tag:theconversation.com,2011:/global/topics/hedonism-and-health-41470/articlesHedonism and health – The Conversation2017-09-05T20:09:09Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/789952017-09-05T20:09:09Z2017-09-05T20:09:09ZWhy we remember our youth as one big hedonistic party<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/176695/original/file-20170704-12293-18k5znb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Vinyl records and cassette tapes, the parties that went with them, and other hedonistic pleasures from our youth can form a big part of our identity years later.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/download/confirm/196286351?src=MS9fjuLsxmtThe6kVJk0pg-1-14&size=medium_jpg">from www.shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>This is the last article in our three-part series on <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/hedonism-and-health-41470">hedonism and health</a>.</em></p>
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<p>Are the hedonistic adventures of your late teens and 20s fresh in your memory? Can you easily recall footloose years when school ended and before serious adult life began? Perhaps you enjoyed a few years of partying until dawn, nights of cheap wine, good friends and song. Or maybe it was all so wild that you remember nothing at all.</p>
<p>Bruce Springsteen sang about looking back on these “glory days”; the days before careers, children or other responsibilities <a href="https://reverb.com/au/news/the-science-behind-if-its-too-loud-youre-too-old">took over</a>.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Bruce Springsteen’s Glory Days captures the days before careers, children or other responsibilities took over.</span></figcaption>
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<p>Of course, not everybody has time or the opportunity to party, or remembers their youth with perfect pleasure. But why do many of us still recall so vividly and tell stories of our hedonistic younger days? Why do such memories remain rosy and important touchstones?</p>
<h2>Memory is selective</h2>
<p>The first reason is that memory is <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0749596X05000987">selective</a>. To remember an experience or event we need to pay attention to it. Then we need to rehearse it by thinking or talking about it. Events that are “encoded” in this way are “stored” in our long-term memory. </p>
<p>But not everything we do, say or feel everyday is encoded and stored in memory. We are more likely to encode events that stand out, are highly emotional, mark first-time experiences or represent big changes in our lives: your first ever muddy music festival or a party that got wonderfully out of control.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">“Hold onto 16 as long as you can” - John Mellencamp, Jack and Diane.</span></figcaption>
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<p>Recalling or “retrieving” events from our long-term memory also is motivated. By motivated we mean that remembering some events but not others serves a psychological purpose. We tend to remember events from the past that are consistent with how we want to see ourselves now. Our sense of identity and memories are completely intertwined. </p>
<p>Former party animals thinking about their past selectively remember party animal memories. Each time they think of these memories, instead of memories inconsistent with this picture, they reinforce a particular view of themselves and their hedonistic past. </p>
<p>Memory researchers call this “<a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/psycinfo/2012-30152-001/">retrieval induced forgetting</a>”: by repeatedly rehearsing or practising some memories (“that time I partied all night”), we forget about other related memories (“that time I studied all night”), shaping and reshaping our sense of the past and ourselves.</p>
<h2>Memories of our teenage years matter</h2>
<p>The second reason is a phenomenon known as “<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/articles/12507360/">the reminiscence bump</a>”. When we look back over the past, we don’t remember an equal number of events across our lives. Instead, we remember more from our teenage and early adult years. </p>
<p>Memories in this <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-things-you-remember-best-happened-when-you-were-between-15-and-25-heres-why-68792">reminiscence bump</a> overwhelmingly are of positive, not negative, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/articles/12507360/">experiences</a>. Researchers have long speculated why, but one explanation is these are the years when we form a stable <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758%2FMC.36.8.1403?LI=true">lifelong identity</a>. </p>
<p>Because the events that happen to us in this “bump” are formative and central to how we view ourselves, we tend to remember them well. And because – for most of us – we selectively remember the past to form a positive, optimistic identity, we encode and store positive rather than negative memories.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">“Those were the best days of my life” - Bryan Adams, Summer of ‘69.</span></figcaption>
