I think you’re using the term “reference point” differently from how it’s normally used. Normally, a “reference point” is the standard of comparison that you use for judging whether something is good or bad, a lot or a little.
For instance, if you’re used to spending $20 for a shirt, then a $70 shirt will seem expensive, compared to that $20 reference point. But if the $70 shirt was marked down from $150, then maybe it will seem like a good deal, compared to the $150 reference point. Or if you’ve been dieting and you’ve lost 10 pounds in the past month, then you might be happy about that because your old weight is your reference point. But if your goal was to lose 15 pounds in one month, then you fell 5 pounds short of the standard you’ve set and might not be so happy.
What you’re talking about in this post sounds more like construal—the subjective meaning that something has to you. When you think about a McChicken sandwich you’re construing it in a certain way, imagining some aspects of the experience and neglecting others. Your feelings about that sandwich, and your motivations, depend on which parts of it you highlight in your mind and which you don’t.
The official name of the near vs. far mode theory is Construal Level Theory, because near mode thinking involves construing things in a way that focuses on concrete aspects of them (like the taste of that sandwich) while far mode thinking involves construing of things in a more abstract way (like your long-term health). It’s hard to counteract near-mode desires with far-mode thinking, which is part of why it’s so hard to resist temptation. It sounds like you’ve found a near mode, concrete construal of junk food (focusing on the bad heavy feeling you get from eating it) which has helped you to stop eating junk food.
I think you’re using the term “reference point” differently from how it’s normally used. Normally, a “reference point” is the standard of comparison that you use for judging whether something is good or bad, a lot or a little.
For instance, if you’re used to spending $20 for a shirt, then a $70 shirt will seem expensive, compared to that $20 reference point. But if the $70 shirt was marked down from $150, then maybe it will seem like a good deal, compared to the $150 reference point. Or if you’ve been dieting and you’ve lost 10 pounds in the past month, then you might be happy about that because your old weight is your reference point. But if your goal was to lose 15 pounds in one month, then you fell 5 pounds short of the standard you’ve set and might not be so happy.
What you’re talking about in this post sounds more like construal—the subjective meaning that something has to you. When you think about a McChicken sandwich you’re construing it in a certain way, imagining some aspects of the experience and neglecting others. Your feelings about that sandwich, and your motivations, depend on which parts of it you highlight in your mind and which you don’t.
The official name of the near vs. far mode theory is Construal Level Theory, because near mode thinking involves construing things in a way that focuses on concrete aspects of them (like the taste of that sandwich) while far mode thinking involves construing of things in a more abstract way (like your long-term health). It’s hard to counteract near-mode desires with far-mode thinking, which is part of why it’s so hard to resist temptation. It sounds like you’ve found a near mode, concrete construal of junk food (focusing on the bad heavy feeling you get from eating it) which has helped you to stop eating junk food.