The so-called Batman Effect encourages altruism by forcing people out of mental autopilot and triggering prosocial behavior – even if it happens unconsciously.

In a study conducted in Italy, researchers tracked people’s willingness to give up their seat to a visibly pregnant woman on a crowded subway. Over a total of 138 rides, 67.21% of passengers offered their seats to the pregnant woman when a person dressed as Batman was in the same subway car while only 37.66% did so without the character present. The Batman Effect doubled the rate of altruism.

Interestingly, 44% of those who offered their seat to the pregnant woman later reported that they had not seen Batman. Unlike the invisible gorilla effect, the subway riders were not concentrating on something else and must have only noticed Batman unconsciously. This suggests there may be ways to boost kindness and prosocial behavior only with environmental clues.

These results reinforce an earlier study in which children persisted at tedious tasks longer when they thought of themselves as superheroes. Instead of reciting “I can do it,” the children instead referred to themselves in their third person using “Dora the Explorer can do it” or “Batman can do it.” In this case, the Batman Effect gave the children the inner strength needed to keep trying rather than getting overwhelmed.

Both of these studies highlight priming; the signals our environment constantly sends us activates different parts of our personalities. Seeing Batman, even unconsciously, primes us to act more generously because we associate the superhero costume with heroics. Similarly, referring to oneself as a superhero allowed the children to psychologically borrow their strength.

You can leverage the Batman Effect in your own life. Here are some ideas:

• When facing something daunting, switch to the third person perspective.
  Instead of “What in the world do I do now?” think about how someone you admire would approach the challenge.
• Prime your environment by putting a motivation poster in your workplace.
  Even though you may not “see” the poster after a few weeks, the visual clue is influencing your subconscious.
• Use the novelty rule to break the monotony of your routine.
  Micro-disruptions can make you more receptive to the world around you.

While none of us will ever be comic book superheroes, the Batman Effect encourages us to be more altruistic and have greater inner strength.

So, repeat after me … “I am Batman!”

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Whenever you feel like you’re stuck in a rut, you can use the novelty rule to break up the monotony.

Most adults settle into routines, both in their personal and professional lives. These routines are everywhere: people take the same route to work, they eat the same item from their favorite restaurant, or they shop at the same grocery story going through the aisles in the same order. While structure can be reassuring to some, the endless repetition feels mundane to most; almost as if life is on autopilot.

Conventional wisdom suggests the antidote to monotony is to make big changes. Cut your hair. Go on vacation. Take a class. While these sudden changes seem to work for a while, your hair grows back, you have to come back from vacation, and the class comes to an end. The routines get reinstated and the monotony returns.

In contrast, Liz Moody encourages people to break up their everyday routines by introducing an element of newness to them. Take a slightly different route to work or park in a different spot. Add an adventurous appetizer to your usual order. Explore the aisles of the grocery store in a different pattern or try a different store. Small changes can make big differences.

Moody calls this the novelty rule: incorporating even tiny bits of novelty can break the monotony of daily routines and make life feel more engaging. This changes how we experience time, because when we feel like we are engaged, life isn’t passing us by. The novelty rule makes old routines feel new.

Research supports introducing new elements to your life. When you’re learning new ways of doing things or you’re faced with novel situations, the hippocampus in your brain activates. This stimulates the release of dopamine – the so-called ‘feel good’ chemical – which makes us feel more satisfied, uplifted, and sharp. Stimulating the hippocampus regularly promotes neuroplasticity, which can improve recovery from injuries and slow down mental aging.

In short, you don’t need to go on a tropical vacation to feel recharged – just make some small changes in your daily routines. You can use the novelty rule to alleviate monotony.

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