I got bored with my big-screen TV -- before I even bought it.
We've never paid more than $250 for a television. I don't watch much TV. But I do enjoy movies. So a few years ago, I started fantasizing about buying a 32-inch flat-screen TV to replace our 25-inch set.
Back then, such a high-definition TV would set you back around $1,500. That seemed like a terrible extravagance. So I told myself when the price dropped to $500, I would buy one.
This Christmas, I spotted one for under $500 but felt no urge to buy it. So I didn't.
What happened?
I talked to Yaacov Trope, a New York University professor who has researched how people's reactions change as they get nearer to a situation. Dr. Trope believes the shift in my mind occurred when dropping prices suddenly made a big-screen TV a real possibility for me.
He likens the process to a trip to the mountains. When the trip is far off, we focus on the scenic view we expect to see. As the trip nears, we begin thinking about all the hassles of traveling there, the mosquitoes that will bite us and so on.
As I talked to him, I realized that was exactly what happened with me and my big-screen TV. I knew there was no way I'd shell out $1,500 for a set, but it was fun to think of viewing movies on one.
The big price drop changed everything. Now I began focusing more on mundane concerns. Where would the TV actually sit? Would it be a hassle setting it up?
There were other factors as well. During that time, we moved and bought a new house. The owners left their relatively new 27-inch Toshiba TV behind. It wasn't a high-definition, flat-screen TV. But it was a big improvement over our old set. So I had already gotten a better TV without buying anything.
I seem to talk myself out of buying things more and more as I get older. I briefly covet something, and then the urge passes.
It wasn't always this way. When I was four years old, I heard about a new hot cereal called Chocolate Malt-O-Meal. It sounded divine. So for my fifth birthday, I asked my parents for it. They bought me a box.
On my birthday, my mother made me a bowl as I sat at the table eagerly awaiting my just reward. I ate a couple of bites and quickly realized I hated the taste. I never had a second bowl.
I called up the Malt-O-Meal Co. recently. It still makes Chocolate Malt-O-Meal 47 years later, so the concoction has some loyal customers. A company spokeswoman offered to send me a free box. I don't take gifts in this job. But even if I did, eating it once was enough.
I've experienced the Chocolate Malt-O-Meal effect more than a few times over the years. It has made me gun-shy. But even when I buy something I like, I often find myself vaguely disappointed. The car that seems so magical in the dealer's lot is just a car a few weeks after you take it home.
In the end, few purchases give me true psychic joy. And those that do are usually embarrassingly prosaic. I bought a Mini Dozer ice scraper for 99 cents 19 years ago in a Michigan car wash. I still have it. It's basic but it has a tough blade that is particularly good at chiseling a sheet of ice off your windshield.
