Guilty Pleasures, The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

We all have a few things that come to mind when someone utters the words "Guilty Pleasures". For me, its listening to British people talk or cat videos. But what about some of the pleasures that aren't stereo-typically pleasurable? I mean, to be fair, this is all circumstantially individualized. It's different to each person. Don't you think there is a general consensus on some things? As if some things are all silently agreed upon to be good?  Here are a few that I've come up with.

THE GOOD

Everyone has that place they go online when boredom finally sets in. It can range anywhere from everyone's favorite Buzzfeed "Can We Guess Your Guilty Pleasure" list to Reddit's newest archive. One I personally tend to frequent is Craigslist Missed Connections. This is the place where people who think they have made a connection that went un-acknowledged can see if the end of the said connection can confirm nor deny the link. Though, most seem to be a bit unorthodox, the concept itself can be very romantic if you take the time to read any of them.

Another favorite is the infamous FMyLife. People will submit from all around the world their unfortunate stories that just make all of us shake our heads. Unfortunate as it is for some of these people, their turmoil does bring a bit of enlightenment to most people's lives knowing that whatever it was that was so bad didn't happen to them.

A couple new sites that I seem to spend A TON of time on lately are I Waste So Much Time and Sh*t Brix. Both of these cover similar fascinating things to keep anyone busy on the internet for hours on end. So many silly memes...So little time!  Lastly there's the very popular Chive. Keep Calm and Chive On. 'Nuff said.

*****

Some guilty pleasures (GP's) are for those outside of the cyber world. The sweet relaxation of a good pedicure, to the delectable ambiance of a good glass of wine in a bubble bath. These are the types of things that you don't necessarily do every day, but wouldn't be frowned upon if you did decide to do them daily. The things that give you that satisfaction that you can't get from any old day. It could be listening to soothing rain sounds from the outside storm; Snuggling up next to your honey and feeling their heartbeat. These little sanctuaries are enough to bring that sweet smile to your face and the warm fuzzy feeling inside that feeds into the happiness of your heart. 

What else gives you that warm fuzzy feeling inside? For a lot of us, especially our chubby Americans (myself included), that luxury comes from our food GP's. Oh, don't try to deny it! We all have them, and anymore these days, there are so many delicious food opportunities that its hard to pinpoint just 1. Hell! It's hard to pinpoint even 5! But I'm going to try.  My personal Top 5 Food GP's:

1: French Fries - from literally anywhere
2: Pizza - Any kind, any toppings, any style
3: Literally anything with Egg on it.
4: French Toast - any time of day this would make me so happy!
5: Fried Cheese - cheese balls, mozzarella sticks, anything with that melty stringy cheese!! oooh!

Believe me, that was a lot harder than I thought it would be! There would be a much longer list, but this isn't just a list of good foods.

We even have a few secret GP movies that we almost always resort to. The type of movies that you know every line, every background song, every facial expression. What is yours?  Really, out of the millions of movies made, I encourage you to share it because I honestly haven't seen that many movies. Here a few that I've gathered from other discussions and also from my own experience.
With an attempt to find one of each genre, here goes.

Musical: Rocky Horror Picture Show
Fantasy: "The Wizard of Oz"
Comedy: "The Big Lebowski"
Drama: 'To Kill A Mockingbird"
Action: "Scarface"
Thriller: "The Labrynth"
Western: "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid"
Romantic Comedy: "When Harry Met Sally"
Family: "The Cat In the Hat"
Scyfy: "Star Wars" - any of them

I know that not everyone will agree on all of these, but I'll just hope you agree with maybe one of them. As I stated once before, GP's are a matter of opinion and everyone is allowed to have theirs. Seriously though, if you think you have better ones, feel free to share your thoughts and opinions.

*****

THE BAD 

We've ventured passed the good and into the bad. Of course, as anticipated, these are the more frowned upon GP's. These are the type of GP's that give you a little high whenever you experience them. A simple example of this is shoplifting. Knowing that you're doing something wrong that could, in turn, lead you down the wrong path, but as soon as you're in the clear, you have this sudden rush of adrenaline. I'm not going to say we've all done it, but I'll admit that I went through a few phases when I was young. Experiencing that high. The sweet satisfaction beyond what a simply foot massage can bring. Always slowly followed by the guilt. Not everyone can get by without having a conscience. 

Skipping ahead to a much more extreme version of a bad GP, also known as an addiction. Taking or smoking drugs can be the worse kind of GP. Not being personally experienced in the trade doesn't give me much to go on other than research, but I am familiar with the after effects of what they can do to a person, and their loved ones. Not necessarily a recommended GP, but one for some, nonetheless.

