1 00:00:15,436 --> 00:00:25,516 Speaker 1: Pushkin, I can tell I already have like the nervous giggle. 2 00:00:26,996 --> 00:00:30,036 Speaker 1: This is author Lee Coward. There's definitely like a danger 3 00:00:30,676 --> 00:00:34,796 Speaker 1: smell to it that I come to recognize. Lee is 4 00:00:34,836 --> 00:00:38,556 Speaker 1: holding an open bottle of puckabut Barms Carolina Reaverer hot sauce, 5 00:00:38,956 --> 00:00:41,756 Speaker 1: thought to be the most extreme hot sauce ever created. 6 00:00:42,316 --> 00:00:45,676 Speaker 1: The sauce is made of ninety percent pure Carolina Reaver pepper, 7 00:00:46,076 --> 00:00:49,556 Speaker 1: the hottest hot pepper in the world. The heat levels 8 00:00:49,556 --> 00:00:53,116 Speaker 1: of hot peppers are measured in scopul units. An average jalapeno, 9 00:00:53,276 --> 00:00:56,156 Speaker 1: which a spice was like me can barely tolerate, will 10 00:00:56,236 --> 00:00:59,756 Speaker 1: run you around three thousand scope units, but a Carolina 11 00:00:59,836 --> 00:01:03,236 Speaker 1: Reaper can be up to eight hundred times hotter. Reapers 12 00:01:03,276 --> 00:01:06,356 Speaker 1: are measured in the millions of scobles. When people ask 13 00:01:06,436 --> 00:01:09,396 Speaker 1: me if a Reaper pepper might be for them, I say, 14 00:01:09,636 --> 00:01:12,556 Speaker 1: you are the kind of person that wants to fight 15 00:01:12,676 --> 00:01:16,396 Speaker 1: God and then feel like one this might be a 16 00:01:16,436 --> 00:01:20,596 Speaker 1: fun event for you, And apparently fighting a deity seems 17 00:01:20,636 --> 00:01:23,756 Speaker 1: like a fun time to Lee, because Lee is going 18 00:01:23,756 --> 00:01:27,036 Speaker 1: to gargle Reaper hot sauce right now. Okay, do you 19 00:01:27,076 --> 00:01:32,156 Speaker 1: want to want to count me? Down, three, two, one. Wow, 20 00:01:32,196 --> 00:01:36,996 Speaker 1: that is a large swig. Oh my god, it feels 21 00:01:36,996 --> 00:01:44,556 Speaker 1: more like a color color. Yeah. Um, it kind of 22 00:01:44,596 --> 00:01:54,396 Speaker 1: tastes like I a solar flare watching that's hot for real? Ah, 23 00:01:54,476 --> 00:01:59,076 Speaker 1: very truly. I would say on a scale one to ten, 24 00:02:01,036 --> 00:02:03,396 Speaker 1: it's like a boat horn on a scale of one 25 00:02:03,436 --> 00:02:08,116 Speaker 1: to ten. I know that in five minutes I'm gonna 26 00:02:08,156 --> 00:02:12,796 Speaker 1: feel but I also know that right now I feel bad. 27 00:02:14,596 --> 00:02:20,436 Speaker 1: But I also feel silly because I chose this. Much 28 00:02:20,476 --> 00:02:23,996 Speaker 1: of the time, experiencing pain feels kind of crappy. We 29 00:02:24,156 --> 00:02:26,956 Speaker 1: rarely seek out opportunities to stub our toes or burn 30 00:02:27,036 --> 00:02:29,156 Speaker 1: our tongues or head to the dentist for root. Now, 31 00:02:29,636 --> 00:02:32,396 Speaker 1: these are not experiences that we tend to describe as 32 00:02:32,436 --> 00:02:36,236 Speaker 1: happiness inducing, but there are some cases in which we 33 00:02:36,276 --> 00:02:38,836 Speaker 1: willingly choose to take part in situations that we know 34 00:02:38,876 --> 00:02:41,596 Speaker 1: ahead of time are going to feel negative. Now, you 35 00:02:41,636 --> 00:02:43,956 Speaker 1: may not have willingly gargled the hottest hot sauce on 36 00:02:43,956 --> 00:02:46,436 Speaker 1: the planet, but it's likely that you or someone you 37 00:02:46,516 --> 00:02:48,836 Speaker 1: know has tried a bath so scalding that it kind 38 00:02:48,836 --> 00:02:52,156 Speaker 1: of hurt, or paid money for an agonizing deep tissue massage, 39 00:02:52,676 --> 00:02:55,476 Speaker 1: and pain isn't the only negative feeling we sometimes seek 40 00:02:55,476 --> 00:02:58,956 Speaker 1: out voluntarily. We also get pleasure from sad songs that 41 00:02:59,036 --> 00:03:02,196 Speaker 1: make us cry and heart pounding roller coasters that make 42 00:03:02,276 --> 00:03:06,436 Speaker 1: us queasy. We actually enjoy watching scary slasher films and 43 00:03:06,596 --> 00:03:11,916 Speaker 1: visiting terrifying haunted houses. How can emotions like fear or 44 00:03:11,956 --> 00:03:16,276 Speaker 1: sadness or pain become something we choose to experience? Why 45 00:03:16,316 --> 00:03:20,756 Speaker 1: do painful feelings sometimes make us happier? The answer involves 46 00:03:20,756 --> 00:03:23,956 Speaker 1: two of my favorite cognitive quirks, ones that are fundamental 47 00:03:23,996 --> 00:03:26,436 Speaker 1: parts of being human. We're going to take a deep 48 00:03:26,476 --> 00:03:28,956 Speaker 1: dive into these biases of the mind and learn how 49 00:03:28,956 --> 00:03:32,076 Speaker 1: they can help us get a big happiness boost from pain, fear, 50 00:03:32,116 --> 00:03:34,916 Speaker 1: and anguish. And I'll also let you in on the 51 00:03:34,916 --> 00:03:42,596 Speaker 1: secret of throwing a kick ass movie party. Our minds 52 00:03:42,596 --> 00:03:44,556 Speaker 1: are constantly telling us what to do to be happy. 53 00:03:44,956 --> 00:03:47,196 Speaker 1: But what if our minds are wrong? What if our 54 00:03:47,196 --> 00:03:49,676 Speaker 1: minds are lying to us, leading us away from what 55 00:03:49,716 --> 00:03:52,396 Speaker 1: will really make us happy. The good news is that 56 00:03:52,516 --> 00:03:54,756 Speaker 1: understanding the science of the mind can point us all 57 00:03:54,796 --> 00:03:57,756 Speaker 1: back in the right direction. You're listening to the Happiness 58 00:03:57,836 --> 00:04:10,756 Speaker 1: Lab on Doctor Laurie Santos. Oh, Oh that's fun. Yeah, 59 00:04:10,796 --> 00:04:15,596 Speaker 1: I struck good. Now, about ten minutes into gargling the 60 00:04:15,596 --> 00:04:18,636 Speaker 1: hottest hot sauce in existence, Lee Howard has now switched 61 00:04:18,636 --> 00:04:22,436 Speaker 1: from experiencing extreme discomfort to a feeling they describe as 62 00:04:22,556 --> 00:04:25,276 Speaker 1: far more pleasurable. So I'm still in a lot of pain, 63 00:04:25,596 --> 00:04:28,636 Speaker 1: but I