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<p>Interestingly, the reminiscence bump applies not just to our personal experiences, but also to the <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/s13421-016-0647-2">music we recognise and love</a>. This personally significant music usually dates from our teenage and early adult years and can <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-power-of-our-song-the-musical-glue-that-binds-friends-and-lovers-across-the-ages-73593">trigger vivid memories</a> decades later. </p>
<p>So the identity we form in our early adulthood – the wild child – shapes our recollections and helps shape us for the rest of our lives – the former wild child settling down.</p>
<h2>Memory can be a social glue</h2>
<p>The third reason is that memory is inherently <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23808866">social</a>. We use memory to build our individual identity, but just as importantly, we use memory to build social bonds, entertain others and teach the next generation (“do what I say, not what I did”).</p>
<p>In fact, researchers have shown that adolescents who can re-tell their parents’ teenage memories and connect them to their own developing sense of identity report higher levels of <a href="https://theconversation.com/remember-when-we-why-sharing-memories-is-soul-food-35542">psychological well-being</a>.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">“A long, long time ago, I can still remember …” - Don McLean, American Pie.</span></figcaption>
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<p>Over time, the exact details of what happened when we were young may become less important than the sense of belonging and shared identity we gain from joint reminiscing and storytelling. </p>
<p>Events become exaggerated, parties become wilder and bands become more amazing as we tell and re-tell stories for <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1467-8721.2007.00467.x">different audiences and different purposes</a>: from nostalgic reminiscing at our high school reunion, to introducing our children to Pink Floyd, or starting those tricky parenting conversations about sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll.</p>
<p>So we remember and tell stories of our hedonistic past because these events were memorable, unless it was the 60s and you remember nothing! Remembering them also helps us to see ourselves then and now in desirable ways, and sharing these memories binds us to others in important ways. </p>
<p>But were we as wild as we remember? Perhaps or perhaps not. But our memories of more carefree times serve us well.</p>
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<p><em>Read other articles in our hedonism and health series:</em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-hedonism-and-how-does-it-affect-your-health-78040">What is hedonism and how does it affect your health?</a></em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/hedonism-not-only-leads-to-binge-drinking-its-part-of-the-solution-81751">Hedonism not only leads to binge drinking, it’s part of the solution</a></em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/78995/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Amanda Barnier receives funding from the Australian Research Council.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Celia Harris receives funding from the Australian Research Council.</span></em></p>Memories of our carefree youth help form our identity today. But memories are selective. So, were we really as wild as we think we were?Amanda Barnier, Professor of Cognitive Science and Australian Research Council Future Fellow, Macquarie UniversityCelia Harris, Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Research Fellow, Macquarie UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/817512017-09-04T20:10:38Z2017-09-04T20:10:38ZHedonism not only leads to binge drinking, it’s part of the solution<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/184303/original/file-20170901-2020-1j54niu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Hedonism and pleasure is what drives much binge drinking. So let's provide people with alternative ways of having fun, but without the alcohol.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/download/confirm/701390977?src=U-oR1Gbf0XRP-rVEEzlkSw-1-65&size=huge_jpg">from www.shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>This is the second article in our three-part series on <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/hedonism-and-health-41470">hedonism and health</a>. Today, we look at the complex relationship between hedonism and binge drinking – part cause, part solution.</em></p>
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<p>Hedonism – the pursuit of pleasure, enjoyment, or fun – might sound like a strange way to tackle binge drinking. After all, we usually associate hedonism with triggering binge drinking in the first place.</p>
<p>While hedonism is associated with <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1741659005057641">self-obsession and “doing one’s own thing” without considering the consequences</a>, there’s more to it.</p>
<p>Researchers looking at why people binge drink have found hedonism can be used to reduce drinking rates.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/beer-bongs-and-baby-boomers-the-unlikely-tale-of-drug-and-alcohol-use-in-the-over-50s-82753">Beer, bongs and baby boomers: the unlikely tale of drug and alcohol use in the over 50s</a>
