#982 Ad Enjoyment

I read an article that may explain the cosmic coincidence of the first letters of the acronyms for Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder—ADD and ADHD—both starting with AD. Sometimes pronounced ad.
As in advertisement. Turns out, we need advertisements to enjoy life. It’s all because of our brain habituating to things that are pleasurable. We need to be more like ADD people, constantly shifting focus.
You know how that first bite of cheesecake is so delicious, but by the time you get to the last bite of the whole pie it just doesn’t seem so lip-smacking good anymore? That’s a form of habituation.
You get used to something, and no matter how good it is, you start to see it as more boring and unsatisfying. As a great thinker once said: There is a fine line between contentment and boredom.
Researchers recently conducted two separate studies and found something interesting; advertisements help us enjoy things more. When forced to sit through annoying advertisements to watch a given show, people enjoyed the show more than when they were able to watch it straight through. Dr Leif Nelson says irritating interruptions and chores help us appreciate enjoyable experiences because our senses become habituated to even the most pleasurable input over time. Listening to a song, watching a TV program, having a massage. They all start out enjoyable but within a few minutes, you get used to them. Interruptions break that up.
I like his idea. I don’t know how many massages I’ve had where I thought, “Gee whiz, I appear to be becoming habituated to this pleasure. If I only could watch an advertisement briefly to interrupt.” So take note massage parlors, have your masseuses and masseurs stop everything occasionally and slip in a commercial.
And what a great new marriage counseling tool. Our old marriage is so much happier since we started inserting commercials.
All I know is, what I do for a living just got more vindicated. We in the advertising business make pleasure possible. I knew we were a force for good.
And I’ll tell you more shortly, after this brief word from our wonderful sponsors...
America, ya gotta love it.