During that period, we've owned a series of more-expensive contraptions that combined an ice scraper with a snow brush or even a glove. They're not as sturdy as the Mini Dozer. If you apply a lot of pressure, the blades often snap.
What about the big-screen TV? I'm sure I will buy it at some point. Then I'll sit down in my sofa, flip on the set and see if it was worth it. All I ask is that a Chocolate Malt-O-Meal commercial isn't playing.
我開(kāi)始厭煩大屏幕電視機(jī)了──即便我到現(xiàn)在還沒(méi)把它買(mǎi)回家。
我們從沒(méi)為買(mǎi)臺(tái)電視機(jī)花費(fèi)超過(guò)250美元。我不怎么看電視，卻非常喜歡看電影。所以，早在幾年前，我就開(kāi)始?jí)粝霌碛幸慌_(tái)32英寸的純平電視機(jī)，換掉我們家25英寸的那臺(tái)。
那時(shí)候，買(mǎi)這樣一臺(tái)高清晰度電視機(jī)要花上大概1,500美元。這聽(tīng)起來(lái)足夠奢侈。所以，我對(duì)自己說(shuō)，等到價(jià)格降到500美元，我就買(mǎi)一臺(tái)。
就在這個(gè)圣誕節(jié)，我發(fā)現(xiàn)了一臺(tái)價(jià)格在500美元以下的大屏幕電視機(jī)，但卻沒(méi)有了買(mǎi)下來(lái)的沖動(dòng)，所以也就沒(méi)出手。
這是怎么回事？
我去找紐約大學(xué)(New York University)教授雅科夫特羅普(Yaacov Trope)談了談。他專(zhuān)門(mén)研究過(guò)當(dāng)人們接近某一情境時(shí)，反應(yīng)將會(huì)發(fā)生怎樣的變化。特羅普認(rèn)為，當(dāng)價(jià)格驟降讓擁有一臺(tái)大屏幕電視突然成為切實(shí)的可能時(shí)，我的反應(yīng)發(fā)生了變化。
他把這一過(guò)程比作一次登山旅行。當(dāng)距離旅行日期尚遠(yuǎn)的時(shí)候，我們關(guān)注更多的是即將看到的風(fēng)景。而當(dāng)啟程之期臨近時(shí)，我們就會(huì)開(kāi)始考慮旅行中的種種問(wèn)題，比如蚊蟲(chóng)叮咬等等。
在交流之中，我意識(shí)到他所講述的這種情況也剛好符合我買(mǎi)大屏幕電視的想法。我知道自己根本不會(huì)花1,500美元買(mǎi)臺(tái)電視機(jī)，但每每想到我可以用它來(lái)看電影，就感覺(jué)自己樂(lè)在其中。
大減價(jià)改變了所有這一切。現(xiàn)在，我開(kāi)始更多地關(guān)注到那些日常生活中會(huì)遇到的問(wèn)題。比如，電視機(jī)到底應(yīng)該擺放在哪里？安裝會(huì)不會(huì)麻煩？
還有其他一些因素影響了我。那段時(shí)間，我們搬進(jìn)了新買(mǎi)的房子。原來(lái)的房主把他家那臺(tái)八成新的27英寸東芝(Toshiba)電視機(jī)留給了我們。那不是臺(tái)高清晰度的純平電視機(jī)，但比起我們?cè)瓉?lái)那臺(tái)舊的來(lái)說(shuō)已經(jīng)好很多了。所以，我沒(méi)花錢(qián)就已經(jīng)擁有了一臺(tái)更好的電視機(jī)。
隨著年齡的增長(zhǎng)，我似乎越來(lái)越能說(shuō)服自己不要買(mǎi)什么東西。我會(huì)短暫地想得到一樣?xùn)|西，然后這種購(gòu)買(mǎi)欲就消失了。
而從前事情不總是這樣的。在我四歲的時(shí)候，我聽(tīng)說(shuō)了一種名為Chocolate Malt-O-Meal的新麥片。這聽(tīng)起來(lái)妙極了。所以，在我五歲生日的時(shí)候，我向父母提出了這個(gè)請(qǐng)求。他們給我買(mǎi)了一盒這種麥片。
生日那天，我在餐桌邊急切地等待著這應(yīng)得的獎(jiǎng)賞──母親給我沖了一碗這種麥片。我只吃了幾口便很快發(fā)現(xiàn)我討厭那種味道。我再也沒(méi)吃過(guò)這種東西。
我最近給生產(chǎn)這種麥片的Malt-O-Meal公司打電話(huà)。47年過(guò)去了，Chocolate Malt-O-Meal麥片還在生產(chǎn)，看來(lái)這個(gè)產(chǎn)品擁有一批忠實(shí)的消費(fèi)者。該公司的一位發(fā)言人表示要免費(fèi)送我一盒。我在工作中不接受禮物，但即使接受，那東西吃一次也夠了。
這些年來(lái)，類(lèi)似Chocolate Malt-O-Meal的事情我遇到過(guò)很多次，這簡(jiǎn)直把我變成了驚弓之鳥(niǎo)。即使買(mǎi)了自己喜歡的東西，我也經(jīng)常會(huì)有些許失望。在車(chē)行里看上去如此不可思議的靚車(chē)，在開(kāi)回家?guī)字芤院笠沧兊闷掌胀ㄍā?BR> 結(jié)果，購(gòu)物很少能夠帶給我真正心靈上的喜悅。而那些的確帶給我這種喜悅的東西卻通常平凡得讓人尷尬。19年前，我在密歇根州的一家洗車(chē)行里花99美分買(mǎi)了一個(gè)“袖珍推土機(jī)”(Mini Dozer)牌冰雪鏟。我現(xiàn)在還在用它。它就是很基本的那種，但結(jié)實(shí)的鏟刃在為擋風(fēng)玻璃除冰時(shí)特別好用。
那時(shí)候，我們已經(jīng)有一套更貴的除冰用具，包括帶雪刷的冰雪鏟，甚至還有一幅手套。但它們都不如“袖珍推土機(jī)”那么結(jié)實(shí)。如果用力過(guò)大，鏟刃通常都會(huì)折斷。
那大屏幕電視機(jī)怎么辦？我知道自己在未來(lái)的什么時(shí)候肯定會(huì)買(mǎi)。然后，我會(huì)坐在沙發(fā)上，在頻道間來(lái)回切換，看看我是不是買(mǎi)值了。我的要求只有一個(gè)：電視里千萬(wàn)不要播Chocolate Malt-O-Meal的廣告。
We've never paid more than $250 for a television. I don't watch much TV. But I do enjoy movies. So a few years ago, I started fantasizing about buying a 32-inch flat-screen TV to replace our 25-inch set.