also feel exceptional. I feel like I've just 64 00:04:28,716 --> 00:04:31,556 Speaker 1: run five miles. I feel like I love my job. 65 00:04:32,556 --> 00:04:35,796 Speaker 1: What's this job that Lee loves so much? I am 66 00:04:35,876 --> 00:04:39,276 Speaker 1: not a pepperhead. I am just an idiot. Lee is 67 00:04:39,276 --> 00:04:42,276 Speaker 1: a science journalist an author of Hurt So Good, The 68 00:04:42,396 --> 00:04:45,316 Speaker 1: Science and Culture of Pain on Purpose. But the book 69 00:04:45,396 --> 00:04:49,196 Speaker 1: is about masochism, and I think reading the book is 70 00:04:49,236 --> 00:04:52,836 Speaker 1: a little bit of a masochistic act. Unto itself, Lee 71 00:04:52,836 --> 00:04:55,556 Speaker 1: wanted to understand why people engage in all manner of 72 00:04:55,556 --> 00:04:59,196 Speaker 1: painful behaviors, from chili pepper eating to polar plunges to 73 00:04:59,316 --> 00:05:01,956 Speaker 1: painful b d SM sex play. So they decided to 74 00:05:01,996 --> 00:05:05,236 Speaker 1: run a little experiment and try out all these behaviors personally. 75 00:05:05,596 --> 00:05:07,956 Speaker 1: The result is a book that is not for the 76 00:05:07,956 --> 00:05:10,796 Speaker 1: faint of heart. I mean, there are sex scenes, it's 77 00:05:10,836 --> 00:05:14,996 Speaker 1: a lot, But Lee engaged in these activities not just 78 00:05:15,076 --> 00:05:21,036 Speaker 1: as some journalistic exercise. Please actually kinda into pain. Oh yes, yes, 79 00:05:21,156 --> 00:05:23,756 Speaker 1: I am a big fan and that was really interesting 80 00:05:23,836 --> 00:05:26,596 Speaker 1: to me, Like, why do we like pains sometimes? What 81 00:05:26,716 --> 00:05:29,076 Speaker 1: are we getting out of it? And what does that 82 00:05:29,156 --> 00:05:32,596 Speaker 1: say about us as people? When it comes to bodily sensations, 83 00:05:32,796 --> 00:05:35,716 Speaker 1: we often assume that some are good whereas others are bad. 84 00:05:36,356 --> 00:05:39,356 Speaker 1: Eating a sweet ice cream cone good. Eating a pepper 85 00:05:39,476 --> 00:05:41,436 Speaker 1: so hot that it burns the inside of your solar 86 00:05:41,476 --> 00:05:44,996 Speaker 1: plexus bad. But the science shows that whether a given 87 00:05:45,036 --> 00:05:48,236 Speaker 1: experience winds up feeling good or bad is much more complicated. 88 00:05:49,236 --> 00:05:52,316 Speaker 1: It's based on memory, It's based on where you are, 89 00:05:52,636 --> 00:05:55,676 Speaker 1: Are you expecting it? Are you safe? Do you want this? 90 00:05:55,876 --> 00:05:59,356 Speaker 1: Are you aroused? All of these factors come together and 91 00:05:59,396 --> 00:06:03,276 Speaker 1: you get a fresh sensory experience every time. And Lee 92 00:06:03,356 --> 00:06:05,676 Speaker 1: is quick to point out that there is one necessary 93 00:06:05,716 --> 00:06:09,476 Speaker 1: factor for any sensation to feel good. Pain on purpose 94 00:06:09,836 --> 00:06:13,036 Speaker 1: requires consent. You have to be able to opt into 95 00:06:13,116 --> 00:06:16,356 Speaker 1: it and opt out. But why would we willingly opt 96 00:06:16,396 --> 00:06:20,156 Speaker 1: into experiencing pain and other negative emotions? Why does pain 97 00:06:20,276 --> 00:06:24,196 Speaker 1: sometimes make us happier? The first reason involves how pain 98 00:06:24,236 --> 00:06:29,036 Speaker 1: works biologically. Experiencing physical harm quite literally drugs us up. 99 00:06:29,516 --> 00:06:33,356 Speaker 1: You know what we call endorphins is short for endogenous morphine. 100 00:06:33,916 --> 00:06:37,276 Speaker 1: Whenever we get hurt, our body releases natural opiates akin 101 00:06:37,356 --> 00:06:41,396 Speaker 1: to morphine, OxyContin and heroine. Natural versions of these chemicals 102 00:06:41,476 --> 00:06:44,316 Speaker 1: quickly flought our brain and bind to neural receptors that 103 00:06:44,356 --> 00:06:47,996 Speaker 1: would normally make us experience a negative sensation, and just 104 00:06:48,036 --> 00:06:50,996 Speaker 1: like taking a hit of actual heroin, our natural endorphins 105 00:06:50,996 --> 00:06:55,476 Speaker 1: make us feel very good pretty quickly. But endorphins are 106 00:06:55,516 --> 00:06:58,276 Speaker 1: only the first of our bodies two biological systems for 107 00:06:58,356 --> 00:07:00,796 Speaker 1: soothing us when we get hurt. We also get a 108 00:07:00,796 --> 00:07:04,356 Speaker 1: bong hit from pain because the endorphin system works alongside 109 00:07:04,396 --> 00:07:08,436 Speaker 1: another set of analgesics known as the endocannabinoid system. It's 110 00:07:08,476 --> 00:07:11,836 Speaker 1: just kind of like the weed version in Layman's terms. 111 00:07:12,436 --> 00:07:15,076 Speaker 1: These two inner pain killer systems mean that we experience 112 00:07:15,116 --> 00:07:18,156 Speaker 1: a literal high whenever we're in pain. But there's also 113 00:07:18,196 --> 00:07:21,316 Speaker 1: a second reason that chosen pain can feel good. Pain 114 00:07:21,356 --> 00:07:23,836 Speaker 1: can be a shortcut to a happiness inducing practice that 115 00:07:23,876 --> 00:07:27,636 Speaker 1: we talk about a lot on this podcast, Mindfulness. There's 116 00:07:27,676 --> 00:07:30,076 Speaker 1: tons of evidence suggesting that being in the present moment 117 00:07:30,156 --> 00:07:32,996 Speaker 1: feels great, and at least one nice thing about anguish 118 00:07:33,156 --> 00:07:36,596 Speaker 1: is that it's cognitively all consuming. It is very, very 119 00:07:36,716 --> 00:07:39,876 Speaker 1: hard to think about your grocery list when your whole 120 00:07:39,916 --> 00:07:42,836 Speaker 1: faces are on fire. I mean that is such a 121 00:07:42,916 --> 00:07:45,836 Speaker 1: draw for me personally, I have one of those just 122 00:07:45,916 --> 00:07:49,436 Speaker 1: like hamster reel braids. There's just like forty hamsters up 123 00:07:49,476 --> 00:07:53,236 Speaker 1: there and none of them are cooperating. So for me, 124 00:07:53,916 --> 00:07:57,396 Speaker 1: the quiet of one thought in the brain is something 