Always End On A High Note

The Peak-End Rule: The peak and end of an experience is how we judge an experience.
[Image Credit: Michael Johnston]

In numerous studies, it has been shown that we tend to prefer what ends well. Instead of citing a whole bunch of studies (a lot of them by Dr. Khaneman), let's just focus on one.

In this study, a bunch of students were asked to do two parts of a test. In the one part, they had to do 20 very difficult questions. In the other part, they had to do 20 very difficult questions and in addition to that, 15 easier ones subsequent to the 20 difficult ones.

When asked which part they preferred, most students indicated the longer one. The relatively less discomfort of the 15 ending questions made the students prefer the longer section instead of the shorter one, even though total discomfort is objectively higher.

That's why it is important that we do a "wind-down" when we finish a long bout of studying or an arduous task. It's also very beneficial to reward yourself and get that ice cream from McDonald's at four in the morning.

What Learning to Draw Feels Like

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Recently, I took it upon myself to start learning to draw. I should first go ahead and mention that I have always been atrocious with my artistic skills and my drawing skills have remained at the elementary school level up through adult-hood. I am currently working through the book "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" and it's been absolutely fantastic so far. The whole idea is predicated on neuroplasticity and the lateralization of brain function. You have to believe that your brain can change.

Engineers and lawyers tend often to be very L-mode oriented (previously known as left-brain), while drawing requires an R-mode state of mind. I can say that within a couple hours of the first exercise in the book, I have already begun to realize what it was like to draw. By day three, it begins to feel like I have a foggy vision, just almost able to grasp what it really means to know how to perceive things as an artist does. I will continue with this book because it is truly life-enriching.

Here are some before-after examples of what improvements people have made 5 days:

More Examples Here