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<h2>How drinking can be pleasurable</h2>
<p>Drinking in Australia is a cultural pastime that dates back to the 1700s where it was a way of <a href="http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/SportingTraditions/1993/st0902/st0902c.pdf">dealing with the boredom and restrictions of everyday life</a>. We may even owe our Aussie accent to the <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/comment/the-fourth-r-missing-from-australian-education-20151025-gkhv8k.html">drunkard slur in the convict voice</a>.</p>
<p>Since then, researchers have looked at what leads people to drink, including hedonistic reasons, like fun and playfulness.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/184305/original/file-20170901-23986-wkjy3y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/184305/original/file-20170901-23986-wkjy3y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/184305/original/file-20170901-23986-wkjy3y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/184305/original/file-20170901-23986-wkjy3y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/184305/original/file-20170901-23986-wkjy3y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/184305/original/file-20170901-23986-wkjy3y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/184305/original/file-20170901-23986-wkjy3y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/184305/original/file-20170901-23986-wkjy3y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Drinking with friends helps people bond, relax after a hard week and provide stories to tell afterwards.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/download/confirm/600583274?src=_BiEfT5jnUMkXnIUVnpCwg-1-8&size=medium_jpg">from www.shutterstock.com</a></span>
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<p>There are many reasons why people drink today. But just like the convicts before them, people can drink because they’re bored or don’t have any <a href="https://eprints.qut.edu.au/83729/">entertaining alternatives</a>. Hedonic drinking allows people to <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1741659005057641">“let go” and indulge without thinking about the risks or consequences</a>.</p>
<p>Binge drinking with other people increases pleasure so drinking with friends is more pleasurable than drinking alone. Drinking in a group can make people <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2748736/">feel euphoric</a>, a very enjoyable feeling.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/feeling-euphoric-on-a-low-carb-diet-the-effect-on-your-brain-is-similar-to-an-illicit-drug-76303">Feeling euphoric on a low-carb diet? The effect on your brain is similar to an illicit drug</a>
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<p>Drinking also <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953616301344">relaxes people, increases momentary feelings of happiness</a> and <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1521-0391.2013.00316.x/full">reduces inhibitions</a>. One of the people interviewed for an <a href="https://eprints.qut.edu.au/72910/">international study</a> about binge drinking said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I think people start drinking on a night out to “lubricate” conversation and to make them feel more relaxed. It takes away nerves of talking to the opposite sex and helps to lose inhibitions about dancing, singing, etc. It also helps people forget about current stresses in their life - none of these seem to matter when you’re drunk. So it serves as escapism from the daily grind.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Binge drinking can also increase the overall social experience by providing <a href="http://russellwebster.com/Context%20of%20underage%20drinking.pdf">stories to tell friends</a> (or to post on social media) afterwards.</p>
<p>While alcohol isn’t seen as a necessary part of a social occasion, it can enhance <a href="https://eprints.qut.edu.au/83729/">pleasure</a> through social connectedness and intimacy.</p>
<p>People also drink to get drunk on purpose as a form of “<a href="http://www.ijdp.org/article/S0955-3959(07)00209-5/abstract">calculated hedonism</a>”. This helps people chill out or de-stress after a difficult week of work or study. And in an example of how people can moderate their hedonism, if people have a commitment the day after a night out, they are <a href="https://eprints.qut.edu.au/83729/">less likely to binge drink</a>.</p>
<h2>Using hedonism to tackle binge drinking</h2>
<p>So, if hedonism motivates binge drinking what else could also provide this hedonistic benefit? What alternatives could we provide to meet the hedonistic needs of social connectedness, relaxation and happiness?</p>