125 00:07:57,436 --> 00:08:02,076 Speaker 1: that I chase, and masochism is absolutely a shortcut to 126 00:08:02,196 --> 00:08:05,276 Speaker 1: that piece. But there's a third reason that pain and 127 00:08:05,356 --> 00:08:09,116 Speaker 1: other negative sensations feel good. Bad feelings create a please 128 00:08:09,236 --> 00:08:12,836 Speaker 1: in contrast effect. Brief moments of anguish or fear allow 129 00:08:12,916 --> 00:08:14,796 Speaker 1: us to go from a sucky state to a much 130 00:08:14,876 --> 00:08:18,876 Speaker 1: nicer baseline state, and the contrast between these two sensations 131 00:08:18,956 --> 00:08:22,156 Speaker 1: makes our status quo, our norm which probably seemed boring 132 00:08:22,236 --> 00:08:26,876 Speaker 1: or unremarkable before, now feel like absolute heaven. Negative states 133 00:08:26,876 --> 00:08:30,076 Speaker 1: also induce pleasure because they make us feel kind of badass. 134 00:08:30,556 --> 00:08:33,716 Speaker 1: When our body senses danger or incoming pain, our usual 135 00:08:33,756 --> 00:08:36,356 Speaker 1: response is to get the heck away from whatever situation 136 00:08:36,396 --> 00:08:39,556 Speaker 1: we're in. When we push through fear and pain, we 137 00:08:39,596 --> 00:08:41,996 Speaker 1: can get a sort of mind over matter hit of pride. 138 00:08:42,836 --> 00:08:45,116 Speaker 1: Watch a bunny that gets away from a hawk right, 139 00:08:45,196 --> 00:08:49,276 Speaker 1: they bounced away. There's a discharge, there's a celebration. The 140 00:08:49,356 --> 00:08:51,956 Speaker 1: badass feeling that comes from making it through something awful 141 00:08:52,196 --> 00:08:54,996 Speaker 1: is one reason Lee has long been drawn to voluntary suffering. 142 00:08:55,596 --> 00:08:57,636 Speaker 1: I like to push it. I like to see how 143 00:08:57,716 --> 00:09:01,556 Speaker 1: much I can take. I definitely have a resilience fetish. 144 00:09:01,596 --> 00:09:03,716 Speaker 1: But it's worth noting that the positive hit we can 145 00:09:03,716 --> 00:09:06,876 Speaker 1: get from chosen pain doesn't require putting ourselves in actual 146 00:09:06,916 --> 00:09:09,676 Speaker 1: physical danger. We just need to do something that our 147 00:09:09,716 --> 00:09:13,516 Speaker 1: brain will falsely interpret as perilous. It's what the psychologist 148 00:09:13,556 --> 00:09:17,676 Speaker 1: Paul Rosen christened benign massochism. Benign masochism is a mental 149 00:09:17,676 --> 00:09:20,716 Speaker 1: trick in which our brain's natural danger systems get fooled 150 00:09:20,756 --> 00:09:23,636 Speaker 1: by harmless stuff that mimics what we might experience if 151 00:09:23,676 --> 00:09:27,116 Speaker 1: we went through a real physical ordeal. Benign massochism allows 152 00:09:27,156 --> 00:09:29,756 Speaker 1: us to get all the psychological benefits that come from 153 00:09:29,756 --> 00:09:34,396 Speaker 1: bodily harm without the bodily harm, which is pretty cool. 154 00:09:35,236 --> 00:09:38,876 Speaker 1: But a word of warning, benign masochism isn't something to 155 00:09:38,916 --> 00:09:41,596 Speaker 1: be entered into lightly. You don't want to embark on 156 00:09:41,636 --> 00:09:45,556 Speaker 1: an experience that's too painfully intense or that is genuinely dangerous. 157 00:09:46,356 --> 00:09:49,236 Speaker 1: Take chili eating. For example, you may have noticed that 158 00:09:49,316 --> 00:09:52,236 Speaker 1: Lee chose to gargle rather than swallow that Carolina Reaper 159 00:09:52,276 --> 00:09:57,116 Speaker 1: hot sauce. It is a different animal them. Lee made 160 00:09:57,116 --> 00:10:00,116 Speaker 1: that rookie mistake early on in their chili tasting experiments, 161 00:10:00,676 --> 00:10:04,556 Speaker 1: and their digestive system paid the price. Oh it's awful. 162 00:10:04,636 --> 00:10:08,676 Speaker 1: I was like nude on a bathroom floor, weeping and 163 00:10:08,836 --> 00:10:13,396 Speaker 1: just chastising myself. Why did you do this? You know, honestly, 164 00:10:13,436 --> 00:10:16,396 Speaker 1: it felt like labor. And you do have all of 165 00:10:16,436 --> 00:10:20,716 Speaker 1: those TRPV one receptors in your anus, so you're going 166 00:10:20,756 --> 00:10:23,676 Speaker 1: to have the reaper pepper experience in your own little 167 00:10:23,756 --> 00:10:26,156 Speaker 1: ring of fire. I actually spend a lot of time 168 00:10:26,196 --> 00:10:29,796 Speaker 1: trying to warn people about it, just so you know 169 00:10:29,996 --> 00:10:33,836 Speaker 1: this is a very possible outcome for a hypochondriact like me. 170 00:10:34,436 --> 00:10:37,196 Speaker 1: This felt like a deal breaker. I'll definitely leave the 171 00:10:37,236 --> 00:10:40,436 Speaker 1: hot sauce tasting to Lee. So what if you're curious 172 00:10:40,436 --> 00:10:43,196 Speaker 1: about the emotional benefits of negative experiences but you're a 173 00:10:43,276 --> 00:10:45,916 Speaker 1: huge voice. What if you'd like to get the mindfulness 174 00:10:45,916 --> 00:10:50,116 Speaker 1: that a Carolina Reaper provides, but you've got a sensitive constitution, Well, 175 00:10:50,236 --> 00:10:53,196 Speaker 1: I'll tell you when the Happiness Lab returns in a moment. 176 00:11:04,316 --> 00:11:06,596 Speaker 1: You want to live a rich, fun life. There's a 177 00:11:06,596 --> 00:11:09,436 Speaker 1: whole lot of emotions to play with, and I aren't 178 00:11:09,436 --> 00:11:12,836 Speaker 1: necessarily what you think they are. This is my good friend. 