Black Friday Discount
We rarely run sales, but this is Black Friday in America, so please enjoy a rare Two Percent Membership discount.
We rarely run discounts on Two Percent Memberships, but it’s Black Friday, and I’m grateful for you all—so Two Percent annual Memberships are on sale from now through Monday.
Sign up now and get an annual Membership for 20% off, forever.
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Before we get into some thoughts on gratitude (below), here’s some quick info on the Black Friday sale:
Details on the Black Friday sale
Get a Two Percent annual Membership for 20% off, forever—from now until Monday only.
To current monthly Members who want to join this special: Substack is quirky! They automatically apply this discount for first-time subscribers only, but I want to extend the offer to our monthly Members as well. If you’re currently on a monthly Membership and want to get the Black Friday deal for an annual Membership, do this:
Upgrade to an annual Membership using the button above. You’ll pay 67.87, then we’ll refund the difference.
To get the refund, fill out this form.
I’ll credit you the difference after the sale ends.
If you’re relatively new to Two Percent, here’s a selection of my favorite reads from over the years:
Now onto some thoughts on gratitude …
The real science of gratitude
I’ve found that the most mentally sound and happy I am is when I return from a tough trip outdoors or into a remote place. I’d been living in a world of constant effort and discomfort, where I’m exposed to the elements and even the simplest things (like getting water) are a giant hassle.
When I return home, things I usually ignore become like religious experiences. Hot running water, ample food, a warm furnace, television, and much more—I experienced them all anew and feel deeply grateful for them.
What’s more, the things that used to annoy me—work stuff, minor inconveniences—show themselves for what they are: non-problems in the grand scheme of things. And that reduces my stress.
Yesterday, I was thinking about gratitude: What it is and what builds it.
Gratitude is critical for a strong mindset and sound mental health. But it’s often hard to experience gratitude in the trenches of daily life. This is curious.
For most of human history, life was a grand, treacherous, and uncomfortable drama. Despite rather high living standards in the West and many other places, mental health and feelings of gratitude haven’t risen with prosperity.
The psychological concept of the hedonic treadmill explains why.
The Harvard psychologist Payton Jones explained the hedonic treadmill to me like this: “The hedonic treadmill is like if you get a nice new car or a raise,” said Jones. “You’re so excited. You feel like your life is better and that you’ve made it. But then over the course of a few weeks, you drift back to what we psychologists call a hedonic set point, which really just means you go back to the same amount of happiness [and gratitude] you had before.”
So what actually makes us grateful?
Try going without.
Deprivation is a proven path to experience sweeping, profound gratitude. Going without sort of “resets” the hedonic treadmill for a while, making the ordinary feel extraordinary.
It’s worked for me. After stints outdoors and going without for a while, I become deeply grateful for how lucky I am to have been born in a stable country in modern times. It’s changed me for good.
But I couldn’t have had those “holy sh*t” moments of deep gratitude for modern life without first removing myself from it.
Research backs the idea that gratitude comes from deprivation. The neuroscientist Aditi Subramaniam explained:
When we experience temporary absence, be it the loss of a privilege, a sense, or even a familiar routine, our brains recalibrate. The return of what was missing activates reward circuits more strongly than usual. A contrast effect, let’s call it. It’s why that first sip of coffee after a fast tastes divine, or why music sounds richer after a period of silence.
This phenomenon is closely linked to [the hedonic treadmill], the tendency of our brains to get used to good things until they barely register. Intentional, temporary deprivation interrupts that cycle. It’s a way of “resetting” our hedonic baseline, reminding the brain that the ordinary is extraordinary.
The idea also makes historical sense. Gratitude is in the texts of all major religions—it’s why religions have practices like Lent and Ramadan. We’ve even instituted a national holiday of gratitude: Thanksgiving, which we all celebrated yesterday.
So consider going without sometimes.
For example, go backpacking for a handful of days—your first hot shower will make you deeply appreciate hot running water. Go without certain foods, purchases, or experiences for a while. When you finally have them, they’ll be that much better.
Spend more time outside when the weather isn’t perfect. Escaping into your home will make you grateful for your roof and furnace.
Take a long trip and miss your family—so you can appreciate your family anew.
Get creative and simplify, simplify, simplify, in the words of Thoreau.
Have fun, don’t die, in thanks,
-Michael
One of the best ROIs I will continue to pay for as long as you keep this going which I assume will be as long as you keep following your rule of having fun and not dying.
Long time lurker (free subscriber). just jumped on this. Excited to read more!