Back then, such a high-definition TV would set you back around $1,500. That seemed like a terrible extravagance. So I told myself when the price dropped to $500, I would buy one.
This Christmas, I spotted one for under $500 but felt no urge to buy it. So I didn't.
What happened?
I talked to Yaacov Trope, a New York University professor who has researched how people's reactions change as they get nearer to a situation. Dr. Trope believes the shift in my mind occurred when dropping prices suddenly made a big-screen TV a real possibility for me.
He likens the process to a trip to the mountains. When the trip is far off, we focus on the scenic view we expect to see. As the trip nears, we begin thinking about all the hassles of traveling there, the mosquitoes that will bite us and so on.
As I talked to him, I realized that was exactly what happened with me and my big-screen TV. I knew there was no way I'd shell out $1,500 for a set, but it was fun to think of viewing movies on one.
The big price drop changed everything. Now I began focusing more on mundane concerns. Where would the TV actually sit? Would it be a hassle setting it up?
There were other factors as well. During that time, we moved and bought a new house. The owners left their relatively new 27-inch Toshiba TV behind. It wasn't a high-definition, flat-screen TV. But it was a big improvement over our old set. So I had already gotten a better TV without buying anything.
I seem to talk myself out of buying things more and more as I get older. I briefly covet something, and then the urge passes.
It wasn't always this way. When I was four years old, I heard about a new hot cereal called Chocolate Malt-O-Meal. It sounded divine. So for my fifth birthday, I asked my parents for it. They bought me a box.
On my birthday, my mother made me a bowl as I sat at the table eagerly awaiting my just reward. I ate a couple of bites and quickly realized I hated the taste. I never had a second bowl.
I called up the Malt-O-Meal Co. recently. It still makes Chocolate Malt-O-Meal 47 years later, so the concoction has some loyal customers. A company spokeswoman offered to send me a free box. I don't take gifts in this job. But even if I did, eating it once was enough.
I've experienced the Chocolate Malt-O-Meal effect more than a few times over the years. It has made me gun-shy. But even when I buy something I like, I often find myself vaguely disappointed. The car that seems so magical in the dealer's lot is just a car a few weeks after you take it home.
In the end, few purchases give me true psychic joy. And those that do are usually embarrassingly prosaic. I bought a Mini Dozer ice scraper for 99 cents 19 years ago in a Michigan car wash. I still have it. It's basic but it has a tough blade that is particularly good at chiseling a sheet of ice off your windshield.