179 00:11:12,836 --> 00:11:15,956 Speaker 1: Paul Bloom, a professor of psychology at the University of 180 00:11:15,956 --> 00:11:19,076 Speaker 1: Toronto an author of The Sweet Spot The Pleasures are 181 00:11:19,116 --> 00:11:23,276 Speaker 1: Suffering in the search for meeting. Like Journalistly Coward, Paul 182 00:11:23,396 --> 00:11:26,156 Speaker 1: is interested in why we sometimes get pleasure from pain. 183 00:11:27,036 --> 00:11:29,596 Speaker 1: Some pleasures are we could talk a lot about them, 184 00:11:29,636 --> 00:11:32,716 Speaker 1: but it's not so mysterious why people enjoy good food 185 00:11:32,796 --> 00:11:36,076 Speaker 1: and good drink and sex. But if a smart alien 186 00:11:36,156 --> 00:11:38,196 Speaker 1: came down to Earth, what they would see is they 187 00:11:38,236 --> 00:11:42,676 Speaker 1: see us spending hours and hours watching movies and reading 188 00:11:42,716 --> 00:11:45,276 Speaker 1: novels that make us cry. That's scare us. They see 189 00:11:45,316 --> 00:11:49,796 Speaker 1: us going to saunaus. They see us engaging in BDSM 190 00:11:49,836 --> 00:11:53,396 Speaker 1: and Alians say, what's up of that? It seems so paradoxical, 191 00:11:53,676 --> 00:11:56,876 Speaker 1: and as paradox is what I'm really interested in. But 192 00:11:56,996 --> 00:12:00,796 Speaker 1: in contrast, Elite Paul has taken a more academic approach 193 00:12:00,916 --> 00:12:03,796 Speaker 1: to this paradox. We cover the same topics, and I 194 00:12:03,836 --> 00:12:05,956 Speaker 1: have a lot of admiration for what they've written. But 195 00:12:05,996 --> 00:12:08,716 Speaker 1: there's a kind of different register. I'm a little bit 196 00:12:08,796 --> 00:12:12,956 Speaker 1: more bourgeois and state in my lifestyle. But Paul's book 197 00:12:13,036 --> 00:12:16,156 Speaker 1: argues that the bourgeois and wooses among us aren't totally 198 00:12:16,156 --> 00:12:18,116 Speaker 1: out of luck when it comes to the pleasure of 199 00:12:18,156 --> 00:12:21,156 Speaker 1: negative emotions. It turns out that the human mind has 200 00:12:21,196 --> 00:12:24,036 Speaker 1: figured out an enterprising way to get all the emotional 201 00:12:24,076 --> 00:12:27,476 Speaker 1: benefits of bad sensations without any of the real life risk. 202 00:12:27,956 --> 00:12:32,316 Speaker 1: We simply experience negative events as simulations inside our heads. 203 00:12:32,756 --> 00:12:35,596 Speaker 1: We avitabilities or to play movies to ourselves and tell 204 00:12:35,676 --> 00:12:38,916 Speaker 1: stories to ourselves and appreciate these stories that other people 205 00:12:38,956 --> 00:12:41,596 Speaker 1: telling and immerse ourselves in worlds we know aren't real. 206 00:12:42,196 --> 00:12:44,996 Speaker 1: And our capacity for imagination doesn't just allow us to 207 00:12:45,036 --> 00:12:46,916 Speaker 1: experience stuff that we come up with in our own 208 00:12:46,956 --> 00:12:51,676 Speaker 1: private simulations. We also participate in entire shared fictional emotional 209 00:12:51,676 --> 00:12:56,156 Speaker 1: worlds think movies, books, or video games, and these worlds 210 00:12:56,156 --> 00:12:59,236 Speaker 1: give us a really wide range of negative emotions, from 211 00:12:59,316 --> 00:13:02,756 Speaker 1: fear to grief, to disgust to anger, all without any 212 00:13:02,836 --> 00:13:06,356 Speaker 1: danger of personal harm. No burning gums from chili peppers, 213 00:13:06,716 --> 00:13:09,636 Speaker 1: no queasy stomach from a roller coaster ride for self 214 00:13:09,676 --> 00:13:13,636 Speaker 1: proclaimed was like me, this version of negative experiences is way, 215 00:13:13,636 --> 00:13:16,556 Speaker 1: way better, and Paul argues that the suffering we experience 216 00:13:16,596 --> 00:13:19,196 Speaker 1: in our imagination has lots of unique benefits that go 217 00:13:19,276 --> 00:13:21,316 Speaker 1: beyond those that come from in real life forms of 218 00:13:21,356 --> 00:13:24,876 Speaker 1: benign masochism. One is the emotional control we have over 219 00:13:24,876 --> 00:13:27,676 Speaker 1: what happens in fantasy. If the hot pepper you just 220 00:13:27,756 --> 00:13:29,636 Speaker 1: date is too much, you're kind of stuck with it 221 00:13:29,716 --> 00:13:33,556 Speaker 1: until it passes through your entire digestive tract and pass 222 00:13:33,596 --> 00:13:36,956 Speaker 1: those Anis receptors. But if a fictional experience starts to 223 00:13:36,956 --> 00:13:40,156 Speaker 1: feel like it's too much, you can stop immediately. Your 224 00:13:40,196 --> 00:13:43,356 Speaker 1: novel's feeling too sad, put it down, too freaked out 225 00:13:43,356 --> 00:13:46,236 Speaker 1: by that slasher film, shut it off. And thanks to 226 00:13:46,316 --> 00:13:49,276 Speaker 1: reviews and ratings in word of mouth, we usually know 227 00:13:49,396 --> 00:13:52,756 Speaker 1: exactly what we're getting ourselves into. There's a feature on 228 00:13:52,836 --> 00:13:55,756 Speaker 1: Slate which goes through different horror movies. Is how scary 229 00:13:55,876 --> 00:13:57,596 Speaker 1: is this? And they have sort of how gory is? 230 00:13:57,596 --> 00:13:59,756 Speaker 1: And so on? And somebody like me, who's surprising a 231 00:13:59,796 --> 00:14:01,516 Speaker 1: little bit of a whimp when it comes to gore, 232 00:14:01,756 --> 00:14:03,836 Speaker 1: likes these things. I don't want to be too grossed out. 233 00:14:04,516 --> 00:14:07,916 Speaker 1: Simulated negative experiences like watching a tense car chase or 234 00:14:07,956 --> 00:14:12,436 Speaker 1: a scary disaster movie can also be incredible teachers. Imagining 235 00:14:12,476 --> 00:14:15,236 Speaker 1: negative events is the human equivalent of what animals do 236 00:14:15,316 --> 00:14:17,436 Speaker 1: when they learn to fight. One way to be good 237 00:14:17,436 --> 00:14:20,276 Speaker 1: at fighting is to practice fighting. But the problem of 238 00:14:20,316 --> 00:14:21,996 Speaker 1: getting a lot of fights is you can get killed. 239 00:14:21,996 --> 00:14:24,876 Speaker 1: Are you going to kill somebody else? So evolution came 240 00:14:24,956 --> 00:14:28,436 Speaker 1: up this brilliant trick. Young animals engage in a milder, 241 00:14:28,516 --> 00:14:32,396 Speaker 1: pretend version of aggression, which researchers call play fighting. They 242 00:14:32,436 --> 00:14:35,196 Speaker 1: try out all their aggressive moves while playing with their friends, 243 00:14:35,556 --> 00:14:37,516 Speaker 1: but they never take it to the level where anyone 244 00:14:37,556 --> 00:14:40,196 Speaker 1: gets hurt. They get all the benefits of practicing with 245 00:14:40,316 --> 00:14:43,196 Speaker 1: none of the dangers. Human kids do the same thing 246 00:14:43,196 --> 00:14:46,276 Speaker 1: when they're little. Think plastic army toys battling it out 247 00:14:46,676 --> 00:14:48,876 Speaker 1: or barbie dolls pretending to be part of real life 248 00:14:48,876 --> 00:14:53,316 Speaker 1: social interactions. But we don't entirely leave this behind in childhood. 