YOU DECIDE
What's Your Pleasure Principle: Now Or Later? A Study That Purports To Answer That
I CONFESS: I'VE LIVED IN CHICAGO FOR 16 YEARS AND HAVE NEVER BEEN TO THE TOP OF THE SEARS TOWER.
I've waited so long to visit this local landmark that its name has changed.
Thank God, too, because without this anecdote I wouldn't be able to relate at all to a New York Times' piece about "seizing today… tomorrow."
Journalist John Tierney explores a recent study on the "procrastination of enjoyable experiences" by two California marketing academics.
Their conclusion? People defer positive experiences because of the false expectation that they'll have more time in the future. And, for some, the prospect of future joy is more rewarding than the actual reward itself.
"People can become overly focused on an ideal," UCLA's Dr. Suzanne B. Shu told the Times.
“Even if they know it’s unlikely, they get so focused on the perfect scenario that they block everything else."
If you have the time (and who does?), you can read the study yourself and take issue with the authors' conclusions. My thought: what the authors' presume should be a good time -- trips to landmarks, free patries, massages -- are more hassle-filled than they acknowlege.
For instance, going to Willis Tower means paying a minimum of $14.95 per person for admission ($30 for the quick entry pass), a minimum of $30 for downtown parking, or $4.25 per hour for street parking. Throw in lunch and a souvenir and you've got yourself a $100 day just to look out a window. And there goes your "deferring pleasure" principle.
Okay, I'm exaggerating. Willis Tower is far, far better than looking out a window. But if you need some fodder for your New Year's Eve repartee, don't delay in reading this!
My favorite part? The comments that come afterward. Here are some favorites:
"Somehow we’ve never had the problem of finding our chocolate has gone bad due to inactivity." -- Leilani Karp.
"Do not spend money on people -- spend time. Time is a most wasted commodity." -- Goldi Gger.
"Pleasure doesn’t occur in a vacuum: it’s crossed with time. No yang without yin. No genius without limits. No pleasure without pain." -- Silenos.
"A treat is delightful in anticipation, but the only sure way to keep it so is to keep it in the future." -- ACW
