you can’t force yourself to enjoy something you don’t enjoy
Perhaps “force” isn’t the right approach (and the whole “willpower” is just a red herring). But don’t we have many examples where people changed their emotions because of an external influence? Charismatic people can motivate others. People sometimes like something because their friends like it. Conditioning.
I believe with a strategic approach people can make themselves enjoy something more. It may not be fast or 100% reliable or sufficiently cheap, but there is a way. A rational person should try finding the best way to enjoy something, if enjoying that thing is desirable. (For example, people from Vienna meetup are going to gym together after the next meetup, so they can convert enjoying a rationalist community into enjoying exercise.)
Charismatic people can motivate others. People sometimes like something because their friends like it. Conditioning.
Now that’s slightly better, and I agree. But again, you have to ask yourself what the ultimate purpose is and if it’s going to backfire or not.
For example, people from Vienna meetup are going to gym together after the next meetup, so they can convert enjoying a rationalist community into enjoying exercise.
That sounds like an interesting idea, if perhaps slightly naive. I get what the goal is: Channel the enjoyment of a rationality meeting to start exercising, then hope that after a while the enjoyment of exercise will itself act as a positive feedback loop. But then you have to ask the question: Why weren’t they already exercising in the first place? And if they hope to achieve something positive by exercising, wasn’t that enough to get them start exercising? It’s possible that after the initial good feelings wear off (“Yay, the rationality community is exercising together!”) the root causes of exercise avoidance will kick in again and dissolve the entire idea. Or worse: get them to do extremely unenjoyable exercises just for the sake of the community, which will ultimately get them to resent exercise even more than before.
Why weren’t they already exercising in the first place? And if they hope to achieve something positive by exercising, wasn’t that enough to get them start exercising?
I think that humans usually are not strategic goal seekers. That’s how an ideal rational being should be, but ordinary humans are not like that. We do have goals, and sometimes even strategies, but most things are decided emotionally or by habit.
So the answer to “why weren’t they already exercising” could well be: a) Because they didn’t have a habit of exercising. When you are doing something for the first time, there is a lot of logistic overhead; you must decide when and where to exercise, which specific exercises are you going to do, et cetera; while the next time you can simply decide to do the same thing you did yesterday. b) Because they didn’t have positive memories connected with exercising in past, so while their heads are thinking that it would be good to exercise and become more fit and healthy, their hearts try to avoid the whole thing.
If this model is correct (well, that’s questionable, but I suppose it is) the next time there is an advantage that you can follow the strategy of doing the same thing as the last time, and you already have some positive memories. And this could be enough for some people to change the balance. And may be not enough for others. In this specific case, we will later have experimental data.
Speaking for myself, many people I know who exercise or do sport regularly, do it with their friends. If those were my friends, I would be also tempted to join. But I am rather picky about choosing my friends. And the people who pass my filter are usually just as lazy as I am, or too individualistic do agree on doing something together. A few times I went to gym, it was incredibly boring. (I imagine having there someone to talk with would change that. Or if I would just remember to always bring a music player, perhaps with an audio book.) I do some small exercise at home. I imagine that if I had an exercise machine at home, I would use it, because the largest inconvenience for me is to go somewhere outside.
get them to do extremely unenjoyable exercises just for the sake of the community, which will ultimately get them to resent exercise even more than before
That would be obviously wrong, I agree. I just don’t expect this to happen. But it is better to mention it explicitly.
Perhaps “force” isn’t the right approach (and the whole “willpower” is just a red herring). But don’t we have many examples where people changed their emotions because of an external influence? Charismatic people can motivate others. People sometimes like something because their friends like it. Conditioning.
I believe with a strategic approach people can make themselves enjoy something more. It may not be fast or 100% reliable or sufficiently cheap, but there is a way. A rational person should try finding the best way to enjoy something, if enjoying that thing is desirable. (For example, people from Vienna meetup are going to gym together after the next meetup, so they can convert enjoying a rationalist community into enjoying exercise.)
Now that’s slightly better, and I agree. But again, you have to ask yourself what the ultimate purpose is and if it’s going to backfire or not.
That sounds like an interesting idea, if perhaps slightly naive. I get what the goal is: Channel the enjoyment of a rationality meeting to start exercising, then hope that after a while the enjoyment of exercise will itself act as a positive feedback loop. But then you have to ask the question: Why weren’t they already exercising in the first place? And if they hope to achieve something positive by exercising, wasn’t that enough to get them start exercising? It’s possible that after the initial good feelings wear off (“Yay, the rationality community is exercising together!”) the root causes of exercise avoidance will kick in again and dissolve the entire idea. Or worse: get them to do extremely unenjoyable exercises just for the sake of the community, which will ultimately get them to resent exercise even more than before.
I think that humans usually are not strategic goal seekers. That’s how an ideal rational being should be, but ordinary humans are not like that. We do have goals, and sometimes even strategies, but most things are decided emotionally or by habit.
So the answer to “why weren’t they already exercising” could well be: a) Because they didn’t have a habit of exercising. When you are doing something for the first time, there is a lot of logistic overhead; you must decide when and where to exercise, which specific exercises are you going to do, et cetera; while the next time you can simply decide to do the same thing you did yesterday. b) Because they didn’t have positive memories connected with exercising in past, so while their heads are thinking that it would be good to exercise and become more fit and healthy, their hearts try to avoid the whole thing.
If this model is correct (well, that’s questionable, but I suppose it is) the next time there is an advantage that you can follow the strategy of doing the same thing as the last time, and you already have some positive memories. And this could be enough for some people to change the balance. And may be not enough for others. In this specific case, we will later have experimental data.
Speaking for myself, many people I know who exercise or do sport regularly, do it with their friends. If those were my friends, I would be also tempted to join. But I am rather picky about choosing my friends. And the people who pass my filter are usually just as lazy as I am, or too individualistic do agree on doing something together. A few times I went to gym, it was incredibly boring. (I imagine having there someone to talk with would change that. Or if I would just remember to always bring a music player, perhaps with an audio book.) I do some small exercise at home. I imagine that if I had an exercise machine at home, I would use it, because the largest inconvenience for me is to go somewhere outside.
That would be obviously wrong, I agree. I just don’t expect this to happen. But it is better to mention it explicitly.