249 00:14:53,716 --> 00:14:56,676 Speaker 1: Adults do this in our own heads. I think what 250 00:14:56,796 --> 00:14:59,796 Speaker 1: a lot of imaginative play is, particularly the sort of 251 00:14:59,836 --> 00:15:02,636 Speaker 1: more negative stuff we're talking about, is a form of 252 00:15:02,676 --> 00:15:06,876 Speaker 1: planning and preparation and practice for the future. Paul uses 253 00:15:06,916 --> 00:15:09,476 Speaker 1: the analogy of learning how to fly a plane. The 254 00:15:09,556 --> 00:15:11,596 Speaker 1: best way to become a good pilot is to guide 255 00:15:11,596 --> 00:15:14,196 Speaker 1: a real plane through lots of real world situations of 256 00:15:14,356 --> 00:15:19,116 Speaker 1: varying difficulty. But it's extremely dangerous, so we've invented flight simulators. 257 00:15:19,676 --> 00:15:22,356 Speaker 1: Flight simulators allow us to sit in a pretend cockpit 258 00:15:22,476 --> 00:15:24,876 Speaker 1: and practice all the controls needed for a real flight, 259 00:15:25,156 --> 00:15:27,956 Speaker 1: but without any of the real danger. And when you're 260 00:15:28,156 --> 00:15:30,796 Speaker 1: programming a flight simulator, you don't program it always for 261 00:15:30,836 --> 00:15:33,276 Speaker 1: a flight. Your program it for trouble. And I think 262 00:15:33,316 --> 00:15:37,356 Speaker 1: imaginations like a flight simulator. And just as flight simulators 263 00:15:37,396 --> 00:15:40,196 Speaker 1: actively seek out trouble, so too do we seek out 264 00:15:40,236 --> 00:15:43,396 Speaker 1: negative imaginary experiences and the emotions that go with them. 265 00:15:44,156 --> 00:15:47,276 Speaker 1: This logic can explain even the seemingly oddest of negative 266 00:15:47,276 --> 00:15:49,996 Speaker 1: fantasies that we in the modern world seek out all 267 00:15:49,996 --> 00:15:56,436 Speaker 1: the time. Take zombie movies. Do wel like zombie movies 268 00:15:56,436 --> 00:15:58,716 Speaker 1: because we have to prepare for the zombie apocalypse, And 269 00:15:58,796 --> 00:16:02,796 Speaker 1: that sounds stupid, But anybody who see zombie movies knows 270 00:16:02,916 --> 00:16:05,636 Speaker 1: that the real dangerneys movies is in a zombie. Zombie 271 00:16:05,716 --> 00:16:08,876 Speaker 1: movies are just a very imaginative recreation of what happens 272 00:16:08,876 --> 00:16:11,236 Speaker 1: when world goes down. The real dangers in the doombie 273 00:16:11,236 --> 00:16:14,196 Speaker 1: movie is always other people, and so we enjoy these 274 00:16:14,236 --> 00:16:17,076 Speaker 1: things in the same way kids enjoy playfighting because it's 275 00:16:17,156 --> 00:16:19,076 Speaker 1: kind of verse of it. It's good stuff to get 276 00:16:19,116 --> 00:16:21,676 Speaker 1: good at. But the fact that our minds get so 277 00:16:21,756 --> 00:16:24,876 Speaker 1: much pleasure from fictional worlds like these also poses a 278 00:16:24,956 --> 00:16:27,716 Speaker 1: bit of a cognitive puzzle. It makes sense that our 279 00:16:27,716 --> 00:16:30,996 Speaker 1: brains fall for in real life forms of benign masochism, 280 00:16:31,036 --> 00:16:32,956 Speaker 1: that the pain of a hot chili pepper or the 281 00:16:32,996 --> 00:16:35,516 Speaker 1: fear of a racing roller coaster fools our minds into 282 00:16:35,596 --> 00:16:38,636 Speaker 1: thinking that we're in danger. But how do we fall 283 00:16:38,716 --> 00:16:42,436 Speaker 1: for situations that we know are completely fake things like 284 00:16:42,556 --> 00:16:46,196 Speaker 1: novels and movies and video games. To get the answer, 285 00:16:46,396 --> 00:16:49,156 Speaker 1: will meet a philosopher and Happiness Lab regular who's not 286 00:16:49,196 --> 00:16:51,516 Speaker 1: only figured it out, but can share some tips on 287 00:16:51,556 --> 00:16:54,116 Speaker 1: how applying this knowledge can give us a way bigger 288 00:16:54,156 --> 00:16:58,156 Speaker 1: happiness hit, even from a totally phony looking mechanical shark. 289 00:17:02,316 --> 00:17:08,396 Speaker 1: That's the sound? What's that one? Do? I think it's 290 00:17:08,476 --> 00:17:11,316 Speaker 1: both just that I can't carry it. Dune, dune, Dune. 291 00:17:12,036 --> 00:17:14,676 Speaker 1: That was what I meant. The Happiness Lab will be 292 00:17:14,756 --> 00:17:29,716 Speaker 1: right back. It's July twenty twenty one, Tokyo, Japan and 293 00:17:29,756 --> 00:17:33,996 Speaker 1: the Summer Olympics are finally underway. Today's matchup, the US 294 00:17:34,036 --> 00:17:38,596 Speaker 1: women's soccer team is taking on their rivals Sweden. Dear Things, 295 00:17:38,596 --> 00:17:43,076 Speaker 1: The Olympic announcer booms, Welcome to the Tokyo Stadium. The 296 00:17:43,116 --> 00:17:46,036 Speaker 1: announcer introduces the two teams. As the players take the field, 297 00:17:46,756 --> 00:17:50,276 Speaker 1: the hype music begins to play, and the crowd goes wild, 298 00:17:51,276 --> 00:17:55,276 Speaker 1: or perhaps more accurately, what sounded like a crowd goes wild. 299 00:17:56,116 --> 00:18:01,516 Speaker 1: The Olympic athletes who heard that roar, we're hearing a recording. 300 00:18:01,796 --> 00:18:05,996 Speaker 1: There was no one else in the stadium with them. 301 00:18:06,036 --> 00:18:08,396 Speaker 1: The Tokyo Games had already been delayed by a year 302 00:18:08,436 --> 00:18:11,716 Speaker 1: because of COVID nineteen, but with infections still surging in 303 00:18:11,756 --> 00:18:14,836 Speaker 1: the summer of twenty twenty one, no spectators were allowed 304 00:18:14,876 --> 00:18:18,316 Speaker 1: into the venues. But the organizers still wanted to bring 305 00:18:18,356 --> 00:18:20,316 Speaker 1: the vibe of the world to the stadium, as they 306 00:18:20,316 --> 00:18:23,876 Speaker 1: put it, so they commissioned a virtual soundscape experience for 307 00:18:23,916 --> 00:18:27,356 Speaker 1: their athletes. They piped the sounds of a screaming crowd 308 00:18:27,476 --> 00:18:31,636 Speaker 1: into the empty stadium. Audio engineers spent three months clipping 309 00:18:31,636 --> 00:18:35,076 Speaker 1: together screams and applause from past Olympics in Rio and London. 