The Power Of Anticipation

A vacation. A dinner party. The arrival of a package you’ve been waiting for. There’s happiness to be found in looking forward to something, and that’s because anticipation simultaneously increases levels of optimism and decreases feelings of irritability.

But in a consumerist culture, it’s often assumed that anticipation’s benefits come with spending money. Don’t bigger purchases and grander trips equate to greater happiness? And what about expectation? Isn’t expecting something in the future one of life’s greatest joy suckers?

On today’s show I’m offering four research-backed ways to harness the power of anticipation in your daily life without spending a lot of money.

Here’s a preview:

[2:30] The difference between mini-thrills and major thrills (hint: they aren’t that different)

[5:50] Experiences over things: What research says about money spent on doing

[10:15] Pinning down your future self as a means of harnessing anticipation NOW

[14:45] Thoughts on anticipation versus expectation, living in the moment, and letting anticipation be enough

Resources mentioned:

• Episode #225: The Science Of Happiness
• Monk Manual daily planner
• Get excited: Reappraising Pre-Performance Anxiety As Excitement
• Waiting for Merlot: Anticipatory Consumption of Experiential and Material Purchases

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