Friday, October 02, 2009

Framing happiness

I don't know if this next story will be funny to anyone outside my research group, but here goes.

I spend hours every day analyzing interactions. My research involves looking at videos of people and trying to figure out why they make the decisions they make, and how they're interpreting the situation they are in.

Today I found myself cuddling my cat. As she purred, I explained to her that her purring made me happy, which caused me to pet her. This made her happy, causing her to purr more. Thus, we had established a stable feedback loop of contentment.

The cat was not particularly wowed by my analysis, but I think this shows that I am now fully immersed in my work. Surely this can only bode well for the completion of the disseration?

7 comments:

Stacey said...

Work is always a little nicer when there is a four-legged ball of fur purring on your lap. :) Give Phi a little love from us too.

greta said...

Ditto. Phi has really been quite the steadfast companion through your entire PhD journey...she can likely write a few pages based on your conversations. Put her to work! :-)

Michael W said...

Oh. Oh yea. Obsessing about dissertations totally helps you finish. Just, you know, don't go overboard with, say, your husband. I mean, boundaries must be drawn SOMEWHERE right?!

Mars Girl said...

I had a cat that truly understood physics... She would topple glasses over and watch them as they fell... And I could tell she was studying every moment...

unclem-nm said...

Thinking about the end of your dissertation makes you happy which makes you more likely to be finishing your dissertation which makes you happy....

alexis said...

i just hope this dissertation will lead to a European tour, with stop over in Amsterdam... :)

Matty Lau said...

HA! There are no boundaries between research and life. Every researcher needs a willing listener. Sometimes it's an advisor, a colleague, a spouse. Pet is a new one for me. Maybe I should get some gold fish.