THE PLEASURE — PURPOSE TRADE-OFF

The positive psychologist/economist Dr. Paul Dolan developed his Pleasure-Purpose well-being model. Dr. Dolan was interested in how an individual allocates their effort and attention between the shorter and longer effects of an experience. Was it extensively about the feelings in the present moment (pleasure — pain) or viewed through a longer term lens (purpose — pointless)?

Using an example of either watching TV (higher on pleasure and lower on purpose) or work (lower on pleasure, higher on purpose), how did people actually allocate their time? As an economist, he was curious as to whether one’s use of time was efficient, and whether well-being could be improved by using one’s time differently. He concluded by saying:

“Having said all of this, it is possible for me to make a general claim: if you have a lot more pleasure in your life than purpose, then you should spend a bit more time doing something that is purposeful. And equally, if you have a lot more purpose than you have pleasure, then you should spend more time engaging in pleasure. This claim is based on the law of diminishing marginal returns (in our case, to happiness), a concept that is very close to any economist’s heart.”

He continues and notes:

“Many of the assumptions we make about happiness and about ourselves have a lot to do with the fact that we generally pay more attention to what we think should make us happy rather than focusing on what actually does.”*

Dr. Dolan reasonably suggests considering how one manages the pleasure — purpose balance. By shifting as little as an hour a day to activities on the under-served side of the balance, one can materially improve one’s experience of well-being. If you have been brought up to feel guilty about indulging in things merely for pleasure this could be tricky, but listen more to your heart and what actually works for you. Similarly, look for purposeful opportunities is you are short on your longer term agenda.

Physically distance (when appropriate), never socially distance.

Reflection Source: www.Smallercup.org

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*: Happiness by Design: Finding Pleasure and Purpose in Everyday Life by Paul Dolan