I think this last one also falls under the bad category for this list of GP's. For those nosey neighbors out there, I bet you have a good set of binoculars. Right? I mean, you would have to. This is considered a bad GP because this can fall right into what is known today as stalking. I don't know about you, but as a female, I don't particularly like it when people just watch me.

*****

THE UGLY

This is the category that I feel like everyone who is reading this has been anxious for. This isn't exactly the ugly by looks, but more the disgusting that makes it ugly, but I feel on some level, everyone will associate with at least one. Let's dive right in. 

We all have that one friend that gets that enjoyment out of popping pimples. Well, we probably have more than one friend. For my friends, I'm that friend. Something about squeezing out all the pussy grossness and giving the idea that your pores are now empty and free of all dirt buildup is just the satisfying thing that doesn't have to make sense.  Followed closely behind that comes picking your own boogers. Yes, I know how icky it sounds, but when you know you have a big gooey one stuck in there and you can get it all out in one quick swift pick with a Kleenex, your nose feels better, and that in itself is satisfying. Admit it or not, there are some of you out here. Girls with nose rings know exactly what I'm talking about. That buildup on a ring or stud can be the most annoying thing. 

What's next? Singing and dancing like no one is watching. It's wonderful in theory because it helps people let loose, but there are always those people that can't carry a tune in a bucket and couldn't find rhythm if it was sitting on their face. Just keep this GP to yourself...unless you're drunk. Then just let your moves and vocals fly! For everyone to see, and possibly giggle about, we revel in some of those GP's. Enjoy them, but don't get too carried away.

Lastly, is probably one of the most ugly on the last. Have you ever heard the phrase, "everybody likes their own brand?"  Do you actually know what it means? To put it bluntly, everyone likes what they do, what they create, what they build, what they have. For example, when someone farts, the surrounding people find it gross and often that it smells badly. When you fart, often times it won't be such a bad smell to you personally because its your own brand. I've grown to know people who have what I like to call a "farting sanctuary". This is a place that they find special, that they will use solely for farting. Not to imply that they won't do other things in this place, but that it is the primary place that they like to pass gas. I would share mine, but some of my friends read this and I'd hate for them to view me differently because of this sort of information. But trust me, when you find one, it will become one of your favorite places to be.

*****

Science Behind the GP

We usually think of guilt as a negative emotion. But we all have guilty pleasures like chocolate, alcohol and shopping sprees. Now, a new study has found the psychological mechanism behind the phenomenon of feelings of guilt can actually boost pleasure. Professor Ravi Dhar from Yale University was inspired to investigate the emotion after watching a colleague eat a chocolate bar, and expressing both enjoying and distaste at the same time. 'For certain types of items, when you feel guilty, you may actually get more pleasure,' Dhar says. According to Yale Insights, the idea that guilt and pleasure are often tightly coupled in people's minds, so activating one of these concepts can draw out the other. This connection could prove a powerful insight for marketers, says Dhar. For instance appealing to a negative attribute that is connected to positive feelings can be 'much more effective at persuading people than directly talking about positive attributes.'

The power of guilt can also be seen in charitable giving. In one study respondents were presented with the choice of giving $5 to a charity or using it for a Starbucks 'flat white' espresso drink. Both the likelihood and the amount of charitable donations increased compared to a second treatment group. They were asked to choose between a charitable donation and a $5 laundry detergent. 'When we compare this five dollars to something indulgent, like a cup of flat white in this case, people are more likely to donate,' says Dhar. Mentally contrasting a good cause with a guilty pleasure seems to prod people toward giving. We generally think that we're making choices for considered, rational reasons, he says, but in fact, 'the things you feel in the moment, or the things you think in the moment, have a disproportionate effect on your choices, even if they're irrelevant to the choice.' 

It is the news that will strike fear into the hearts of those who pay off the family credit cards every month. Research last year found that retail therapy - far from being empty and superficial - can be an ‘effective way to minimize sadness.’ It can even help a person feel more in control of their environment, researchers claim. Generations of consumers have been urged to satisfy their desire to keep abreast of the latest fashion by simply browsing in store and window shopping. But researchers from the University of Michigan claim ‘retail therapy’ should no longer be dismissed as it could help people  overcome melancholy. The study carried out three experiments to investigate whether shopping restored a sense of control in people to combat feelings of sadness. The research found that buying something was up to 40 times more effective at giving people a sense of control and they were three times happier than those who only browsed. Previous studies have shown that shoppers enjoy positive feelings when reflecting on their most recent purchase, when that shopping had been motivated by a desire to repair mood.

DailyMail.co.uk

More proof for the science behind GP's he also here.  I won't go into detail because it basically reiterates the above article. 

So what did we learn?  What you need to know is that GP's are there, and they aren't going anywhere. Agree or disagree, that's fine, I respect your opinion and whatever your GP is whether you can admit it publicly or not. 

Have a good day!