In case you’ve been wondering why all those promised-to-be-fun parties on the night before the new year fail to live up to expectations, this video from AsapSCIENCE might help.
The problem, it appears, is with us and not with the party. We visualise many – perhaps too many – exciting things, injecting fiction and optimism bias into reality. As strange as this may seem, if we’re trying too hard to have fun, things don’t feel as good in the end.
There’s also a lot of baggage and reflection attached to the transition. Often we choose the new year, the big event, to look back on the bad stuff and suffer through an existential crisis. Who knew?
Alcohol does nothing to help. While it may cause a temporary spike in emotions, it is actually a depressant and has an adverse effect on our mood later.
Don’t forget the midnight kiss hyped by popular culture and romantic comedies over the years. It probably even feels quite good if you’re with someone you know and love, but exchanging a kiss and lots of bacteria with a complete stranger when the clock strikes twelve isn’t exactly the same.
The good news, though is that this particular hour is actually a very minuscule part of your year (0.273972603 percent), and there’s a lot more waiting for you.
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