<p>That’s where the field of <a href="http://www.aasm.org.au/">social marketing</a> comes in. Social marketing uses familiar marketing concepts (traditionally used, for instance, to market consumer goods) to improve social problems.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/184314/original/file-20170901-21670-5aqe7w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/184314/original/file-20170901-21670-5aqe7w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/184314/original/file-20170901-21670-5aqe7w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=306&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/184314/original/file-20170901-21670-5aqe7w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=306&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/184314/original/file-20170901-21670-5aqe7w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=306&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/184314/original/file-20170901-21670-5aqe7w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=385&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/184314/original/file-20170901-21670-5aqe7w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=385&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/184314/original/file-20170901-21670-5aqe7w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=385&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Traditional marketing sells alcohol. But social marketing can make it easier and desirable for people to drink responsibly, or to abstain.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/download/confirm/691578403?src=L3_iQzoZCEZbXM5UiMAaQg-1-30&size=medium_jpg">from www.shutterstock.com</a></span>
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<p>So in the case of binge drinking, social marketers create the <a href="http://www.jstor.org/stable/1251972">motivation, opportunity and the ability</a> to drink moderately or abstain.</p>
<p>There have been several successful examples of campaigns or strategies that have met people’s hedonistic needs, but without drinking.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://thensmc.com/resources/showcase/sub21">SUB21 campaign</a> in the UK designs activities for young people such as nail art, bicycle repairs and BMX bike riding to come together and recreate that “Friday feeling” without drinking. This campaign reduced binge drinking levels, public drinking and alcohol purchases over a 12 month period.</p>
<p>Playing a game online or on your phone stimulates the <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-compass-pleasure/201110/video-games-can-activate-the-brains-pleasure-circuits-0">pleasure centre of the brain</a> and provides hedonistic benefits through the release of the happy hormones (dopamine and serotonin).</p>
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<p>
<em>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/pleasure-centre-how-video-games-affect-young-brains-4303">Pleasure centre: how video games affect young brains</a>
</strong>
</em>
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<p>So, designing a game that not only provides hedonistic benefits, but also needs low or no alcohol levels to succeed can promote behaviour change. </p>
<p>For instance, social marketers developed a game called <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10495142.2014.988081">Risky Ride</a> for high-school students to demonstrate the effects of drinking on physical ability and control. This reduced their intentions to binge drink.</p>
<p>Then there are campaigns that tap into the fact that alcohol reduces inhibitions and allows people to have fun because they don’t care what people think. Creating a non-judgemental environment can do the same. </p>
<p>For instance, the <a href="http://nolightsnolycra.com/the-nlnl-story">No Lights No Lycra</a> dance community uses dim lighting and unpretentious venues to allow people to express themselves through dance.</p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DzdXemuyBTg?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The No Lights No Lycra movement provides opportunities for letting yourself go, but without the alcohol or the self-consciousness.</span></figcaption>
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<p>And the <a href="https://www.hellosundaymorning.org/">Hello Sunday Morning</a> program has online and social media channels to help people share moderate drinking experiences with friends. </p>
<p>So hedonism can not only fuel binge drinking, by providing alternative pathways to pleasure, it can also help tackle the problem. Social marketing can work alongside alcohol regulation, policy and health promotion advertising to look for innovative ways of meeting hedonistic needs with reduced or no alcohol. </p>
<p>Business and social enterprise can also get involved as opportunities will arise for goods and services linked to these innovative ways of having fun without binge drinking.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>Read other articles in our hedonism and health series:</em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-hedonism-and-how-does-it-affect-your-health-78040">What is hedonism and how does it affect your health?</a></em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/why-we-remember-our-youth-as-one-big-hedonistic-party-78995">Why we remember our youth as one big hedonistic party</a></em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/81751/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Hedonism has a complex relationship with binge drinking – part cause, part solution. Here’s why.Rebekah Russell-Bennett, Social Marketing Professor, School of Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations, Queensland University of TechnologyRyan McAndrew, Social Marketer & Market Researcher, Queensland University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/780402017-09-03T20:08:45Z2017-09-03T20:08:45ZWhat is hedonism and how does it affect your health?