Eric Schwitzgebel offers an interesting paradox:
When I was a graduate student, a girlfriend asked me what, of all things, I most enjoyed doing. Eschewing the obvious and half-clever reply, I answered skiing — thinking of those moments of breathing the cold, clean air, taking in the mountain view, then expertly carving a steep, lonely slope. But how long had it been since I’d gone skiing — maybe three years? My girlfriend suggested that if has been three years since I’ve done what I most enjoyed doing, then maybe I wasn’t living wisely.
Schwitzgebel argues that the negatives of these experiences (organizing a ski trip can be a pain) may be what prevents us from doing them more often, and he’s got a point: I love skiing, but what I love is having a great run, when the snow is good, the weather is nice, and the slopes aren’t too crowded. I don’t like long lift lines, and after skiing half a day, I’m sometimes too exhausted to enjoy myself. So I tend to agree with him — certain aspects of skiing can be the most enjoyable, but other aspects are quite unenjoyable. But Schwitzgebel (and CogDaily readers) might be interested in another viewpoint on the matter:
In the book Satisfaction, Gregory Berns argues that too much of a good thing can make it less good. For example, sushi is his favorite food, but if he ate it every day, it wouldn’t seem as good. Part of what we crave is variety. So it’s not just avoidance of displeasure that keeps us from doing our favorite thing all the time, it’s also our craving for variety. I enjoy skiing, but I also enjoy great food, movies, and art museums almost as much. I’d rather spend my life doing some of each of these things, rather than just skiing all the time.
Another point that Berns makes is that the line between pain and pleasure is less distinct than you may think. From ultramarathoners to lovers of spicy food, many people like to do things which are actually painful. Perhaps our avoidance of the things we love actually enhances their pleasure.
As you can see from the Amazon reviews, Berns’ book may be a bit self-indulgent at times (perhaps this is appropriate for a book about satisfaction), but it can also be elucidating. The book is probably half-science, half-memoir, but it’s mostly interesting, and can offer some new perspectives on issues like the ones Schwitzgebel brings up.
老虎磨牙:2007-03-28 8:22 AM
我喜欢踢球,可以天天踢
但是要工作,周末还得上课,所以逃课踢
Oo可可怪oO:2007-03-28 16:01 PM
似懂非懂“““
lisa:2007-03-28 18:04 PM
感觉上忽然很哀伤
lingjqc:2007-03-28 18:06 PM
为什么我变成了LISA?
panda:2007-03-28 19:35 PM
咁即係話人喜歡的不是事物本身,是事物帶來的益處罷,哈, 有道理
Tracy:2007-03-28 19:59 PM
我喜欢唱歌,可是很久都没有去过KTV了.
我喜欢跳舞,可是自从出了校园就再也没有去过舞厅了.
我喜欢…
可是因为工作的原因,很多都放弃了.
一直对自己说不要做奴隶,可是现在发现我错了.
bobo:2007-03-28 21:36 PM
对哦,人要保持欲望的话,就要有所克制。
朋友天天腻在一起会没有新鲜感;
大餐天天吃会觉得厌恶;
有点距离,会觉得更可贵。
jacky:2007-03-29 9:21 AM
是这样啊。。。
roger:2007-03-29 10:51 AM
lightor,最近实在太忙了,都没有经常来了。今日稍得空闲就上来了。真好!希望能够快速的步入正轨,就又能为大家服务了。
老虎磨牙:2007-03-29 11:09 AM
因为有个观念在我们心中已经根生蒂固,幸福来之不易
所以有的时候明明可以去做喜欢的事情,却每每找借口不去做
喜欢就去做把,把帽子扔过墙的那边
老虎磨牙:2007-03-29 11:11 AM
为什么我的评论看不到。。
老虎磨牙:2007-03-29 11:11 AM
您的留言已提交,请等候审核
是这个道理的~就像我玩COS一样~做多了就好腻了,现在做完全是无奈的坚持~~
Guest:2007-03-29 19:39 PM
太固执下去会被人看成是神经病,不过现在神经病也不是一个两个。。。。。
简单:2007-03-30 16:39 PM
所有的事都要有一定的距离不过也要适当,太大距离也就没有那种美了.
General:2007-03-30 17:43 PM
呵呵呵
Guest:2007-03-30 19:18 PM
我知道一个人的力量是很渺小的,只能是放弃啦
Guest:2007-03-30 19:19 PM
这个社会真是很微妙呢,呵呵呵,苦瓜的味道
Guest:2007-03-31 19:36 PM
浅显的道理,却很深刻
vincent:2007-03-31 23:02 PM
在跟自己的欲望做斗争。
calvin:2007-04-01 17:00 PM
只是有条件限制,不能总是做吧?
xinxin:2007-04-03 15:27 PM
快乐是每个人的短缺物,
简单的快乐并不是不存在,
只是人们都不把它当作快乐….
Guest:2007-04-09 1:53 AM
難道一切美好的都需要有代價??!
那麼, 人又是如何去取捨即快樂又痛苦的事情??
Lucy:2007-04-09 9:12 AM
读原文,好像最后一段没有翻译?
尝试一下,恳望批评指正:
就象你可以从Amazon的访谈中看到的一样,Bern的书可能偶尔有一点自我恣纵(可能这对一本关于满意的书是恰当的),但它依然可以说明问题。这本书大约一半科学性,一半自传性(回忆录),但是它非常有趣,而且可以就象Schwitzgebel等所提出的问题给出一些新见解。
JoeGO:2007-04-26 11:38 AM
人生无非就是追求快乐,逃避痛苦!
能做自己喜欢的事情,岂不是很快乐?
Iva:2007-05-23 9:05 AM
我喜欢看书,摇滚乐,电影,郊游
好象一直以来都在做
做的和社会严重拖节
爱我别走:2007-08-04 9:05 AM
也许任何事情都应该保留一丝余地吧...
ivczex fqewitspv:2007-08-30 8:31 AM
svrpecm juohpwqnc lgso mzuy lywbpu xswfyd rnhbi
Amanda:2007-09-14 18:14 PM
好多时候,并不是随我们心所欲的 ~~~~现实太重要了!!
恩和:2010-07-19 14:36 PM
我喜欢摄影,但是我已经将近一个月没有摸我的相机了,主要是别人借去用了,呵呵
我来说两句