I’m too lazy to write original material, so here’s something I read recently on Wired that resonated well. Interspersed are a random assortment of choice tracks.

Aquasky – have a good time [original mix]

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In these rotten economic times, putting in long hours has become a popular strategy for boosting job security. And that’s really too bad.

If you rabidly focus on work, in the long run, you’ll be unhappy. Ran Kivetz, a professor of business at Columbia University, recently conducted a series of experiments that identified a paradox in our behavior: Doing the “right” thing—putting our responsibilities ahead of momentary pleasures—often leaves us unhappy down the road. When we skip a vacation to work overtime or pass up that awesome vintage Porsche for a used minivan—sure, we pat ourselves on the back for a week or two. But as the years go by, we invariably regret our monkishness and wish we’d enjoyed ourselves more.

Para One – Epiphanie Teaser (Surkin Megamixx) [Notecrusher edit]

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The word for this is hyperopia: an excess of farsightedness. In a 2006 study, Kivetz asked respondents to think about a moment from the previous week when they had to choose between work and pleasure; then he asked them to rate how much they regretted their decision. The amount that people regretted either working or relaxing was pretty much equal. But then he asked a second group to think about a similar moment from five years earlier. This time, people’s regret over working was more than double the regret over playing.

Eric B & Rakim – I Know You Got Soul (Acen Remix)

Our future selves, it seems, will wish we’d been bigger hedonists. Why? Because while we think we’re planning for the future by being pragmatic, we forget we also want our lives to include lovely, dazzling moments of fun and not just the daily cubicle grind. “When you view your life from a broader lens,” Kivetz says, “there’s a focus on feeling you’ll miss out on the pleasures of life.”

BitchAssDarius_-_Ride

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That’s also how to cure hyperopia: Think about how you’ll look back. In a study he published in last December’s Journal of Marketing Research—called “Remedying Hyperopia: The Effects of Self-Control Regret on Consumer Behavior”—Kivetz asked subjects to meditate on how much regret they had five years after they made a virtuous decision over an indulgent one. The subjects instantly became more self-indulgent: When they were offered a reward for participating in the research, almost all chose chocolates over cash.

BT – Smartbomb (Plump-Djs-Mix)

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Kivetz isn’t suggesting you stop acting like a reasonable adult. But the next time you’re wavering over whether to call in sick and join your friends on their impulsive three-day jaunt to Iceland, try this mind hack: Imagine yourself 10 years from now, looking back on your decision. What choice will make you feel happy then?

Posted By Gray