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/175566/original/file-20170626-326-bxt0nv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Hedonism isn't all about sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. It can be about savouring the pleasure in a cup of tea at the end of a hard day.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/download/confirm/404717182?src=72zW1LwoXPCS6UQ9CX20CQ-1-13&size=medium_jpg">from www.shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>This is the first article in our three-part series looking at <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/hedonism-and-health-41470">hedonism and health</a>. Today we look at what hedonism is (and is not), how it’s linked to your health, and how you can add (and appreciate) some simple pleasures in your daily life.</em></p>
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<p>I think I might be a hedonist. Are you imagining me snorting cocaine through $100 notes, a glass of champagne in one hand, the other fondling a stranger’s firm thigh? Before you judge me harshly, I know hedonism has a bad reputation, but it might be time to reconsider.</p>
<p>What if, instead of a guaranteed one-way road to ruin, hedonism is good for your health? If we think of hedonism as the intentional savouring of simple pleasures – like playing in fallen leaves, moments of connection with friends, or cuddling the dog – then it probably is. Seeking and maximising these kinds of pleasures can boost our health and well-being.</p>
<p>So where do our ideas of hedonism come from and how can we harness hedonism to improve our health and quality of life? </p>
<h2>The popular view of hedonism</h2>
<p>In broad terms, a hedonist is someone who tries to maximise pleasure and minimise pain. Jordan Belfort (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) in <a href="http://www.redgranitepictures.com/films/the-wolf-of-wall-street">The Wolf of Wall Street</a>
is probably the popular idea of the quintessential hedonist, where his extreme wealth allows him to indulge his insatiable hunger for all things pleasurable.</p>
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<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/89186314" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen="" mozallowfullscreen="" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Jordan Belfort (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) in The Wolf of Wall Street is one popular portrayal of a hedonist.</span></figcaption>
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<p>Hedonism Bot from <a href="http://www.cc.com/shows/futurama">Futurama</a> is another character exquisitely in touch with things that provide pleasure.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Futurama’s Hedonism Bot knows what gives him pleasure, and it’s not always the usual suspects.</span></figcaption>
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<p>We find these characters so compelling because they seem to reject the sensible, responsible way to live. They indulge their carnal appetites in ways we daren’t, with scant regard for consequences. We wait for their liver to rebel or their life to come crashing down around them, as of course it must.</p>
<p>But this kind of behaviour is better termed <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/debauchery">debauchery</a> – extreme indulgence in bodily pleasures and especially sexual pleasures – rather than hedonism. </p>
<p>Hedonism has its philosophical roots as far back as Plato and Socrates, but ancient Greek philosopher <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Epicurus">Epicurus</a> is often credited with articulating an early brand of hedonism based not on a life of untamed appetites, but on moderate pleasures and respect for others.</p>
<p>Today there are <a href="http://www.oxfordscholarship.com/view/10.1093/019926516X.001.0001/acprof-9780199265169">multiple views</a> on what hedonism is. This is largely due to some highly nuanced philosophical arguments about <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/0047-2786.00007/full">how we should conceptualise pleasure</a>.</p>
<h2>What is pleasure?</h2>
<p>It might help to think of <a href="https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007%2F978-3-319-28099-8_544-1">pleasure</a> simply as a subjective state of enjoyment. This is a broad perspective, but one easily applied to our everyday lives. So, a lover’s caress gives me pleasure, but so can a piece of music, laughing with friends, or simply sitting still in a comfy chair after a frantic day.</p>
<p>Just as different experiences can bring a similar shiver of pleasure, the same experience can conjure a range of responses — from extreme pleasure to definite displeasure — in different people. </p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/chills-and-thrills-why-some-people-love-music-and-others-dont-24007">There is no single stimulus</a> that elicits exactly the same response in everyone all the time: <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232957144_Beyond_Sensation_Exploring_the_Nature_of_Sensory_Pleasure">pleasure</a> is an interaction between the stimulus and the perceiver.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/chills-and-thrills-why-some-people-love-music-and-others-dont-24007">Chills and thrills: why some people love music – and others don't</a>
