This seems like a very useful effect, which like komponisto I’ve been using for some time, in my case many years. In my music library I have a few playlists I’ve put together to effect (with an ‘e’) certain emotional states, every song in my library that brings forth and/or incorporates well with the state. I have one designed for badass determination, which doesn’t appear to have helped that much, beyond serving as good workout music. It just doesn’t seem to translate into a mental state useful for sort of cognitive work we need to be doing; if I were going into battle it might be more helpful.
Another playlist I have is designed for things like compassion, humility, peace, “grace”, warmth, (platonic) love, etc. [Example] This one has been tremendously helpful, at many different points in my life. For one thing, it’s great when I’m feeling troubled by something smaller, that wouldn’t be a problem if I could just feel alright about it. And while I can’t say with certainty that it was necessary, the songs have been very present in several major periods of emotional growth I’ve had since making the playlist (I also add new songs over time). I use it deliberately sometimes, especially so with a certain simple procedure: After spending amounts of time thinking about such subjects, finding good reasons to feel more that way (better interpersonal relationships, much more enjoyable, etc), I’ll listen to the playlist and continue contemplation, hitting both affect and reason at the same time. Contrasted to the “badass determination” playlist, perhaps this one has been more useful as it engenders an emotional state that is lower effort and intrinsically rewarding.
To generalize from that example, we have to remember that the subconscious is a funny thing. Mere willpower doesn’t stop it from misbehaving: it has to be tricked. You have to hack into the affect heuristic, instead of trying to override it.
I think “trick” isn’t a very accurate way to describe the process, rather it feels like speaking the right language, like “tricking” a Martian by speaking in Martian rather than English. A better analogy would be interacting with animals. You don’t construct well-reasoned arguments and then debate them with a horse or dog. If you want a dog to do something, you make it friendly, moving slowly, offering a hand so it can smell you, give it treats, pet it. It seems less like a trick than the correct interface; a dog just doesn’t have systems for reasoning out logic.
For another example, I began earnestly seeking to become more rational after reading the Beisutsukai stories, as they emotionally made it much more awesome, giving a visceral (though fictional) demonstration that more is possible.
This seems like a very useful effect, which like komponisto I’ve been using for some time, in my case many years. In my music library I have a few playlists I’ve put together to effect (with an ‘e’) certain emotional states, every song in my library that brings forth and/or incorporates well with the state. I have one designed for badass determination, which doesn’t appear to have helped that much, beyond serving as good workout music. It just doesn’t seem to translate into a mental state useful for sort of cognitive work we need to be doing; if I were going into battle it might be more helpful.
Another playlist I have is designed for things like compassion, humility, peace, “grace”, warmth, (platonic) love, etc. [Example] This one has been tremendously helpful, at many different points in my life. For one thing, it’s great when I’m feeling troubled by something smaller, that wouldn’t be a problem if I could just feel alright about it. And while I can’t say with certainty that it was necessary, the songs have been very present in several major periods of emotional growth I’ve had since making the playlist (I also add new songs over time). I use it deliberately sometimes, especially so with a certain simple procedure: After spending amounts of time thinking about such subjects, finding good reasons to feel more that way (better interpersonal relationships, much more enjoyable, etc), I’ll listen to the playlist and continue contemplation, hitting both affect and reason at the same time. Contrasted to the “badass determination” playlist, perhaps this one has been more useful as it engenders an emotional state that is lower effort and intrinsically rewarding.
I think “trick” isn’t a very accurate way to describe the process, rather it feels like speaking the right language, like “tricking” a Martian by speaking in Martian rather than English. A better analogy would be interacting with animals. You don’t construct well-reasoned arguments and then debate them with a horse or dog. If you want a dog to do something, you make it friendly, moving slowly, offering a hand so it can smell you, give it treats, pet it. It seems less like a trick than the correct interface; a dog just doesn’t have systems for reasoning out logic.
For another example, I began earnestly seeking to become more rational after reading the Beisutsukai stories, as they emotionally made it much more awesome, giving a visceral (though fictional) demonstration that more is possible.