Oh, Rats!

In the 1950s, a professor at John Hopkins, Curt Richter, conducted a (very cruel) experiment with rats. He put rats in jars half-filled with water and timed how long they swam before they swam. The rats lasted an average of 15 minutes before drowning.

In the second experiment, Richter rescued the rats right before they would give up and drown. He took them out, dried them off, gave them some rest. He then put them back in the water. This time, the rescued rats swam for much longer - they swam for 60 hours.

This study is often cited as evidence of the power of hope. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger…?

When we think our situation is hopeless, we give up much earlier than we are able to keep going. As I mentioned in my last article about optimism, hopelessness is a learned behaviour - it is not an innate trait. The mindset is not a permanent state, so it can be shifted and overcome. You can keep swimming.

In the state of our world, it can be easy to get lost in the rat race, push yourself too hard. There will be a hand that will help you when you need it most. You can even be the hand that scoops you out of your own water jar. Dry yourself off and let yourself rest. Then, if you need to keep paddling, you’ll know that you can always rescue yourself. You’ll know you can paddle for even longer next time.