310 00:18:35,676 --> 00:18:38,036 Speaker 1: They worked to find just the right balance of different 311 00:18:38,076 --> 00:18:42,076 Speaker 1: crowd sounds, from cheering to chatting to screaming. But the 312 00:18:42,156 --> 00:18:44,716 Speaker 1: decision to spent all this time and effort to fake 313 00:18:44,796 --> 00:18:47,596 Speaker 1: the sounds of adoring fans should seem, at least with 314 00:18:47,636 --> 00:18:51,476 Speaker 1: some reflection, kind of weird. So you're an athlete, which 315 00:18:51,516 --> 00:18:55,556 Speaker 1: means you're super sensitive to the reality of the environment 316 00:18:55,596 --> 00:18:59,076 Speaker 1: around you. They knew that the stadium was empty, They 317 00:18:59,116 --> 00:19:01,036 Speaker 1: knew it was the middle of COVID. They knew they 318 00:19:01,036 --> 00:19:04,556 Speaker 1: were the only ones in this place, that there wasn't 319 00:19:04,596 --> 00:19:08,876 Speaker 1: an audience of tens of thousands of people. Yet even so, 320 00:19:09,396 --> 00:19:14,116 Speaker 1: the sound of the roaring crowd somehow managed to inspire them, 321 00:19:14,396 --> 00:19:17,916 Speaker 1: even though they knew that it wasn't recording. This is 322 00:19:17,956 --> 00:19:20,876 Speaker 1: my good friend and colleague, the Yale philosopher to Mark Gendler. 323 00:19:21,636 --> 00:19:25,796 Speaker 1: Tomorrow's philosophical work has explored cases like these situations in 324 00:19:25,836 --> 00:19:28,676 Speaker 1: which pretend things like the roar of a recorded crowd 325 00:19:28,956 --> 00:19:32,676 Speaker 1: affect how we feel and behave. It's really funny to 326 00:19:32,716 --> 00:19:36,116 Speaker 1: think that you can simultaneously know that something is fake 327 00:19:36,476 --> 00:19:39,356 Speaker 1: and respond to it as if it were real. But 328 00:19:39,676 --> 00:19:42,916 Speaker 1: when you start to realize that that's a possibility, you 329 00:19:42,916 --> 00:19:46,916 Speaker 1: realize that it happens all the time. Take horror movies. 330 00:19:47,356 --> 00:19:49,316 Speaker 1: The last time you sat down with your popcorn in 331 00:19:49,356 --> 00:19:52,116 Speaker 1: a dark movie theater, you definitely knew that the two 332 00:19:52,196 --> 00:19:54,836 Speaker 1: D images of zombies and monster attacks you saw on 333 00:19:54,876 --> 00:20:00,036 Speaker 1: screen were fake, but you nonetheless responded as if that 334 00:20:00,156 --> 00:20:04,756 Speaker 1: thing kind of were really happening, even though you knew 335 00:20:05,036 --> 00:20:07,316 Speaker 1: that it wasn't. And that happens all the time. Think 336 00:20:07,356 --> 00:20:10,036 Speaker 1: about how you cry during movie these how you laugh 337 00:20:10,156 --> 00:20:14,676 Speaker 1: during movies. You know that those things aren't happening, and 338 00:20:14,876 --> 00:20:18,876 Speaker 1: even as you know those things aren't happening, you respond 339 00:20:19,076 --> 00:20:21,116 Speaker 1: as if they were. So the thing that was going 340 00:20:21,156 --> 00:20:23,596 Speaker 1: on with the athletes actually turns out to be a 341 00:20:23,636 --> 00:20:28,996 Speaker 1: really common experience in our interactions with fiction, and that 342 00:20:29,036 --> 00:20:32,076 Speaker 1: common experience stems from the second cognitive quirk I wanted 343 00:20:32,116 --> 00:20:35,516 Speaker 1: to explore in this episode, which is that, surprisingly, our 344 00:20:35,516 --> 00:20:38,596 Speaker 1: mind seemed to work on two different and completely separate 345 00:20:38,596 --> 00:20:42,236 Speaker 1: tracks when it comes to processing information. The first track, 346 00:20:42,356 --> 00:20:46,516 Speaker 1: the belief track, is pretty rational. The belief track can say, yeah, 347 00:20:46,556 --> 00:20:48,996 Speaker 1: I know, it sounds like there's a crowd screaming, But 348 00:20:49,076 --> 00:20:52,076 Speaker 1: the seats are empty, and therefore I believe that no 349 00:20:52,156 --> 00:20:56,596 Speaker 1: one is in the stadium. Beliefs go and take into 350 00:20:56,636 --> 00:21:00,596 Speaker 1: consideration the full array of information, so they might say, oh, 351 00:21:00,676 --> 00:21:03,996 Speaker 1: I'm sad, but in fact that was just a fictional character. 352 00:21:04,236 --> 00:21:07,676 Speaker 1: I don't believe that somebody I love has died. I've 353 00:21:07,676 --> 00:21:10,836 Speaker 1: just read a book in which that happened. But we 354 00:21:10,916 --> 00:21:13,716 Speaker 1: also have a second track that Tamar christened the A 355 00:21:13,876 --> 00:21:17,396 Speaker 1: leaf track. The A and A leaf stands for automatic, 356 00:21:17,636 --> 00:21:20,876 Speaker 1: affective and ancient our. A leaf track is a much 357 00:21:20,916 --> 00:21:24,436 Speaker 1: more primitive system our. A leaves just assume whatever sensory 358 00:21:24,436 --> 00:21:27,956 Speaker 1: information you happen to be experiencing reflects the real world 359 00:21:27,956 --> 00:21:31,556 Speaker 1: thing that that sensory experience is normally associated with. They 360 00:21:31,636 --> 00:21:34,076 Speaker 1: just give a quick response. They don't do a huge 361 00:21:34,076 --> 00:21:37,756 Speaker 1: amount of processing, and they're very emotional. Oh, scary music, 362 00:21:37,836 --> 00:21:41,516 Speaker 1: scary sound, feels scared. The A leaf system is what 363 00:21:41,596 --> 00:21:44,276 Speaker 1: allowed those Olympic athletes to get an emotional boost from 364 00:21:44,316 --> 00:21:47,116 Speaker 1: crowd noise, even though they were totally aware that the 365 00:21:47,156 --> 