Premise 1: Humans adapt to our environments as they change and we become desensitized. Our experiences shift the baseline against which we measure experiences in future. [1]
Premise 2: The further away an experience is from our baseline, the more intense the experience (but with [exponential?] decay). [2]
Conclusion: If we gradually expose ourselves to less comfortable experiences, we can shift our baseline to better appreciate the more common pleasures in life.
[1] This applies to both someone getting used to their new car, as well as not showering (as an example, not recommended).
[2] So, for someone who's baseline is barely not freezing to death, having a shelter against the wind and snow would be quite the pleasure. Meanwhile, Europeans who are used to well insulated homes complain about damp uninsulated houses in New Zealand.
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[ 1.8 ms ] story [ 11.8 ms ] threadPremise 1: Humans adapt to our environments as they change and we become desensitized. Our experiences shift the baseline against which we measure experiences in future. [1]
Premise 2: The further away an experience is from our baseline, the more intense the experience (but with [exponential?] decay). [2]
Conclusion: If we gradually expose ourselves to less comfortable experiences, we can shift our baseline to better appreciate the more common pleasures in life.
[1] This applies to both someone getting used to their new car, as well as not showering (as an example, not recommended). [2] So, for someone who's baseline is barely not freezing to death, having a shelter against the wind and snow would be quite the pleasure. Meanwhile, Europeans who are used to well insulated homes complain about damp uninsulated houses in New Zealand.