Thoughts From The Clouds | Volume 5

This newsletter edition is coming to you from a cruising altitude of 36,000 feet. And don't worry mom, I'm not high, I was just trying to think of a creative subject line.

I'm flying home from Cancun after spending the last week there celebrating the birthday of a dear friend (and loyal Makes Ya Think subscriber, I might add).

Having spent several hours in the friendly skies the last few weeks, I've had plenty of time to think.

Here's what I've been thinking about lately:*

*In addition to "I still don't understand why my phone has to be in airplane mode"

Haven't subscribed? New here? This newsletter, Makes Ya Think, poses questions about human behavior, and hopefully, provides insights that challenge your beliefs, offer a unique perspective and if nothing else...make you think.

Why did the first hour of my 4-hour flight go by faster than the first hour of my 1-hour, 15-minute flight?

What's happening here? Perception shifts based on our expectations.

First, a little context: I connected through Phoenix from Salt Lake City on my way to Mexico. The first leg of my trip took about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

From Phoenix, the straight shot to Cancun took about four hours.

On flight number two, I looked at my phone and thought "wow, it's already been an hour...if this was my last flight, I'd already be landing in 15 minutes".

Again, I'll ask, what's happening here? Why did the first hour of this flight feel faster? Humans warp their perceptions to fit their expectations.

The first hour of the four-hour flight went by faster because I came in expecting to fly for four hours.

This concept applies to most everything. Time is one example.

Have you ever played a doubleheader in baseball, softball or any sport? The first game always goes by way faster than usual.

Why? Because you came in expecting to play two.

This is also why the first two hours of a five-hour drive go by faster than the first two hours of a three-hour drive and why a "short work week" (four days) can sometimes feel longer than a full five-day week.

A final example? One of my roommates, who also just spent five days binge-drinking tequila in Mexico, just headed back to the airport tonight for a wedding this weekend.

I couldn't even imagine. Sounds absolutely terrible.

Why? Well, partially because I wasn't expecting to go to the airport tonight. My plans included sitting on my ass, ordering food, watching my Hoosiers beat Iowa and going to bed by 9 pm.

As for my roommate, oh I bet going to the airport sucked. Actually, I'm sure of it. But...a little less than it would have for me.

Why? He expected to.

What if kids grew up in a problem-free world? What would happen?

Ok, ok. I wasn't actually thinking about this on either of my flights, but I have before and it ties in well with the concept I discussed above.

As psychologists have argued for some time: protecting people from adversity/problems doesn't make them happier or more secure; it just makes them more easily insecure.

Let's say you shelter your kid from dealing with any adversity growing up. Little Johnny has a problem or challenge? Don't worry, mommy and daddy will take care of it.

Rather than helping little Johnny, he'll just find even the slightest inconveniences of adult life unbearable and have an absolute childish meltdown to prove it.

Our emotional reactions to our problems aren't determined by their size. Rather, our minds magnify or minimize our problems to fit the degree of stress we expect to experience.

Tweet I'm Thinking About

Took the aisle seat for this one. For a four-hour flight, there's a 100% chance I'll have to go to the bathroom. The thought of having to ask the others in my row to get up gives me anxiety.

Another Tweet I'm Thinking About

We might have just found the new tagline for this newsletter. Adam Grant is one of my favorite thinkers and I endorse this tweet 100%.

It's ok if you disagree with anything I publish, in fact, I hope some of you do. As Adam says, a good counterargument promotes critical thinking.

Above all else, I just hope these posts make you think.

Parting Thoughts

I kind of feel like I didn't put as much thought into this newsletter as usual. Mostly because I want to close my laptop and start watching Turning Red, this new Pixar movie I haven't seen yet.

But that's probably just me feeling insecure. As they say, "perfection is the enemy of progress".

Welcome to Denver (signing off like my flight attendant),

Kevin