Infinite Loops That Plague Us: How To Recognise Them So We Can Avoid Them

They’re peskier than we might think!

Image by Gordon Johnson

Loops are rarely understood and often overlooked. Yet, they are present in almost every aspect of our lives. Depending on how we apply them, they can be extremely useful or tragically restraining, so it makes sense to learn how to use them to our advantage.

In computer programming, infinite loops are one of the first things you learn to avoid: lines of code that can never stop, lines of code that will crash any machine that runs them. You can imagine a light switch wired in a way that, once turned off, turns itself back on, an action that automatically triggers the off-switch again, which inevitably causes the same reaction. We are left with a dysfunctional tool that causes us to either leave the room as though spirited away or face an eternity of constant blinking.

Nevertheless, many other loops are far less conspicuous. You can be single for months at a time, not find anyone around you appealing or consider that those who would be attractive options have no interest in you; then, suddenly, you start dating someone, attractive candidates appear out of nowhere, and you find yourself declining otherwise exceptionally enticing propositions. Indeed, when we change the way we look at things, the things we look at…