Tag: The Paradox of Choice

Happiness

The key to experience pleasure

Chris Labs

When we consume, we experience pleasure. As long as the things we consume are novel. But as we adapt, the novelty wears off and pleasure becomes comfort. This is called the hedonic treadmill or satisfaction treadmill. It’s a thrill to drive your new car for the first few weeks; after that, it’s just comfortable. It sure beats the old car, but it isn’t much of a kick. Faced with this inevitable disappointment, we can either be driven to pursue novelty. These new commodities will give us pleasure until repeated exposure. Expectations of having something new are not matched by reality, … Continue reading The key to experience pleasure

Happiness

Satisficer vs Maximizer, a key to happiness

Chris Labs

The goal of maximizing is a great source of dissatisfaction. Because it is a daunting task to look for the best. And even once you made a decision, you are still questioning your decision, maybe there was a better option somewhere. The opposite is satisficing. Where you will settle for something that is good enough and not worry about the possibility that there might something better elsewhere. In our world with an increasing number of choices, the need to gather information is rapidly overwhelming. According to Nobel Prize-winning economist Herbert Simon, when all the costs (time, money and anguish) are … Continue reading Satisficer vs Maximizer, a key to happiness