We call Brussels sprouts “disgusting” until we’re thirty-five.
Then something shifts. The same vegetable—identical chemistry, same bitter compounds—suddenly tastes good. What changed? Not the sprout. You did.
Psychologists call it the “mere exposure effect.” The more we encounter something, the more we prefer it. It’s why we love our hometown’s skyline but find another city’s “weird.” Why our playlist feels right and our teenager’s music sounds like chaos.
Here’s the trap: our brains are optimizing for comfort, not growth.
Dr. Robert Zajonc’s research revealed we can develop preferences for things we don’t even consciously remember seeing. Familiarity operates below awareness, quietly building walls around what we already know.
The entrepreneur who only reads business books. The leader who surrounds herself with people who think exactly like she does. The company that hires for “culture fit” instead of culture addition.
They’re all eating the same meal. Every. Single. Day.
Innovation doesn’t come from the familiar. Neither does empathy. Or competitive advantage. Or the ability to see what your market actually needs instead of what you’re comfortable providing.
The science is clear: neuroplasticity—your brain’s ability to form new connections—requires novelty. Not comfort.
So the question isn’t whether you should subject yourself to the unfamiliar. It’s whether you can afford not to.
That podcast in a language you’re learning. That conference outside your industry. That conversation with someone who voted differently.
It won’t all taste good at first.
That’s precisely the point.
