HW for 2/11

One of the most important points from the reading, in my opinion, was that of the relevance of aesthetics in our lives. Humans do not merely require food, water and air anymore, but now there is this emphasis on the aesthetically pleasing. The higher people rate the beauty of their community means apparently the higher they will rate their overall level of community satisfaction. As we expect basic services to just be provided for us, we tend to place a higher value on the need for pretty parks, streets and community organizations. People are just naturally drawn to and will pay for things that are more pleasing to the eye--hence the 'beauty premium'. In relating this to my life, it seems completely applicable as I am constantly going from city to city and comparing them. When I am at school, I miss specific aesthetic aspects about home that Nashville could not even begin to compare to--such as country clubs and highschool campuses. Downtown Baltimore is huge with a gorgeous marina front and thousands of restaurants-something that is important to me and something that Nashville is unable to compare to. It only seems natural that when picking a place to live as we graduate, we want to be somewhere where our surroundings are not only beautiful and comfortable, but that that beauty makes us want to be there. Throughout the hustle and bustle of NYC, there lies the tranquility of Central Park- something extremely necessary and important to the residents of the upper west side. If that were not there, it would only be logical to assume that people would rate their happiness there very differently.

A second point was that of meeting people and the culture of an environment. A person's ability to make friends is one of the most important factors in determining how happy we are in our communities. Going hang in hand with the importance of human interaction is that of sociability and having a fun nightlife. People want to be able to have schedules that are flexible and allow themselves freedom to be able to do fun things and go out if they choose to. When people are confined to their workplace and are on restrictive schedules, overall happiness declines. Time is one of our scarcest resources, yet a resource that is so important to us for personal satisfaction. As I am a very social person, this point is particularly relevant to me and I intend on applying it in the future when I again, pick a place to live. It is obvious that not only me, but that most people would be unhappy in an environment if they had no friends to relate to there or they were stuck in a place where it was difficult to make friends. Happiness is always better when it is shared and the thought of being alone n a big city, even with beautiful surroundings, seems completely undesirable for me. Along with the need for friends, the need to go out and have a good time every once in a while is equally important. I would not pick a place to live where I knew the nightlife was mediocre at best, rather aspire to live somewhere that has a thriving nightlife with a wide array of opportunities- somewhere such as NYC where obviously nightlife is not limited solely to bars. In comparing both important points, I know I would rather live somewhere that would more greatly cater to my social needs rather than my aesthetic ones as social interactions are imperative to one's happiness.

One of the most important points in class this week was discussing what motivates people. It is important to know what motivates people as it allows you to better understand why they are where they are, what makes them happy, and what makes them upset. Knowing these things allows for a stronger partnership not only in the workforce, but in the personal realm as well. As you better understand why people work for you, for example, as an employer, you can work harder in making sure their needs are met. There are all different types of motivating factors such as money, self-interest, love, sexual desires etc. In relating this to myself, both in the workplace and within personal relationships, I have found it helpful in talking about what I hope to gain out of my endeavors. In starting my internship this summer, I sat down with my boss and told her why I was there and what I had hoped to gain out of that summer experience. That discussion better enabled her when it came down to whether or not she would assign me a certain task. In looking to personal relationships and evaluating friendships, it can be very helpful to think and decide whether you are in that relationship for the right reasons, what motivated you to begin with and if its worth it anymore. I have been friends with a few people over the years that I am not currently still friends with as I decided that what motivated me to originally be friends with them is not there anymore-whether it be because of social reasons, personality reasons, etc.

A second point that I thought was very relevant was the principle that negative attention is better than no attention at all. This means that our innate drive for attention is so large that we would rather have negative attention upon us instead of 'staying under the radar'. If people feel that they are being ignored or are not standing out in some way, they will attempt to stand out positively and what that fails, they ultimately crave this negative attention. It seems logical as people have this desire to be recognized-no one wants to go through life without people realizing that they are there, however it is strange that we resort to negative attention to get people to see us. I can't say that I have ever consciously tried to cast a negative light on myself to stand out, but I probably have been unconsciously guilty of doing so. As far as the Vanderbilt social scene goes, many girls come to my mind as attention cravers and when they do not get it, they undoubtedly resort to some drunken antic that will gain them recognition-for at least a week or so until the next person outdoes them. In thinking about any prominent social scene, it becomes clearer and clearer how deeply people want to be recognized and what lengths they will go to achieve that.