Introduction
Tibor Scitovsky challenges classical economics, which reduced well-being to the level of consumption. By introducing the distinction between comfort and pleasure, he exposes the trap of the modern lifestyle. This article analyzes why the pursuit of convenience leads to structural boredom and how the economy of satisfaction can help us reclaim authentic joy in a world dominated by algorithms and excess.
Comfort vs. Pleasure: Arousal Dynamics
Comfort is a state of homeostasis and satiation, while pleasure is a dynamic process of changing arousal levels. According to Scitovsky, pleasure feeds on a dose of discomfort—it occurs when we return to the optimum from a state of stimulus deficiency or excess.
Psychology of Arousal Debunks the Homo Oeconomicus Model
The homo oeconomicus model assumes the avoidance of pain, but psychology proves that the organism requires an optimal level of stimulation. Boredom is a signal of stimulus deficit, as powerful as hunger, yet ignored by traditional economic indicators.
Neurophysiology: Changes in Arousal as a Source of Pleasure
Pleasure results from the movement of the arousal vector. The total elimination of discomfort leads to the disappearance of joy, which Scitovsky calls the law of hedonic contrast. Without prior deprivation, satisfaction becomes impossible.
Optimal Arousal Determines Consumption Choices
Personality influences consumption: introverts (high baseline arousal) seek calm, while extroverts (low baseline) pursue strong emotions and risks to reach their neurological optimum.
The Comfort Trap: The Irrationality of Excessive Convenience
The drive to save effort is often irrational. We design a world without stairs only to pay for jogging on a treadmill. This is a costly compensation for an artificially generated arousal deficit.
The Easterlin Paradox: Scitovsky Explains the Lack of Happiness
The Easterlin Paradox shows that an increase in national income does not raise the average sense of happiness. This stems from adaptive processes and the fact that wealth often serves only to increase defensive comfort rather than real satisfaction.
The Economy of Abundance Generates Structural Boredom
In a world where every impulse is immediately soothed, deep sensory deprivation disappears. We are surrounded by the noise of weak stimuli, which breeds a lack of meaningful stimulation and existential emptiness.
Adaptation and Habits Reduce Perceived Satisfaction
Habits turn pleasure into comfort. Over time, we no longer strive for joy but rather avoid withdrawal pain. A standard of living that once brought delight becomes a barely tolerated norm.
Non-Market Satisfactions: The GDP Blind Spot
GDP does not account for non-market satisfactions: the joy of work, community, or social trust. These factors influence well-being more strongly than changes in income but elude market valuation.
Mass Production Degrades the Versatility of the Generalist
Specialization and mechanical reproduction create aesthetically indifferent objects. The system promotes narrow experts, marginalizing generalists capable of synthesizing different dimensions of satisfaction.
Culture and Skills: The Foundation of Lasting Well-Being
Scitovsky promotes skilled consumption. Culture is mental capital that allows one to derive pleasure from complex stimuli. It requires effort and learning but protects against boredom more effectively than passive entertainment.
The Attention Economy and AI: Colonizing Human Stimulation
The modern attention economy and AI optimize stimuli for maximum catchiness with minimal effort. This is "temptation engineering" that traps us in a cage of short-term impulses, destroying the capacity for deep satisfaction.
USA, Europe, and Arab Countries: Patterns of Stimulus Consumption
The USA is a model of the comfort economy and loneliness. Europe, through cultural institutions, tries to protect the space for satisfaction. Arab countries struggle with the tension between tradition and global consumerism.
Political Polarization: Cheap Stimulation in a Bored World
Politics is becoming cheap stimulation. Campaign teams serve up tribal emotions to boost the arousal of bored citizens. This is the mass production of "emotional calories" instead of substantive debate.
The Economy of Satisfaction: New Value Strategies for Business
For the business of the future, the economy of satisfaction is key. Instead of selling only convenience, companies should design products as arenas for customer competence development and sources of meaningful stimulation.
Summary
In the pursuit of comfort, have we lost the ability to feel joy, condemning ourselves to a vicious cycle of boredom and compulsive stimulation? Transforming an economy of excess into an economy of satisfaction requires a shift from quantity to a doctrine of quality. The real challenge lies in finding space within a world of algorithms for authentic, demanding stimulation that gives life deeper meaning.
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