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<p>If you close your eyes and think about a time you experienced a tingle of pleasure, chances are you’re remembering a sexual experience, or something delicious you’ve eaten. Perhaps the memory is of a very good glass of wine, or those last 50 metres of a long, satisfying run.</p>
<p>And these are good things, right? Sexual pleasure is linked with health and well-being. For example, <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1743-6109.2009.01406.x/full">women who say they are satisfied with their sex life</a> score higher on measures of psychological well-being and vitality. A regular glass of wine is said to have a protective effect against <a href="https://academic.oup.com/biomedgerontology/article/70/10/1248/2605482/Midlife-Alcohol-Consumption-and-Risk-of-Dementia">dementia</a> and <a href="https://academic.oup.com/alcalc/article/48/3/270/244770/Effects-of-Wine-Alcohol-and-Polyphenols-on">heart disease</a>, perhaps due to its antioxidant <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023%2FA%3A1007614613771?LI=true">flavonoids</a>. And everyone knows the advantages of <a href="http://rsfs.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/4/5/20140040.short">physical fitness</a>.</p>
<p>Well, these activities <em>are</em> good … until they’re not. Many of the things that commonly give us pleasure can also be used in risky or harmful ways.</p>
<h2>When pleasure becomes a problem</h2>
<p>Dependence, <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/298557761_The_neurobiology_of_pleasure_reward_processes_addiction_and_their_health_implications">addiction</a>, bingeing and compulsive consumption can be thought of as risky or harmful uses of otherwise pleasurable experiences, like using <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0028390812005321">alcohol</a> and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3137186/">other drugs</a>, doing <a href="http://search.proquest.com/openview/6e68e3aca267c8c3cb72ed42d0db0087/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=32197">exercise</a> and having <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1158136012001430">sex</a>.</p>
<p>It can be difficult to pin down the point at which a previously pleasurable behaviour becomes problematic. But, somewhere between enjoying an occasional beer and needing a drink before getting out of bed each morning, we’ve passed the tipping point.</p>
<p>At this stage though, pleasure is no longer the motivation, nor the result, of the behaviour. The uncontrollable “<a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/amp/71/8/670/">hunger</a>” has wiped the pleasure away and the best we can hope for is relief. Without pleasure, the behaviour is no longer a hedonic one.</p>
<p>The single-minded pursuit of one intense pleasure at the expense of other aspects of life that bring meaning and pleasure is also <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/one-familys-story--secret-drug-addiction-20140826-108iqa.html">counterproductive</a> to living a rich and enjoyable life. This puts it well outside <a href="https://philpapers.org/rec/TILH">Epicurus’ idea of moderate pleasures and self-control</a>. </p>
<h2>Let’s be rational about hedonism</h2>
<p>So, when we need to make the mortgage or rent and keep our complex lives on track, what might a modern hedonist’s life look like? </p>
<p>A practical definition might be someone who tries to maximise the everyday pleasures while still balancing other concerns. I’ll call this a kind of “rational hedonism”. In fact, <a href="https://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=437418816892110;res=IELHSS">Epicurus emphasised a simple, harmonious life</a> without the pursuit of riches or glory.</p>
<p>Maximising pleasure, unlike with debauchery or addiction, need not take the form of more, bigger, better. Instead, we <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/happiness-purpose/201308/take-time-savor">savour</a> everyday pleasures. We <a href="https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/relish">relish</a> them while they’re happening, using all our senses and attention, actively anticipate them, and reflect on them in an immersive way.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/emotions-and-eating-a-marketers-dream-29826">Emotions and eating: a marketer's dream?</a>
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<p>So, if my morning coffee gives me pleasure, I might pause and relish it while I drink it: inhale the fragrance of it fully and focus on the nuanced warm, smoky, bitter deliciousness of it. I should fully attend to the warmth of it in my hands, to the feeling of it in my mouth, and to the cascade of sensations and flavours it delivers. </p>
<p>Not only that, in the morning, before my coffee, I can anticipate it. I can think how lovely it will be. And later, as I go about my day, I can pause and think about that coffee, about just how warm and good it was, how it smelled and tasted. </p>
<p>In other words, I can immerse myself in these moments, in the anticipation, in the drinking itself, and in the remembering, and bring all my attention to them.
