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Nutella brain hacks
September 06th, 2017
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I only buy Nutella when I'm on vacation. This is a conscious decision.
1. Nutella
Nutella is ambrosia. There's little on the planet that tastes better than
dark chocolate, but Nutella is one of those things. Specifically I'm
referring to the European variety, not the American Nutella. The latter is
pretty good, but it doesn't hold a candle to the Italian stuff. Seriously,
the ingredient mix is not the same. Go check it out for yourself, I'll
wait.
2. Delayed pleasure
As a kid I was introduced to the concept of delayed pleasure via
Handisnacks, the little cheese & cracker pre-packaged snacks. I would eat
three of the four crackers with as little cheese as possible so that
I could pile a massive slab of cheese on that last bite. Leaving that
ultimate taste in your mouth at the end of a meal, finishing on the high
note, quickly became an integral part of my psyche.
Delaying access to something I really enjoy, like Nutella, likewise has an
added benefit of magnifying that pleasure beyond the norm. On the rare
occasion I do enjoy a slice of toast coated in the hazelnut goop it is
pretty mind-blowing.
3. Brain hackery
The choice to limit my Nutella enjoyment to vacations is to take advantage
of sensory association to maximize relaxation. American vacations are
typically short affairs and I don't reach peak relaxation until most of
a week has passed. By enjoying a healthy slop of Nutella on a vacation
I am transported via my taste-buds back in time to my previous vacations.
In a culinary bit of existential transposition I can experience the
culmination of previous relaxing journeys all over again and use that
mental model to accelerate my disconnection.
In short, delayed gratification + amazing treats + sensory association
= magnified relaxation
