March 14, 2022
Behavioral economics is an incredibly interesting field, though it leans unethical. The famous case studies: changing people’s WW2 meat purchasing preferences, getting those hesitant about health interventions to take them, influencing college students to carry positive self-delusions about themselves in order to generate more success, etc., all reek of the idea of an ethical lie in someone’s self-interest, and I worry about the circumstance in which the influencer’s and influencee’s self-interests do not align, especially since people are more likely to go against their interests more often that you’d think. This post is not about that - this is just a background of behavioral economics.
One of the most interesting topics within this field - and more ethical - is the idea of licensing interventions; that one can enable another to follow their background preferences, that without this intervention, the influencee would not do due to other factors. Since these interventions operate off of beliefs that the receiver already has and does not attempt to non-consensually change their mind, I find this more ethical. However, for this more than others, we may not require an external intervention to activate these hidden preferences; instead, there are a multitude of self-administered agents that license us to act.
I would argue that alcohol is the most common of these substances; a common side effect of drinking is lowered inhibitions, which is one such barrier to acting on your preferences. However, a) these barriers return when you cease drinking, often with nausea as its friend, and b) not all revealed preferences are good. Some barriers exist for a reason - you shouldn’t knock down a fence without knowing why it’s there. In this, alcohol is a temporary and nonselective licensing agent. Sometimes, we are pleased with what’s happened the night prior when we wake up; other times, we wish we would have acted differently.
Luckily, there’s a world of these agents. Some claim that weed can do the trick for licensing factors, but others claim that it raises their inhibitions by increasing their anxiety. In Eugene Glendin’s Listening, one can view the process as a sober self-licensing agent. But I would like to specifically focus in on mushrooms as a potential self-licensing agent, for two reasons. First, one can remove barriers on a more permanent basis with these than other agents. Second, one can usually remain sober enough to consider whether removing a barrier is the right thing to do, though this is a function of dosage and careful thought. And much of the way tripping is traditionally thought of follow how a licensing intervention is created.
To create a licensing intervention, the creator first considers the hidden preferences of the receiver - what, in their heart of hearts, do they want? Then, if it is relevant, they then ask what is in the way. If not, they believe that the receiver can get around the blockage by simply acting on their newly revealed preferences. Finally, they must get it to stick; many interventions work for a short time, with diminishing returns. To be truly successful, the interventionist must get the receiver to form a habit, thus constituting the final step of the licensing intervention.
This process seems parallel to the process used with the proper licensing agent. First, one must “pack”, ruminating on what the user would like to work on and what information they need for that to happen. Instead of viewing their heart of hearts, as the user is not usually entirely privy to that yet - they look for the barriers and results of them. For example, if one wants to work on their anxiety, they may not know the actual source of it, but can see imprints on their experiences: recoiling at certain events, discomfort when presenting in a certain way, etc. This forms an idea of the barrier. Then, after the agent is taken, one can begin to ruminate on these ideas again, this time with greater clarity as to what is happening in their hidden preferences. Journaling this may work for some, talking for others, or possibly just a quiet room. Regardless, this process removes the barriers. The final component, after their journey, is to keep this habit. Yesterday, I mentioned that people tend to return to baseline after even lifechanging experiences. There is no one-size-fits-all method for preventing this, but a general idea is to practice during this altered state, and then continue that practice outside of it; action turns to routine, and routine is incorporated into personality.
On February 27, 2022, I thought it would be a great idea to create some sort of content - writing, art, coding, etc. - every day of the next month. Luckily, the alliteration worked out. This should be the fourteenth post in the series.