During that period, we've owned a series of more-expensive contraptions that combined an ice scraper with a snow brush or even a glove. They're not as sturdy as the Mini Dozer. If you apply a lot of pressure, the blades often snap.
What about the big-screen TV? I'm sure I will buy it at some point. Then I'll sit down in my sofa, flip on the set and see if it was worth it. All I ask is that a Chocolate Malt-O-Meal commercial isn't playing.
我開(kāi)始厭煩大屏幕電視機(jī)了──即便我到現(xiàn)在還沒(méi)把它買(mǎi)回家。
我們從沒(méi)為買(mǎi)臺(tái)電視機(jī)花費(fèi)超過(guò)250美元。我不怎么看電視，卻非常喜歡看電影。所以，早在幾年前，我就開(kāi)始?jí)粝霌碛幸慌_(tái)32英寸的純平電視機(jī)，換掉我們家25英寸的那臺(tái)。
那時(shí)候，買(mǎi)這樣一臺(tái)高清晰度電視機(jī)要花上大概1,500美元。這聽(tīng)起來(lái)足夠奢侈。所以，我對(duì)自己說(shuō)，等到價(jià)格降到500美元，我就買(mǎi)一臺(tái)。
就在這個(gè)圣誕節(jié)，我發(fā)現(xiàn)了一臺(tái)價(jià)格在500美元以下的大屏幕電視機(jī)，但卻沒(méi)有了買(mǎi)下來(lái)的沖動(dòng)，所以也就沒(méi)出手。
這是怎么回事？
我去找紐約大學(xué)(New York University)教授雅科夫特羅普(Yaacov Trope)談了談。他專(zhuān)門(mén)研究過(guò)當(dāng)人們接近某一情境時(shí)，反應(yīng)將會(huì)發(fā)生怎樣的變化。特羅普認(rèn)為，當(dāng)價(jià)格驟降讓擁有一臺(tái)大屏幕電視突然成為切實(shí)的可能時(shí)，我的反應(yīng)發(fā)生了變化。
他把這一過(guò)程比作一次登山旅行。當(dāng)距離旅行日期尚遠(yuǎn)的時(shí)候，我們關(guān)注更多的是即將看到的風(fēng)景。而當(dāng)啟程之期臨近時(shí)，我們就會(huì)開(kāi)始考慮旅行中的種種問(wèn)題，比如蚊蟲(chóng)叮咬等等。
在交流之中，我意識(shí)到他所講述的這種情況也剛好符合我買(mǎi)大屏幕電視的想法。我知道自己根本不會(huì)花1,500美元買(mǎi)臺(tái)電視機(jī)，但每每想到我可以用它來(lái)看電影，就感覺(jué)自己樂(lè)在其中。
大減價(jià)改變了所有這一切。現(xiàn)在，我開(kāi)始更多地關(guān)注到那些日常生活中會(huì)遇到的問(wèn)題。比如，電視機(jī)到底應(yīng)該擺放在哪里？安裝會(huì)不會(huì)麻煩？
還有其他一些因素影響了我。那段時(shí)間，我們搬進(jìn)了新買(mǎi)的房子。原來(lái)的房主把他家那臺(tái)八成新的27英寸東芝(Toshiba)電視機(jī)留給了我們。那不是臺(tái)高清晰度的純平電視機(jī)，但比起我們?cè)瓉?lái)那臺(tái)舊的來(lái)說(shuō)已經(jīng)好很多了。所以，我沒(méi)花錢(qián)就已經(jīng)擁有了一臺(tái)更好的電視機(jī)。
隨著年齡的增長(zhǎng)，我似乎越來(lái)越能說(shuō)服自己不要買(mǎi)什么東西。我會(huì)短暫地想得到一樣?xùn)|西，然后這種購(gòu)買(mǎi)欲就消失了。
而從前事情不總是這樣的。在我四歲的時(shí)候，我聽(tīng)說(shuō)了一種名為Chocolate Malt-O-Meal的新麥片。這聽(tīng)起來(lái)妙極了。所以，在我五歲生日的時(shí)候，我向父母提出了這個(gè)請(qǐng)求。他們給我買(mǎi)了一盒這種麥片。
生日那天，我在餐桌邊急切地等待著這應(yīng)得的獎(jiǎng)賞──母親給我沖了一碗這種麥片。我只吃了幾口便很快發(fā)現(xiàn)我討厭那種味道。我再也沒(méi)吃過(guò)這種東西。
我最近給生產(chǎn)這種麥片的Malt-O-Meal公司打電話(huà)。47年過(guò)去了，Chocolate Malt-O-Meal麥片還在生產(chǎn)，看來(lái)這個(gè)產(chǎn)品擁有一批忠實(shí)的消費(fèi)者。該公司的一位發(fā)言人表示要免費(fèi)送我一盒。我在工作中不接受禮物，但即使接受，那東西吃一次也夠了。
這些年來(lái)，類(lèi)似Chocolate Malt-O-Meal的事情我遇到過(guò)很多次，這簡(jiǎn)直把我變成了驚弓之鳥(niǎo)。即使買(mǎi)了自己喜歡的東西，我也經(jīng)常會(huì)有些許失望。在車(chē)行里看上去如此不可思議的靚車(chē)，在開(kāi)回家?guī)字芤院笠沧兊闷掌胀ㄍā?BR> 結(jié)果，購(gòu)物很少能夠帶給我真正心靈上的喜悅。而那些的確帶給我這種喜悅的東西卻通常平凡得讓人尷尬。19年前，我在密歇根州的一家洗車(chē)行里花99美分買(mǎi)了一個(gè)“袖珍推土機(jī)”(Mini Dozer)牌冰雪鏟。我現(xiàn)在還在用它。它就是很基本的那種，但結(jié)實(shí)的鏟刃在為擋風(fēng)玻璃除冰時(shí)特別好用。
那時(shí)候，我們已經(jīng)有一套更貴的除冰用具，包括帶雪刷的冰雪鏟，甚至還有一幅手套。但它們都不如“袖珍推土機(jī)”那么結(jié)實(shí)。如果用力過(guò)大，鏟刃通常都會(huì)折斷。
那大屏幕電視機(jī)怎么辦？我知道自己在未來(lái)的什么時(shí)候肯定會(huì)買(mǎi)。然后，我會(huì)坐在沙發(fā)上，在頻道間來(lái)回切換，看看我是不是買(mǎi)值了。我的要求只有一個(gè)：電視里千萬(wàn)不要播Chocolate Malt-O-Meal的廣告。