Pleasure

What makes us happy?

Ask people this question and you'll get a truckload of answers. Brace yourself for some bad news and be prepared to find out that we often misremember what made us happy in the past, and foretell wrongly what will make us happy in the future. In short, we have imprecise prediction.

If you're skeptical, and you should be, you might assume buying new running shoes after 400 km is going to double the joy - as what my Runkeeper tracking app keeps reminding me. Wait, and think twice. As far as research data are concerned, runners in high-end shoes are more likely to get hurt. In case you skipped over the last sentence, I'll repeat it, and put it in italics. For double the price, you get double the pain. That much is clear.

Next, I am surprised to find out that beat-up running shoes are safer than newer ones. Little did I know that as shoes wore down and their cushioning thinned, runners gained more foot control.

And heigh-ho. There is no point trying to make lives happier by spending a fortune. In the real world, it's next to impossible to overcome the pitfall of hedonic treadmill. We simply can't make ourselves happier by making our wallet emptier. Now, if you know how expensive a Montblanc fountain pen can be, I have to say that one of my happiest moments this week is buying a Hero fountain pen which costs 40 dollars.