
The Hawthorne Effect is what we call the change in people when they know they’re being watched. People started to talk about it after a study done in 1955 by the researcher, Henry A. Landsberger. Landsberger analyzed experiments done by Elton…
Have you ever noticed that when something is forbidden, dangerous, inaccessible or difficult, it appears to be that much more attractive?
However, when things are too easy, or we’re sure that we have it in the bag, we end up getting bored or losing interest. This is known as the Forbidden Fruit Effect.
The Forbidden Fruit Effect occurs in every person. It’s a result of man’s desire to learn about the unknown and the consequences of things that are supposed to be dangerous.
We humans greatly dislike prohibitions and impositions, since it makes us feel as though our freedom is threatened. This is one asset that we all see as being extremely valuable.
“There is a charm about the forbidden that makes it unspeakably desirable.”
-Mark Twain
Therefore, when something is forbidden, it immediately catches our eye and curiosity. All of a sudden, we’re highly motivated to learn about it, achieve it and explore it. This serves as an affirmation to ourselves that we’re truly free, and alleviates our unbearable curiosity.
Ever since our childhood, family, the school system and society in general have all told us what’s good and bad. They’ve imposed certain limits that we mustn’t cross, because if we do, there will be negative consequences for us.
But everyone likes to test these consequences they’ve been warned about, in the flesh. This is because the second we realize there’s a dark side, it draws our attention and causes a desire to attempt it and test it’s limits.
Overcoming the barriers that the world imposes upon us and everyone else, provokes a certain sense of pleasure, due to something known as “conscious fear.” This means that, although a person is aware of the consequences they could potentially face, they’re also aware that they control the situation. So, if need be, they can theoretically stop the adventure and back away.
This is what people tend to believe even though it’s not as simple as one might think. However, this sense of control is responsible for a person enjoying the transgression of certain rules or standards.
Our taste for things that are censored, complicated, or bring dangerous consequences, is present in a multitude of situations that we face on a daily basis. Take social relationships, for example. If a girl or a guy complicates things, it makes them irresistible. But if you realize that they’re in the palm of your hand and are crazy about you, you quickly lose interest.
This tends to happen because that controllable “danger” that makes our adrenaline kick in is no longer present, and causes it to no longer be exciting.
“The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it… I can resist everything but temptation.”
-Oscar Wilde
The same is true for infidelities. That tingling sensation that runs through your body when you do something morally incorrect, for some, is very tempting and attractive. Violating the contract you have established with your partner can be dangerous, but knowing you’re putting yourself in that danger is the exciting part.
The same thing occurs when you go on certain diets. When you’re told that it’s absolutely forbidden to eat chocolate, drink soda, or consume any other specific food, you will constantly be thinking about that temptation throughout the day, and almost always succumb to it.
Managing the Forbidden Fruit Effect can be beneficial if we become aware of it’s existence, and learn to manage it adequately.
Here are a few pieces of advice to achieve this:
“Most people would like to be delivered from temptation but would like it to keep in touch.”
-Robert Orben
Understanding the Forbidden Fruit Effect is important for positively managing our relationships with the people around us, and better dealing with certain situations.
We must be well aware that what’s most important, both to us and to others, is to conquer freedom, while maintaining the ability to choose and exude self-control.