Satisfaction Or Pleasure ?

There are two types of positive feelings.

• The pleasure of indulgence.
• The satisfaction of striving.

The pleasure of the extra piece of pizza that I could have avoided but chose to indulge in. The pleasure of the extra hour of half-hearted sleep that I could have avoided but chose to indulge in. The pleasure of indulgence always feels good in the moment, and then it makes me feel bad later. It often fills me with a sense of regret- If only I had the resolve of self-control.

After running for fifty minutes, my legs are hurting, and the voice in my head is telling me to ease up. I ignore it and go on for another 15 minutes more. I have had a busy and hard day, and my body and mind tell me to hit the bed. I resist the hypnotic pull of my internal voice, go for a walk around the house and come back to complete my blog. The satisfaction of striving always feels painful at that moment, and then it makes me feel good later. It fills me with a sense of achievement- I am so happy I pushed myself.

The positive rewards of pleasure and satisfaction are different. One happens in the present, and the other comes later. Satisfaction can never occur at the same time as pleasure. In most situations, both are mutually exclusive.