Another theory about why ER feels so good

[Pellice]

The Washington Post had an article about "Escape Room" arcades, a form of entertainment where people pay to play elaborate "escape" games, such as a failing submarine, where participants have to solve puzzles to "escape."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/08/17/escape-rooms-district-area/

Behind a paywall, but first few articles are free.

Anyway, the article had a good theory about why people enjoy these rooms that I think is relevant to the huge enjoyment of ER that many of us have:

One theory, represented by the work of University of Colorado psychology professor Tor Wager, argues that humans determine whether life is better or worse based on a baseline state.

If the baseline is an average day, then the average day will not register as particularly great. “On the other hand,” as Siegle explained to me, “if we get a really good baseline for what being super stressed out is, then an okay day is comparatively terrific.”

I experienced my job as extremely stressful, and even now, 5 years distant, every day seems really good to me, even if I do nothing special. I don't think I need or would enjoy being placed in a stressful situation to experience the rush of relief afterwards. Been there, done that.

 

[NW-Bound]

Well, I don't have to be a psychologist to know that if you keep beating a prisoner every day, then the day when you give him a break from the beating, he would feel like being in paradise.

 

[MarieIG]

Paying for escape games? Not if being on a failing submarine is an example. Just being on a submarine would be a nightmare to me - never mind a failing submarine.

But yes, I had a stressful job - and I continue to enjoy and appreciate the relief from that stress.

 

[jollystomper]

I am not so sure. I loved mu job, much of it was like a hobby, and I ended up making way more than I ever thought. Perhaps my stress was "I cannot believe they are paying me so much to have so much fun" .

Retirement is similar for me. There are days I cannot believe I have so much, and am getting "paid" (in terms of pension, investment income and future SS ) even if I choose to do "nothing". Maybe that stresses some folks out, and drives them to trying to find "meaning" in retirement .

P.S. I have never tried an escape room, but as I enjoy solving problems (maybe that is why my job was fun), I will try it sometime.

 

[NW-Bound]

My wife was a low-level manager at a failing division of a megacorp. This megacorp was a member of the Dow 30, and still is.

Her job was stressful, because the division was losing money. The managers above her came and went as through a revolving door, because they needed a miracle. The time had changed, and the business model of that division no longer worked. It's a new paradigm, as they like to say.

One day, she went home crying, and said she was going to quit. I was working part-time contracting work, and we were using her job benefit to have health insurance. We now had to buy our own insurance, besides losing an income source. I assured my wife that we should be OK, and I would try to manage. I supported her decision to quit at 50.

She was so happy to just be able to stay home. She never complained about being bored and needing to go shopping. I became the big spender of the two. Buying a second home and an RV and extensive traveling, it was all my idea. I know our financial situation, and that I could afford it. My wife has made very few demands. She's just so happy not having to work.

I worked part-time for a few more years, taking time off for traveling when I felt like it. One day, I did not feel like working any more because of work politics, and that was it.

 

[Ronstar]

Well, I don't have to be a psychologist to know that if you keep beating a prisoner every day, then the day when you give him a break from the beating, he would feel like being in paradise.

Good way of putting it. My last couple of years of work were 1-2 days per week, going to the office only 1 day a week. And my only task the last year was training my replacement.

But I would still get calls and emails from our clients and employees. Even when phone calls and emails got down to 4-5 per day, I felt I had a sweet gig. But when I retired, all the emails and phone calls stopped. And no chance of getting any more. And that was paradise.

 

[Dtail]

The Washington Post had an article about "Escape Room" arcades, a form of entertainment where people pay to play elaborate "escape" games, such as a failing submarine, where participants have to solve puzzles to "escape."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/08/17/escape-rooms-district-area/

Behind a paywall, but first few articles are free.

Anyway, the article had a good theory about why people enjoy these rooms that I think is relevant to the huge enjoyment of ER that many of us have:



I experienced my job as extremely stressful, and even now, 5 years distant, every day seems really good to me, even if I do nothing special. I don't think I need or would enjoy being placed in a stressful situation to experience the rush of relief afterwards. Been there, done that.

+1, even though I did try an escape room once and it was fun.