Emotional Framing Can Be Much

¶ … emotional framing can be much different than economic framing. It is possible to have logically similar statements invoke extremely different reactions. These examples show how losses often invoke a stronger negative reaction than costs because of the emotional ties to loosing as seen in the rationality index. The work provides a number of examples to show this occurrence. As such, human beings are poor rational Econs based on the fact that we do not see congruity all the time between economic and emotional equivalency. Thus, emotional framing can result in less rationality in choices.

Chapter 35 discusses the concept of two selves. As rational people, we are supposed to know our wants and tastes. Our decisions are supposed to bring about pleasure and avoid pain. To meet these needs, there is experienced utility and decision utility. The example of two patients recording their pain levels during a colonoscopy illustrated common traits that show the peak-end rule and the duration neglect which impacted patient reporting of pain. This creates a situation where reducing the amount of pain actually experienced would intensify the peak pain intensity, which is contradictory to what the survey was showing the patients would want. Thus, this shows the confusion between experience and actual memory that can have an impact on utility. Our experiences and our memories become two selves, where the experience is often silenced by a memory which can be sometimes false or incorrect. To make appropriate reasoning, decision utility should correlate with experience utility, but this is not always the case.

Chapter 36

Stories are not bound by the duration of time they took place within, but rather the significant events that they are comprised of. Thus, the length of time they occur in is often unimportant within the general assumption of important elements within the story itself. The significant elements and events within the story establish our opinions, not the background that happened between these significant events. Even when time seems to play a role, it is only because it increases the significance of the story elements, as in the example of the mother being more distraught in 24 hours of labor compared to 6.

Chapter 37

Many tend to see the substance of life as a measurement of well being. Thus, happiness can be somewhat measured through evaluating the well-being experienced by individuals throughout various intervals of their lives. This idea prompted an experiment conducted in order to better understand the relationship between experiencing selves and happiness. The more time the individual spent in the U-index, with positive emotions, the greater assumption of happiness and well being throughout the larger duration of their lives. What was seen was that a very small percent of people actually feel the most levels of suffering, while others enjoy the majority of their time. Still, emotional states did have an impact on the happiness and well-being of all.

Chapter 38

Many people make the mistake of affective forecasting, as in the case where people assume their satisfaction of life will continue to remain the same or increase after they are married, although research shows something quite the opposite. When people go to evaluate their lives, they often only focus on the significant elements and fail to incorporate the entire picture. Yet, these significant elements often have unintended consequences that many will tend to forget when forecasting their happiness. Moreover, there is the focusing illusion, which states that "nothing in life is as important as you think it is when you are thinking about it." This helps explain why some elements can be exaggerated at certain times, but dulled down at others.

Conclusion

The chapter looks back at the setting of the book in fictional theory as a way to reassert the primary conclusions made throughout the chapters. We are reminded that each of us is two selves, the experiencing self and the remembering self, and the two are often wrought with conflict. The conclusion correlates these two selves with the fictional characters of System 1 and System 2. Moreover, the conclusion once again reminds use that time is not always a major determining factor, and that it can often be distorted differently between the two selves. The chapter then explains how this phenomenon is significant in actual practice in different disciplines, such as health and welfare. In conclusion of this evidence, humans are deemed as rational, yet with limitations in their overall decision making skills because of the conflict between the two selves. Still, the two systems will eventually find a way to work with one another.

Appendix a