Meaningful Returns

I love food so much. I mean, how good is eating? Here are a few of my favorite meals:

• The Coq au Vin from Coquette
• The ribeye at Stanbury
• The Dirty South at Chuck’s (make it a double…)
• The Arugula Salad with grilled chicken from Bella Monica
• Steak tacos with black beans, cheese, and guacamole from Armadillo Grill
• A cajun filet biscuit with egg and cheese from Bojangles
• Two hot dogs with mustard and chili and fries from Snoopy’s
• Donuts

Here’s the thing about amazing food, though: It gets progressively less wonderful with repetition. We grow used to it, through a process that psychologists call habituation. And, unfortunately, habituation isn’t confined to your favorite foods–it’s everywhere.

But there are two ways to avoid this reality:

1. Time
2. Variety

Let’s start with the first. I have eaten at Stanbury once, and will probably never eat there more than once or twice a year, because I can’t afford to. But if I began eating there frequently, that ribeye–as truly mind boggling as it is–would become steadily less enjoyable, simply because I would not be allowing enough time in between experiences to avoid the reality of habituation. So, the time I’m waiting between experiences is not only good for my wallet, but also good for my happiness.

Now let’s move to the second. Imagine with me that I just couldn’t stay away from Stanbury–I needed to go there twice a month. Well, am I doomed to experience habituation? Not necessarily. Because the second weapon–variety–allows us to avoid habituation. So instead of going with the ribeye every time, it’s wise for me to mix in the Crispy Pig Head (which is only slightly less tasty than the ribeye) from time to time.

So now you’re prepared to enjoy the best meals and experiences without getting burned out, but it’s important to recognize something. When seeking to avoid habituation, it’s crucial to only use one of the weapons of Time and Variety. Because when we mix them together–that is, if I continue to go to Stanbury only once a year AND mix in the Crispy Pig Head instead of ordering the ribeye every time–we’re actually decreasing the efficacy of our efforts. Because ribeye is my favorite, and with a year of time in between experiences of that steak, it will always remain my favorite. Variety in this case is a killer of happiness.

Make sense? Now go try it out.