Why do people train for a marathon? Listen to sad music? Eat really spicy food? All of these activities induce a painful response, yet they also bring us pleasure. We often set ourselves up for negative experiences because it primes us for positive ones further down the line. There is a balance, a sweet spot if you will, between the amount of pleasure we experience and the suffering that it takes to get us there.
World-renowned psychologist and author Paul Bloom, joins us on this episode to discuss his most recent book The Sweet Spot: The Pleasures of Suffering and the Search for Meaning (https://amzn.to/3Kmpweh). He challenges our definition of a fulfilling life, and why we actually NEED suffering to be part of it.
We are so conditioned in our culture to only seek out pleasure that even the notion of reading about suffering was not particularly appealing to us, well to Tim - it turns out Kurt might be somewhat of a benign masochist! But from the get-go, Paul’s compelling narrative convinced us that suffering can be motivating. Listen in and tell us if you think there is a sweet spot, and then reach out to us on email (info@behavioralgrooves.com), on Twitter (@behavioralgroov) or write us a quick review about the show (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/behavioral-grooves-podcast/id1303870112). Thanks!
Topics
(4:40) Welcome and speed round questions.
(7:24) Why do we choose suffering?
(11:24) Do we really only seek pleasure?
(13:40) We often have mistaken ideas about what we want.
(16:16) Looking beyond happiness; what we actually pursue for a meaningful life.
(22:24) How can suffering help pleasure?
(24:59) How being in a state of flow explains the sweet spot.
(28:27) Why are people driven to climb Everest?
(32:32) What are the unpleasant sensations that people do not pursue?
(34:37) Pain then pleasure or pleasure then pain?
(36:13) The effect of the peak-end rule.
(38:40) Why do we want to listen to sad music?
(45:11) Grooving Session discussing how Paul’s work can improve our lives.
© 2022 Behavioral Grooves
Links
“The Sweet Spot: The Pleasures of Suffering and the Search for Meaning” by Paul Bloom: https://amzn.to/3Kmpweh
Shaquille O’Neal: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaquille_O%27Neal
“Just think: The challenges of the disengaged mind” by Wilson et al (2014): https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1250830?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%3dpubmed
Paul Rozin: https://web.sas.upenn.edu/rozin/
“Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience” by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: https://amzn.to/3qyLRgB
“A psychologically rich life: Beyond happiness and meaning” by Oishi and Westage (2021): https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2021-74886-001
“Anticipation and the valuation of delayed consumption.” by George Loewenstein (1987): https://www.jstor.org/stable/2232929
Episode 67, George Loewenstein: On a Functional Theory of Boredom: https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/george-loewenstein-on-a-functional-theory-of-boredom/
“When More Pain Is Preferred to Less: Adding a Better End” by Kahneman et al (1993): https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1467-9280.1993.tb00589.x
Jeremy Bentham: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Bentham
Richard Tedeschi, The Science of Post-Traumatic Growth: https://scottbarrykaufman.com/podcast/richard-tedeschi-the-science-of-post-traumatic-growth/
The Prophet by Khalil Gibran: https://amzn.to/329fN9O
Episode 207, Jonathan Mann: Is it Possible to Design an Experience? https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/jonathan-mann-is-it-possible-to-design-an-experience/
Musical Links
Adele “Someone Like You”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLQl3WQQoQ0
Alice Cooper “Poison”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qq4j1LtCdww
Pink Floyd “On The Turning Away”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojf18wT_Xtk
Eminem “Lose Yourself”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Yhyp-_hX2s
The Proclaimers “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbNlMtqrYS0
Joan Armatrading “Consequences”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Otq9VBa6a0s
David Bowie & Nine Inch Nails “Hurt”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhhEHuChFck&ab_channel=redsails2008
Billy Joel “Piano Man”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxEPV4kolz0
Violent String Quartet “Bad Guy”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWUbCwmBmgE
[INTERVIEW] Make Choice Rewarding: Behavioral Insights in Marketing with Matthew Willcox
[GROOVING SESSION] Make Choice Rewarding: Behavioral Insights in Marketing with Matthew Willcox
Katy Milkman: How to Make Healthy Habits that Actually Last [GROOVING SESSION]
Katy Milkman: How to Make Healthy Habits that Actually Last [INTERVIEW]
Why We Work At Our Best, When We Feel At Our Best with Larry Senn
How Good People Fight Bias | Dolly Chugh
From Holding the Mic to Theory of Mind: Rob Leonard's Love of Language
Getting to Yes, And...Behavioral Grooves: Two Podcasts in One
Get More from Reading your Favorite Books with Pique founder Bec Weeks
The Power of Unity: Robert Cialdini Expands His Best Selling Book Influence
Behind NOISE and Beyond The Book: Linnea Gandhi Shares her New Course on Noise
Why Is Noise Worse Than Bias? Olivier Sibony Explains
How Behavioral Science Can Impact Nonprofits: The Inspiring Story at Save The Children
How Delusions Can Actually Be Useful: Shankar Vedantam Reveals How
Donating Our Money Is Irrational, So Why Do We Do It? Tim Kachuriak Explains Our Motivations
How Do You Become Influential? Jon Levy Reveals His Surprising Secrets
Why Music Makes You Feel Better with Pablo Ripollés and Ernest Mas Herrero
Share, Like, Comment: Sandra Matz PhD Exposes The Truth Behind your Digital Footprint
3 Ways to have a Positive Chat About Vaccine Hesitancy with Friends and Family
How a Compelling Story Packs a Persuasive Punch with Melanie Green
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Poetry of Science
Hidden Brain
Choiceology with Katy Milkman
The Science of Happiness
The Psychology Podcast