This kind of <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0191886910001820">savouring results in a totally different, and richer, experience</a> than if I absent-mindedly gulp down the coffee while dodging traffic and talking on the phone. </p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6Gv1CqAQVow?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Why Small Pleasures are a Big Deal discusses how to appreciate the everyday hedonistic pleasures of life, like pleasing textures or smells, without having to spend money on expensive items or experiences.</span></figcaption>
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<p>The act of savouring intensifies the pleasure we extract from simple things and delivers greater satisfaction from them. One study found that spending a little time <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/mar.20894/full">savouring the anticipation</a> before eating chocolate led participants to eat less chocolate overall. </p>
<p>And <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S016517811500356X">attention</a> seems to be key to the link between pleasurable feelings and well-being.</p>
<h2>How do we benefit from hedonism?</h2>
<p>A state of pleasure is linked with <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Tobias_Esch/publication/255685315_The_neurobiology_of_stress_management/links/00b7d5202705840699000000/The-neurobiology-of-stress-management.pdf">reducing stress</a>. So when we feel pleasure, our sympathetic nervous system – that fight or flight response we experience when we feel threatened – is calmed. First of all, the stimulus arouses us, then if we appraise the situation as safe, we have “<a href="http://www.medscimonit.com/abstract/index/idArt/734745/new/1/act/3">stress-terminating responses</a>”, which we experience as relaxation or stress relief.</p>
<p>Studies show pleasurable emotions are associated with <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272735810000425">broader and more creative thinking</a>, and a range of positive outcomes including better <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282122041_Resilience_and_the_role_of_savoring_pleasure">resilience</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23649562">social connectedness</a>, <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17439760.2013.803596">well-being</a>, <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1359105311435428">physical health</a>, and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20973600">longevity</a>. So, pleasure might not only help us to live more enjoyably, but longer.</p>
<h2>Hedonism for health and well-being</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-couch/201311/finding-your-own-path-anxiety-pleasure">Maximising everyday pleasures</a> can be used <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0924977X14000625">in therapy</a> and <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cpp.1799/full">shows promise as an intervention for depression</a>. </p>
<p>One <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17439760.2016.1245770">study of school children</a> showed focusing on pleasurable daily events, in this case recording them in a diary, reduced depressive symptoms, and the effect was maintained three months later. </p>
<p>Focusing on the <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0156333">pleasurable aspects</a> of healthy foods can also be a more effective way to eat more of them than focusing on how “healthy” they are. Similar approaches are likely to be effective with <a href="http://www.jsams.org/article/S1440-2440(17)30059-2/fulltext">exercise</a> and other behaviours associated with health benefits.</p>
<p>What we know about the benefits of this kind of rational hedonism is likely to grow from here. We have only just begun to explore the therapeutic value of shifting focus to fully attend to and maximise pleasure. </p>
<p>We do know that interventions encouraging individuals to focus on pleasurable experiences are associated with <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0191886910001820">increased self-reported well-being</a>. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/finding-momentary-pleasure-how-viewing-art-can-help-people-with-dementia-65211">Finding momentary pleasure: how viewing art can help people with dementia</a>
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<p>Promoting well-being in older adults is a particularly promising area. Savouring pleasure is <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13607863.2014.986647">linked to resilience in older adults</a> and positive emotions can <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/record/2012-21508-001?doi=1">help to offset the ill-effects of loneliness</a>. Plus, regardless of physical health status, the ability to savour is associated with <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0091415016669146">higher levels of satisfaction with life</a>.</p>
<p>And savouring can be taught. <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13607863.2015.1093605">One study</a>, looked at the effects of an eight week program promoting savouring for a group of community dwelling adults aged 60 and above. The program reduced depression scores, physical symptoms and sleep problems, and increased psychological well-being and satisfaction with life.</p>
<p>In the meantime, we should defiantly shake off the idea that pleasure is slightly shameful or frivolous and become early adopters of this rational kind of hedonism. We can think of Epicurus, and intentionally savour the simple pleasures we have learned to overlook.</p>
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<p><em>Read other articles in our hedonism and health series:</em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/hedonism-not-only-leads-to-binge-drinking-its-part-of-the-solution-81751">Hedonism not only leads to binge drinking, it’s part of the solution</a></em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/why-we-remember-our-youth-as-one-big-hedonistic-party-78995">Why we remember our youth as one big hedonistic party</a></em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/78040/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Desirée Kozlowski runs PleasureLab.com.au. </span></em></p>Savouring the pleasures in life is linked to better health and well-being. And no, that doesn’t necessarily mean binge drinking or all-night wild parties.Desirée Kozlowski, Academic, Psychology, Southern Cross UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.