Pull up a chair and take a S.E.A.T!
Think about your own behaviors and why you do them.
Do you know the reason behind each one?
Why do you avoid certain tasks?
Why do you suddenly become productive in every area except the one thing you actually need to do?
Why do you engage in little habits other people notice immediately, but you didn’t even realize you were doing?
Maybe you tap your foot during meetings.
Maybe you check your phone every five minutes.
Maybe you magically need a snack the moment it’s time to fold laundry.
Guess what? Behavior is rarely random!
Every behavior serves a purpose, even the ones that seem confusing, frustrating, or completely unnecessary from the outside looking in.
Once you understand the function behind behavior, you stop asking:
“How do I stop this behavior?”
…and start asking:
“What is this behavior communicating?”
Now that you are seated, let’s talk about the four reasons why you have taken a S.E.A.T. Whether you sat down because you were curious, avoiding something else, wanted to engage, or simply got comfortable and decided to stay awhile — congratulations, you’ve already experienced how behavior works.
S- Sensory
E- Escape
A- Attention
T- Tangibles
These four functions are the “why” behind behavior. Every action, habit, reaction, and routine usually connects back to one of these four motivations. And once you can identify the function, behavior starts making a whole lot more sense.
Let’s grab our notebooks and start unpacking each function
S — Sensory
This is behavior that happens because it feels good or helps the body feel regulated.
No audience needed. No reward required. Just purely internal
This is “my body likes this, so I’m doing it”
Sometimes it’s calming. Sometimes it’s stimulating. Sometimes it’s just automatic or just keeps our brain from buffering
Sensory behaviors aren’t automatically “bad behaviors.” Often, they’re just regulation tools
E — Escape
This is behavior that happens to get away from something.
Something hard. Something boring. Something overwhelming. Something not preferred.
This is “if I can get out of it, I will try”
Honestly, most people can relate to this one. Have you ever cleaned your entire house instead of answering one email? That’s Escape with excellent productivity skills.
A — Attention
This is behavior that happens to gain someone’s focus.
Attention doesn’t have to be positive to count — corrections, reactions, or repeated reminders can reinforce it.
This is the “please notice me” category.
Sometimes being noticed feels more important than being corrected.
T — Tangibles
This is behavior that happens to get something you want.
A toy. An item. An activity. A snack. An iPad. The last cookie that absolutely had your name on it emotionally.
This is “I want that thing and I’m not letting it go easily”
And yes — adults do this too. We just call it “retail therapy” and “add to cart.”
Once you start seeing behavior through the S.E.A.T. lens, it stops looking random and starts looking functional.
Not good. Not bad. Just communication.
Because behavior isn’t chaos—it’s communication with a purpose.
