Prohibition has forever been an intriguing subject. Although we enjoy the experience of doing things we are not supposed to, we are also left with the residue of that experience i.e. guilt. However, a new finding suggests that guilt helps enhance feelings of enjoyment. For example, cupcakes really do taste better when you’re on a diet. Even a little guilt has the power to enhance the pleasure we derive from indulgence.
Author Kunal Bhardwaj says that guilt instills that extra thrill within us to explore something which is prohibited. “I remember when I was a kid, whenever my parents would tell me not to do something, it filled me with an extra thrill and excitement to explore beyond that ‘no’. We can also take the example of flings. People in even stable relationships have often succumbed to flings. The question remains, are they doing it just for the sake of momentary fun? I would say, no. They often indulge in flings because the guilt, the ‘prohibited zone’, provides them enhanced thrill or enjoyment. To sum it up, it is actually our sub-conscious characteristic of wandering into the restricted area which enhances the enjoyment,” says Bhardwaj.
Management thinker and motivational speaker Arun Malik is a self-confessed chain smoker. Even if he knows the ill-effects of smoking, it’s the warning on the cigarette packet that makes him grab one. “Prohibition leads to enjoyment. It is the same pleasure as exploring the unknown which psychologists call experimenting with something denied to you. After you have put in all efforts to get it, the feeling of achievement overpowers the feeling of guilt. That is what makes it appealing,” adds Malik.
It is a long rope, the longer the rope, the greater the fall. Advocate Arjun Natrajan explains, “When we take an uncalled for risk and do not suffer (I won’t say succeed), we tend to take more such risks which are all the more uncalled for. It is more about impunity than about guilt or enhanced enjoyment. Beyond a point there is no feeling of guilt. Guilt increases enjoyment due to impunity or at least perceived impunity. A calorie-rich cookie whether had with or without guilt tastes the same on the palate. But thinking about guilt brings in a feeling of attainment that enhances its taste.”