We need INHIBITION every day.

A traffic light suddenly changes to red

A tempting muffin

Everyday we have to inhibit certain actions as well as the focus of our attention. Sometimes we have to inhibit an action very suddenly. For example, in traffic but also in social situations.

Imagine your boss asking you whether you like their new tatoo. You think it's hideous, but due to nature of your relationship you are likely to inhibit your immediate response.

We also learn to inhibit our attention to be able to stay focused on the task at-hand. And sometimes we inhibit currently desirable actions (eating a delicious muffin) in the service of longer-term goals (losing weight).

We measure inhibition with tasks like the one in the picture. In this task you need to determine whether the word is a “HAPPY” or a “SAD” word. The task is made more difficult because the word is presented together with a face that shows either a happy or sad expression. To successfully complete the task you need to inhibit attention to the face and only concentrate only on the word. People who are faster and more accurate at identifying the word have better inhibition capacity.