00:21:50,356 Speaker 1: stadium was empty. They knew it wasn't a real crowd 366 00:21:50,396 --> 00:21:53,756 Speaker 1: of screaming fans. But they have a whole set of 367 00:21:53,956 --> 00:21:58,676 Speaker 1: associations that got activated as the result of their hearing 368 00:21:58,716 --> 00:22:02,636 Speaker 1: this sound that, in all other circumstances is associated with 369 00:22:02,876 --> 00:22:06,316 Speaker 1: genuinely being in that environment. So it wasn't so much 370 00:22:06,356 --> 00:22:10,156 Speaker 1: as they got fooled, as it was that they responded 371 00:22:10,196 --> 00:22:12,436 Speaker 1: in the way they would have if it were real, 372 00:22:12,996 --> 00:22:17,076 Speaker 1: even though they knew it wasn't real. But the coolest 373 00:22:17,076 --> 00:22:19,556 Speaker 1: thing about this two track cognitive quirk is that the 374 00:22:19,596 --> 00:22:24,316 Speaker 1: two tracks are totally separate. Your rational beliefs simply cannot 375 00:22:24,396 --> 00:22:28,196 Speaker 1: interfere with your overly emotional A leafs, And if you 376 00:22:28,276 --> 00:22:31,276 Speaker 1: start thinking about it, you realize that there's time after 377 00:22:31,356 --> 00:22:33,836 Speaker 1: time after time where you have a beliaf that goes 378 00:22:33,916 --> 00:22:37,356 Speaker 1: one way and an A leaf that goes another. Let's 379 00:22:37,356 --> 00:22:40,036 Speaker 1: take horror movies again. When you watch a slasher flick 380 00:22:40,076 --> 00:22:42,836 Speaker 1: and a plush seat in some suburban movie theater, your 381 00:22:42,876 --> 00:22:45,276 Speaker 1: belief track knows that you're not going to get chainsaw 382 00:22:45,396 --> 00:22:48,396 Speaker 1: to death by some fake monster, But your A leaf track, 383 00:22:48,516 --> 00:22:52,036 Speaker 1: which controls your automatic emotional responses, can't talk to the 384 00:22:52,036 --> 00:22:55,396 Speaker 1: belief track. Your A leafs are going to continuously make 385 00:22:55,396 --> 00:22:59,036 Speaker 1: your body react as if you were in a dangerous situation. 386 00:22:59,196 --> 00:23:01,716 Speaker 1: And it's not just with regard to danger that a 387 00:23:01,836 --> 00:23:04,916 Speaker 1: leaf can do this as we read fiction or watch 388 00:23:04,956 --> 00:23:07,916 Speaker 1: a movie, or listen to a story, or a leaf 389 00:23:07,956 --> 00:23:12,156 Speaker 1: system is totally indifferent to whether the source of the 390 00:23:12,276 --> 00:23:17,236 Speaker 1: input is actual or imaginary. The quirk of having a 391 00:23:17,276 --> 00:23:19,596 Speaker 1: mind that runs on two tracks means that we have 392 00:23:19,636 --> 00:23:22,516 Speaker 1: an a leaf system that allows us to get benign masochism. 393 00:23:22,596 --> 00:23:26,436 Speaker 1: Happiness benefits from all kinds of situations that our belief 394 00:23:26,436 --> 00:23:30,636 Speaker 1: system knows are imaginary or totally fake. So these are 395 00:23:30,796 --> 00:23:36,116 Speaker 1: safe spaces in which to experience really powerful emotions without 396 00:23:36,196 --> 00:23:40,156 Speaker 1: having to have the actual world consequences. And one of 397 00:23:40,156 --> 00:23:46,956 Speaker 1: the really amazing things is that we can playfully engage 398 00:23:47,036 --> 00:23:51,716 Speaker 1: with the multiplicity in our mind, so we can simultaneously 399 00:23:51,756 --> 00:23:57,236 Speaker 1: be sitting comfortably on a sofa and physically believe ourselves 400 00:23:57,236 --> 00:24:02,236 Speaker 1: to be completely safe, and then indulge imaginatively these more 401 00:24:02,276 --> 00:24:06,596 Speaker 1: primitive parts of our system. We can also carefully tailor 402 00:24:06,636 --> 00:24:09,516 Speaker 1: the way our a leaf track reacts, adjust it up 403 00:24:09,596 --> 00:24:12,276 Speaker 1: or down depending on the degree of emotions we'd most 404 00:24:12,396 --> 00:24:16,636 Speaker 1: enjoy experiencing. For example, Tamarrow, like me, isn't a fan 405 00:24:16,676 --> 00:24:20,156 Speaker 1: of intense negative emotions. I'm a total scared to get, 406 00:24:20,516 --> 00:24:22,996 Speaker 1: which means that she wants to indulge in negative emotions 407 00:24:22,996 --> 00:24:26,756 Speaker 1: like fear, but she only wants a teeny dose. So 408 00:24:26,796 --> 00:24:29,476 Speaker 1: when I watch a horror movie, I actually tend to 409 00:24:29,556 --> 00:24:31,876 Speaker 1: keep the light on in the room and make the 410 00:24:31,956 --> 00:24:35,916 Speaker 1: screen quite small, so that even as I'm indulging the 411 00:24:35,996 --> 00:24:39,276 Speaker 1: a leaf, I have lots of bee leaf pushing in 412 00:24:39,276 --> 00:24:41,676 Speaker 1: the opposite direction in the background. And that is a 413 00:24:41,716 --> 00:24:45,116 Speaker 1: tactic you can use if you're somebody who's hyper sensitive 414 00:24:45,196 --> 00:24:49,276 Speaker 1: to the ways in which imaginative emotion affects you. But 415 00:24:49,396 --> 00:24:52,556 Speaker 1: of course, if your friends who are notices and kind 416 00:24:52,556 --> 00:24:55,596 Speaker 1: of into horror movies are coming over and you want 417 00:24:55,596 --> 00:24:57,556 Speaker 1: to give them a happiness boost that comes with a 418 00:24:57,636 --> 00:25:02,036 Speaker 1: particularly epic scare. That also means that if we understand 419 00:25:02,036 --> 00:25:04,716 Speaker 1: our a leafs the right way, we can do the opposite, 420 00:25:04,716 --> 00:25:07,596 Speaker 1: which is we can make something really really scary. Right, 421 00:25:07,716 --> 00:25:12,076 Speaker 1: we could make something believably scary if we know if, 422 00:25:12,116 --> 00:25:16,196 Speaker 1: for example, we take away almost all of the clues 423 00:25:16,636 --> 00:25:20,756 Speaker 1: that make you realize there's a differentiation between your automatic 424 00:25:20,796 --> 00:25:23,396 Speaker 1: response to what seems to be the case and what 425 00:25:23,596 --> 00:25:27,756 Speaker 1: is actually the case, we can make something really really scary, 426 00:25:28,516 --> 00:25:31,796 