Spontaneous symmetry breaking occurs when a system that is symmetric under certain conditions ends up in a state that is not symmetric. This phenomenon is often observed in physics, particularly in particle physics and condensed matter physics. For example, a perfectly round ball can roll in any direction, but if it settles in a specific position, the symmetry is broken. In quantum field theory, spontaneous symmetry breaking helps explain how particles acquire mass through the Higgs mechanism. When the Higgs field takes on a non-zero value in a vacuum, it leads to different particle masses, despite the underlying symmetry of the equations governing the system.