Habituation is a psychological phenomenon where organisms become less responsive to a repeated stimulus over time. It is a simple form of learning that involves decreased responsiveness to a particular stimulus after repeated exposure. Habituation is an essential adaptive mechanism that allows people to filter out irrelevant or non-threatening stimuli and focus on more important ones. However, it can also lead to desensitization and a lack of responsiveness to important stimuli, which can, at times, lead to negative consequences.

Examples of habituation include getting used to the sound of traffic outside your window, no longer noticing a particular smell, or becoming less responsive to a repeated alarm sound. Habituation is utilized in therapy to help individuals become less reactive to stimuli that are causing distress or interfering with their functioning. By gradually exposing the person to the stimulus in a controlled environment, the therapist can help them become habituated to the stimulus and reduce their distress or unwanted behavior.

Overall, habituation is a process of becoming less responsive to a stimulus after repeated exposure to it. This adaptive mechanism allows individuals to conserve mental and physical resources and allocate them to more critical or novel environmental stimuli. However, habituation can also have negative consequences, such as desensitization to important stimuli or failure to notice environmental changes.