Speaker 1: which got me thinking, what if instead of just hosting 427 00:25:31,876 --> 00:25:35,436 Speaker 1: the usual scary movie party from my friends. What have 428 00:25:35,596 --> 00:25:38,796 Speaker 1: I decided to up the benign masochism A Leaf stakes 429 00:25:38,796 --> 00:25:41,356 Speaker 1: a bit? What if I put my horror movie loving 430 00:25:41,396 --> 00:25:45,876 Speaker 1: friends into a fully immersive, real world situation that activated 431 00:25:46,276 --> 00:25:49,836 Speaker 1: every single one of their senses to fully and completely 432 00:25:49,996 --> 00:25:53,476 Speaker 1: whig out their A Leaf track. And so Laurie's epic 433 00:25:53,556 --> 00:25:56,956 Speaker 1: extreme A Leaf movie experience was born, or what I 434 00:25:56,996 --> 00:26:00,596 Speaker 1: like to call more simply Jaws in the Pool. Instead 435 00:26:00,636 --> 00:26:03,116 Speaker 1: of inviting my friends to watch that classic shark film 436 00:26:03,116 --> 00:26:05,876 Speaker 1: on a couch and my living I forced each friend 437 00:26:05,916 --> 00:26:09,196 Speaker 1: to watch Jaws and my friend Hetty's Backyard on a 438 00:26:09,196 --> 00:26:13,076 Speaker 1: big screen at night as they sat in an inflatable 439 00:26:13,076 --> 00:26:18,356 Speaker 1: inner tube floating in Hetty's pool, dark wet legs dangling 440 00:26:18,516 --> 00:26:22,916 Speaker 1: helplessly in the water. So I threw my Jaws in 441 00:26:22,956 --> 00:26:26,076 Speaker 1: the Pool party for my birthday, and as predicted, it 442 00:26:26,116 --> 00:26:38,876 Speaker 1: was epic, a huge, terrifying, benign masochism benefit filled success. Oh, 443 00:26:40,076 --> 00:26:42,836 Speaker 1: it was so much scarier watching it on the water. 444 00:26:43,356 --> 00:26:45,636 Speaker 1: Even though many of my friends had seen the movie before, 445 00:26:46,116 --> 00:26:48,876 Speaker 1: their experience with Jaws in the pool was way way 446 00:26:48,916 --> 00:26:52,076 Speaker 1: more intense. Added to the experience, like you really can't 447 00:26:52,076 --> 00:26:54,876 Speaker 1: see through the water that wall at night and we're 448 00:26:54,876 --> 00:26:57,436 Speaker 1: in it. My friends agreed that those big on screen 449 00:26:57,516 --> 00:27:00,556 Speaker 1: shark teeth seemed way more dangerous when your toes are 450 00:27:00,596 --> 00:27:03,636 Speaker 1: submerged in a dark pool of water. I had my 451 00:27:03,796 --> 00:27:06,996 Speaker 1: legs in the water, and every time the shark came, 452 00:27:07,116 --> 00:27:09,996 Speaker 1: I pulled them out and pick up. Our a leaf 453 00:27:10,036 --> 00:27:12,876 Speaker 1: track to epic levels made the normal negative experience of 454 00:27:12,956 --> 00:27:16,596 Speaker 1: Jaws way way more fun, And there's an important lesson there. 455 00:27:17,356 --> 00:27:19,436 Speaker 1: Using the quirks of our mind to hack our negative 456 00:27:19,436 --> 00:27:22,636 Speaker 1: experiences can give us a lot more joy and happiness. 457 00:27:24,036 --> 00:27:28,396 Speaker 1: Human emotional life is complicated. We often get more pleasure 458 00:27:28,476 --> 00:27:31,916 Speaker 1: from seemingly yucky sensations like fear or pain or sadness 459 00:27:31,956 --> 00:27:34,356 Speaker 1: than we might expect, and that means that it's a 460 00:27:34,356 --> 00:27:37,236 Speaker 1: good happiness practice to play with your negative emotions a bit, 461 00:27:37,756 --> 00:27:41,116 Speaker 1: to safely test out feelings of anguish or grief or terror. 462 00:27:42,036 --> 00:27:44,916 Speaker 1: For some thrill seekers, this might include chasing the unique 463 00:27:44,956 --> 00:27:50,036 Speaker 1: emotional high of a Carolina Reaper pepper. That's fun. But 464 00:27:50,236 --> 00:27:52,436 Speaker 1: for the wosses among us, there's our a leaf track, 465 00:27:52,876 --> 00:27:55,436 Speaker 1: which allows us to get pleasure without any real pain, 466 00:27:55,676 --> 00:28:00,436 Speaker 1: from completely imagined negative experiences. So how will you as 467 00:28:00,436 --> 00:28:03,796 Speaker 1: Tomar Gendler put it, playfully engage with the multiplicity of 468 00:28:03,836 --> 00:28:08,036 Speaker 1: your own mind. What new benign pains or imagine situations 469 00:28:08,116 --> 00:28:10,756 Speaker 1: or scary fictional world will you try out to get 470 00:28:10,796 --> 00:28:13,916 Speaker 1: the happiness perks that come from experiencing a more complete 471 00:28:13,996 --> 00:28:19,116 Speaker 1: range of human emotions. Personally, I highly recommend experiences involve 472 00:28:19,196 --> 00:28:24,156 Speaker 1: extreme fear and swimming pools and inflatable sharks if at 473 00:28:24,156 --> 00:28:27,836 Speaker 1: all possible, But you know, to each his own. I 474 00:28:27,916 --> 00:28:30,676 Speaker 1: hope you'll return soon for another episode of The Happiness Lab. 475 00:28:31,236 --> 00:28:37,076 Speaker 1: Until next time, stay safe, stay scared, and stay happy. 476 00:28:41,396 --> 00:28:44,316 Speaker 1: The Happiness Lab is co written and produced by Ryan Dilley, 477 00:28:44,476 --> 00:28:48,796 Speaker 1: Emily Anne Vaughan, and Courtney Guerino. Joseph Friedman checked our facts. 478 00:28:49,276 --> 00:28:53,196 Speaker 1: Our original music was composed by Zachary Silver, with additional scoring, 479 00:28:53,316 --> 00:28:57,596 Speaker 1: mixing and mastering by Evan Viola. Special thanks to Milabelle 480 00:28:57,756 --> 00:29:02,516 Speaker 1: Heather Fame, John Schnars, Carli Migliori, Christina Sullivan, Maggie Taylor, 481 00:29:02,676 --> 00:29:07,156 Speaker 1: Eric Sandler, Nicole Morano, Royston Deserved, Jacob Weisberg, and my 482 00:29:07,276 --> 00:29:10,396 Speaker 1: agent Ben Davis. That Happiness Lab is brought to you 483 00:29:10,436 --> 00:29:14,356 Speaker 1: by Pushkin Industries and me Doctor Laurie Santos. To find 484 00:29:14,396 --> 00:29:18,476 Speaker 1: more Pushkin podcasts, listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 485 00:29:18,596 --> 00:29:20,236 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your podcasts.