Do You Really Like That?
Who told you to like it?
Right now in the Western world, we have more curses of abundance than of need. We’ve passed the point where wealth necessarily solves problems and is a net positive. We’re now at a point where there’s so much abundance that to sell new things, people convince us we have a problem and that they have the solution. But before we met them, we didn’t know there was a problem.
Think about the new Apple Vision Pro. What problem is it solving?
Think about the million options at Starbucks? Before it existed, who had a problem with coffee? I remember I started drinking coffee in college at the dining hall. Loved it. No problem. Now, I’ve had all types of fancy coffee and dining hall coffee tastes terrible to me. My preferences were altered by my environment.
An even worse example is that of restaurant preference. People ask me my favorite restaurant and I tell them about Bossa, my favorite sub-shop in Montreal. They sell sandwiches and pasta. I’ve realized that the reaction I get to that answer is closely linked to the “boujee”-ness of the friend. I have people laugh and tell me to be serious.
There’s a subconscious rule that my favorite restaurant must be expensive and ideally fancy. That’s an example of a constructed preference.
These happen all around us in all aspects of life. Marketers convince us we have problems we never knew we had. Or they convince us that X is better than Y simply because it is more expensive.
Be weary. Ask yourself deep questions and be honest.
Question of The Day
What do you like to eat, drink, play, do? Why?
Your Friend,
Noah BigNerd Sochaczevski
PS. Thank you to everyone for your patience. I hadn’t realized there was a technical issue when I uploaded this post yesterday. I’ll be better from now on!