stretch zone stress is 50,

while development is 100.

Because, life starts
at the end of comfort zone.

And great things never came
from comfort zone.

Let me quickly explain it
with the help of some tests.

Please get your paper and pens.

Now, I have a very special task for you.

First, I want you to draw a square,

just an ordinary square.

It is easy, yeah?

And now, I want you to draw a triangle,

not inside, just out,
somewhere on your paper.

And now, I want you to draw
a square with three lines.

I am repeating, a square with three lines.

I didn't say an ordinary
square with four lines,

but I said with three lines.

And these three lines
should be solid or straight.

Do not hesitate, it is possible.

By the way, there are some extra rules
that you can not break;

for example, I don't want you
to draw anything like this,

or I don't want you to draw
anything like this.

It is not acceptable,
and they will not work here.

Also after drawing something like this,
you can not fold the paper.

You have 20 seconds,
and let's get started.

I know that it must be challenging,

but at least try to draw something.

Oh, you have 10 seconds, 10, 9, 8, 7,

and then 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1.

It's time.

Probably you didn't think

that the answer is this one.

A square with three lines.

A few seconds ago, you were just stuck
on your comfort zone.

After this experiment,
you had to enter to the stretch zone.

And as you see, stress is equal to 50,
while development is 100;

because you learnt something,
thinking in different way.

And you became more creative,
and it was development.

If comfort zone is so dangerous,
and stretch zone is so helpful,

how can we leave our comfort zone
and enter the stretch zone?

Before the answer,
let's quickly demonstrate

the third and the last one: panic zone.

Simply put, panic zone is loosing control.

If you can no longer think
under high stress,

then you are probably stuck
on your panic zone.

Because in panic zone,

stress is equal to 100,

while development is equal to zero.

I need a volunteer
to demonstrate the panic zone.

Who wants to be a volunteer?
Please, raise your hand.

By the way, it is a magic trick.

You madam, please.

Please, take a seat,

and please choose one of these cards.

But don't show it to me,
just try to keep it in your mind.

But you can show it
to the audience, by the way.

(Woman picking a card)

Show it to the audience.

Is it OK?

And now, I want you
to put your card down here.

And I want you to say "stop"
whenever you want.

Your card must be somewhere right here.

And I will try to find it.

Also, you will have [to do] this:

I will show you two cards,

and one of them will be your card.

Is it your card?

Please put your hand over.

Is it your card?

Please put your hand over.

And now, I will ask you a question,

but [with two] conditions.

One: the question will be so quick,

our volunteer's answer
should be quick, also.

The second one: you have
to answer without thinking.

Deal?

Are you ready?

Are you ready? Really?
Are you sure that you are ready?

3, 2, and 1. Right or left?

(woman) Right. Left.

She is already stuck in her panic zone.

OK, your answer is...

Right.

Please open your right hand
to show it to everyone.

(Laughter)

There is nothing impossible.

Thank you.

(Applause)

As you see, our volunteer's stress was 100

because all audience's
attention was on her,

and this high stress blocked her brain.

And as you see,
the development was equal to zero.

So, if comfort zone
and panic zone are so dangerous,

how can we leave these zones?

The answer is very simple: do new things.

Let me tell you a story on
how this applies to real life situation.

Here you can see my friends,
Seymour, Nora, and Rick.

Three weeks ago, a Dutch couple
from the Netherlands, Nora and Rick,

came to Baku
as part of their world travel.

They were like everyone else,
leading their regular life style,

working from 9 a.m. to 6p.m.,

and then meeting with friends
at the weekends.

Briefly, they got too many believes
in too many fourth tunnels.

They were stuck in their comfort zone

until they decided
to spend all their money,

all their savings
on their three years long trip.

So here is new things.

These new things can be playing guitar,

learning a new language,
traveling to unknown places,

quitting a permanent job,
and creating a career.

Or at least, changing the way
that you go to work.

Because, it is very important.

Do new things, make new mistakes,

because making new mistakes
creates new opportunities.

New mistake, new mistake, new mistake,

but all together,
it is a great opportunity.

And finally, doing new things
for me is solving the pyraminx.

The pyraminx is a tetrahedral puzzle
in the style of the Rubik's cube

that was invented before the Rubik's cube.

It was patented by Uwe Mèffert.

It is easy to guess
that it is something not easy to solve.

But take it easy,
because we all get into troubles.

We look at our life, we want to solve it.
We want to figure it out.

We want to solve this part,
but scramble the other part.

We want to solve lab issues,
but skip lessons at university.

But don't forget
that life is like a pyraminx,

and it is solved step by step.

(Applause)

And as Robin Sharma said,

after living the same 75 years,
don't call it life.

Get out of the comfort zone.

Thanks for [your] attention.

(Applause)