Live a Boring Life

It’s So Fun

B. N. Dent

IN 2012, AUSTRIAN DAREDEVIL, FELIX BAUMGARTNER SECURED his notoriety among stunt professionals by completing a jump from space. This one-of-a-kind stunt involved Felix jumping out of a capsule at an altitude of roughly 40,000 metres, just on the edge of the atmosphere, and freefalling all the way down towards earth with only a parachute to help him slow down and survive in his rapid descent towards the earth. Additionally, the maximum speed Felix reached on this journey was 1342km/h.

After recently stumbling across this video on YouTube, two thoughts popped into my head. First and foremost was an irresistible desire to stroll over to the nearest 7-Eleven and purchase a refreshing can of Red Bull. Secondly, I thought of how crazy this guy was and how one could ever be in the mental state to complete such an act. Furthermore, should someone successfully execute such a daring feat, how would they ever be able to discover happiness or derive excitement from the routine aspects of their daily life? How would this guy, Felix, ever look forward to something like walking his dog or going to see a movie when he has just descended towards the world at a speed faster than sound, placing the fate of his life in a mere parachute which is essentially just some strings attached to a misshapen balloon? I just don’t know.

I think that this draws on the idea that our perception of enjoyment in different activities hinges on the enjoyment we’ve experienced in other pursuits; it’s all about relativity. While we may not have had experiences as extraordinary as Felix’s in our own lives, I think this idea of relative enjoyment is still very pertinent in the lives of all. For example, if you were to go to a theme park one weekend, having a blast, it is likely that you would grasp far less enjoyment from the routine activities of the following week. In psychology, and other fields, this idea is known as the contrast effect, described as a cognitive bias that distorts our perception of something when we compare it to something else, by enhancing the differences between them. There are two scenarios that can arise from the contrast effect. Firstly, positive contrast effects wherein something is perceived as better than it inherently is because it is compared to something worse. Vice versa, there is the negative contrast effect where something appears worse than it actually is as a result of being compared to something better.

Now, I believe that the positive contrast effect is good for our mind, due to its ability to serve as a foundation for a more open and optimistic mindset. It is here that we see the mentality of ok, things may not be great now, but imagine how much worse they have been or could be. However, the negative contrast effect can create a scenario for individuals to develop an inability to gain enjoyment from normal daily tasks.

So, what are some strategies you can employ to avoid this effect, which can often lead you down a path of pessimism? One solution to this problem is placing importance on the ability to find value in normative activities. Importantly, the second is explaining to yourself why a comparison is irrelevant. This can ultimately help expose the true value of an activity rather than the relative value, which can often lead to inaccurate and pessimistic perceptions.

“Life is never boring, but some people choose to be bored.” – Wayne Dyer