Build up the excitement

Anticipation makes fun events even more enjoyable

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.
This is Laura, Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
tid is that when you've got something special on the horizon,
build up the excitement. That way, you can maximize your enjoyment,

(00:25):
the anticipation, and the experience itself. Over the summer, I
went to the Olivia Rodrigo concert with my daughter. We
had a blast. My daughter is an Olivia Rodrigo fan
and knows her music pretty well. I was not particularly
familiar with Olivia Rodrigo before the summer. I knew she

(00:46):
was popular, especially with teen girls, but that's about all
I knew. So for a few weeks before the concert,
I gave myself a crash course in her music. I
listened to her songs anytime I was in the car.
I looked up the playlist for her concert and made
sure to focus on those songs in particular, so they

(01:07):
became familiar. By the time the concert rolled around, I
too was an Olivia Rodrigo fan, and I could sing
along with most of her songs. I had way more
fun at the concert than I would have had if
the concert itself had been my first exposure to her music.
I think you might find the same thing to be true.

(01:29):
So when you have something special coming up, like a concert,
a trip, a party, a fun outing, make a point
of actively anticipating it. When you build up the excitement,
everything becomes well more exciting. There are a number of
ways that you can do this. If you're going to

(01:50):
a performing arts event, listen to recordings, say get a
taste of what's in store. This is true for music,
but also plays operas or dance performances. You can watch those.
Reading a play before you see it performed is another
way to enhance your enjoyment. You'll be aware of the
subtle word play or foreshadowing in a way you wouldn't

(02:13):
be if you were just trying to take it in. Relatedly,
before going to a museum, find out about the collection,
get to know the artists or topics the museum explores.
If you're going to a city you've never been to,
read about the city, talk with friends who have been
there recently, and identify attractions you'd like to see. In

(02:36):
addition to planning what you'll do while you're visiting the
new place, you can read novels, see movies, or listen
to music from or about the place. This isn't particularly
hard to do. You can search books by Montreal authors
or movie suton Paris and come up with lots of
ways to encounter a place before you get there. Even

(02:59):
if you are not person only responsible for planning an event,
try to get some of the details ahead of time.
That way, you can be intentional about anticipating your experience.
Preview the menu for a special restaurant, look at the
RSVP list to a party if you know it's visible,
and then maybe email a friend who's also on there

(03:21):
to say how excited you are. Look at photos of
Hawaii's beaches and flowers before you get on a plane
to go there. You can also ask anybody who will
participate in experience with you what they are looking forward to.
Now this seems straightforward enough, but I suspect one reason
people might not try to build up the excitement is

(03:44):
a bit of pessimism. When we are really looking forward
to something, it can feel devastating to not have it happen,
so we don't want to jinx ourselves. But there is
some research finding that anticipation accounts for the lion's share
of any happiness associated with an event. Your dinner will

(04:04):
be great, but it will only take about ninety minutes.
You can look forward to the dinner for weeks. So
most of the pleasure is in the anticipation. That means
that even if the event doesn't happen, by anticipating it,

(04:24):
you will have gotten most of the pleasure out of
it that you ever would. Perhaps that sounds crazy, but
if you try adopting that mindset, you might find yourself
feeling a little more philosophical about the things that do
get canceled. How do you build up the excitement for
special events? You can let me know at Laura at

(04:46):
Laura vandercam dot com. In the meantime, this is Laura.
Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of
our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've

(05:06):
got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at
Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a
production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit
the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to

(05:28):
your favorite shows.