Member-only story
Your money or your feelings
How we privately feel (or expect to feel) influences our decisions more than we might realize, and we may even choose to make material sacrifices to avoid negative emotions
Yesterday, I met up with an old friend whom I had not seen since BC (= before COVID) times, for a coffee and a walk alongside a nearby tow path. By a stroke of luck my rubber boots were still in the car, so — a little uncharacteristically for me — I managed to arrive well equipped. Fortified with a hot americano, we set out for a stroll along the old canal. I say a stroll, but my friend’s pace was more what one might call a vigorous walk. While I had no problem keeping up with him, the brisk walk made my socks creep down my feet in the wellies. Before long, they were all but off my feet, and had become a lump that every step more uncomfortable than the other. Yet I continued walking and talking as if there was nothing amiss. Odd, isn’t it?
Later, I reflected on what prevented me suggesting we walk a little more slowly, or even just stopping for a moment to pull up my socks. My companion is a good friend, someone in whose company I wouldn’t be afraid that saying or doing something stupid might lower my status or damage my reputation. I am even sure my interrupting our walking talk would…
