The Side Effects of Endorphins

When I was younger. What a useless sentence as I have always been younger. Somehow, I became a huge fan of the Los Angeles Rams. Their helmets were cool and for other unknown reasons.

Rams

I don’t know why I noticed this, but I took notice of my relationship with winning and losing. When the Rams won I was happy and when they lost I was depressed. I also noticed the magnitude was much higher when they lost.

Completely Made Up Math

Rams Win (+ 4,5 Happy points)

Rams Lose (- 6.0 Unhappy points)

So using that swaggy math, if the Rams went 8 and 6 in a season it was a wash.

Writing Submissions

So I started doing the same math with submitting short stories and artwork to magazines. The ratios are so different. Let’s assume a 1 in 10 rejection rate. I think mine is a bit lower.

Rejection (-2 unhappy points)

Acceptance ( 10 happy points)

While the rejections are more frequent, the elation for acceptance that much higher. With any of these equations there are diminishing returns as you kind of get used to the rejections . I would have to introduce a different differential equation here but that’s over complicating the situation.

But you do get used to the rejection, so that number should theoretically decrease.

Simultaneous Equations

This equation does not sit by itself. Or does the one with the football example? As the joy of watching a game or creating a story should factor into the equation.

Race

Today I contemplated running a race. I have not run a race in seven years. About an hour before the race I contemplated not showing up. There were so many reasons not to run including a sore hamstring, my age, my ego and the warmth of this here chair.

Equations

They don’t matter all that much. Remember that girl you wanted to ask out in the tenth grade but never did. You never know until you toe the starting line.

I showed up today and ran the race. I actually did well.

Let’s use that equation on the girl from the 10th grade.

Tenth Grade {Ask out that pretty Girl)

She says yes (+ 11 happiness)

She says no ( -8 unhappiness)

You never ask (-1) but this may linger for years, oh my goodness.

Misplaced Math – of course every situation in life is not solved by a mathematical equation. We still do them in our head, even if we don’t realize that. And we’re not always right..