Decoding Experiencing Self vs. Remembering Self: Insights for Consumer Happiness

Abstract

The Riddle of Experience vs. Memory Reflection: Experiencing self, remembering self, and happiness of consumers Difference between experiencing self and remembering self According to Kahneman, experiencing self experiences the emotional state at the moment while the remembering self keeps the memory of the experienced moment (3:00-25). Experiencing self knows only the present moment as it concentrates on what is happening at that given moment. On the other hand, remembering the self tells a story of a past or anticipated experience. For example, in a surgical procedure, patient A experiences a shorter procedure than patient B. However though both experience the same intensity of pain for a short duration with patient B experiencing an extension of some minutes on a lower pain level, one may wish to understand which among the two suffered more. While reflecting on the experiencing self, patient B suffered more due to the procedural length and the remembering self exposes patient A to a much worse memory of the procedure due to the intensity of the pain. What does this imply in the context of consumers? Arguing both patients as potential consumers in a given medical facility, it is open that their experiences differ in a manner that might affect their attitude towards the facility. Due to the severity of the procedure, patient B might hate the facility and wish to never attend it arguing the extended time as a form of negligence while A might love the facility for its prompt accuracy and attendance of the procedure though fear repeating such an experiencing without expressing any negative attitude towards the facility. In either case, regardless of the experience happiness becomes the outcome if the procedure cured the patient. Why better experiences do not guarantee better memories Humans hold the treasure of bad moments most especially in case of a held grudge. Humans tend to notice the negatives more than the positives making the remembering self keep track of such experiences as a strong memory that reminds the victim of a bad past. Based on Kahneman, remembering the self tells the victim a story...