The Psychology of The Simpsons

The writers of The Simpsons often straddled the boundary between nonsense and profundity like nobody else. Remember the scene in the opening sequence of the Simpsons where Bart’s in detention writing lines on the board? The above was one of my favourites.

Our minds are always adapting, absorbing and creating stories (memories) out of vast amounts of data, in order to function from day to day. Although it was Bart’s punishment to write those lines, it was essentially an affirmation practice - to undo a particular story in Bart’s head which was leading him to behave like a ratbag.

Many of us don’t realise just how impressionable the subconscious is. Whenever we are running on autopilot AKA the default mode network, the gates to our belief system are left open and unattended. If left open for too long, we start to pick up new thoughts, habits and actions, like puppets to the external factors in life. 

Sitting in silence and doing absolutely nothing for a few minutes every day is the first step to restoring the clarity. When we shut out distractions, we can see more clearly how our minds have been working in the background. Sometimes it’s peaceful but often it’s chaotic. We must remember that this is just a reflection of what we’ve allowed in - not who we are. 

Being more conscious means taking more control of what goes out and what comes in.

The goal is to see things as they really are and to let go of toxic, inaccurate narratives and replace them with healthy ones which align with the life we’d like to live. We can start by asking which qualities/thoughts/things we’d like to consolidate. Then, we write as if we are already feeling those qualities. Mine, for example:

I have all that I need
I love people and living
I welcome change
I am calmly expressive
I love my body and the space

It’s important that when you come up with your affirmations, you do so whilst in a healthy, balanced and present frame of mind. Write them from a place you’d like to inhabit more often. 

“Watch your thoughts, they become your words; watch your words, they become your actions; watch your actions, they become your habits; watch your habits, they become your character; watch your character, it becomes your destiny.”
―Lao Tzu