Imagine a dog that starts drooling every time it hears a bell—not because it’s hungry, but because it learned the bell means food is coming. That’s conditioning in action.

In psychology, conditioning is a way we learn by forming connections between events or behaviors and their consequences. It’s how your brain says, “If this happens, then that follows.” We all go through it—without even realizing it!

There are two main types:

1. Classical Conditioning

This is about learning through association. It was discovered by Ivan Pavlov in the early 1900s. He rang a bell every time he fed his dog. Eventually, the dog started drooling just from hearing the bell—even if no food appeared.
Real-life example (2025-style): You hear your phone’s custom ringtone and instantly feel excited—it’s your crush texting. The sound alone now triggers a feeling!

2. Operant Conditioning

This involves learning from rewards and punishments. B.F. Skinner explored this idea. If a behavior is followed by a reward, you’re more likely to do it again. If it leads to something bad, you avoid it.
Example: You post a funny video on TikTok and get thousands of likes. That reward makes you want to post again. On the flip side, if you’re scolded for staying up late, you might go to bed earlier next time.

Conditioning explains everything from pet training to why we love sales alerts. Even modern apps and games use it to keep us hooked—by giving rewards, badges, or positive sounds.

Looking forward, understanding conditioning can help us build better habits, break bad ones, and even improve mental health through behavior-based therapy.