Why would you choose enjoyment over pleasure?
Because enjoyment is pleasure shared with others and can improve your long-term well-being.
It’s quite easy to confuse pleasure with enjoyment.
It’s easier to understand the difference between the two.
And also, it is worth to remember which one to prefer, if you were to make a conscious choice.
Read on if you’re curious – I promise it’s easy to tell the difference.
So let’s start with pleasure.
Pleasure in itself is not an emotion, but it accompanies emotions.
Think of a moment when someone surprised you with a gift you wanted for a long time? You felt surprise and pleasure. How about that moment when you tasted a new ice cream flavour that you found delicious? You felt excitement and pleasure.
So pleasure is physical in nature and it often depends on the five senses.
It is also passive – you don’t need to take any action or make any effort, to feel it during positive life experiences.
Pleasure is immediate and also diminishes if you get used to the experience it links to. First time you taste that new ice cream flavour, you feel great pleasure. The second time you taste it, you already know the flavour and you get less pleasure, compared to the first time. And the third time, the pleasure diminishes even further. The more you get used to the stimulus that causes the pleasure, the less pleasure you feel (as per the law of pleasure).
Enjoyment is the pleasure of either engaging in an activity with others, or taking on a personal development challenge.
So enjoyment is deeper and involves active engagement. For example, playing a game or learning a skill can bring enjoyment.
Enjoyment often has a lasting, more meaningful impact on well-being.
Think of memories you create when sharing positive experience with your friends (remember the exciting ice-cream flavour?). Or the long-term satisfaction you gain from knowing you can cook great meals for your loved ones.
In conclusion, both enjoyment and pleasure are valuable. But enjoyment tends to provide more sustainable personal fulfilment in the long run.
To summarize:
- Pleasure: immediate, passive, sensory, short-lived.
- Enjoyment: involves effort, active engagement, long-lasting satisfaction, great memories.
- Whenever possible, choose enjoyment over pleasure.
