Pleasure-to-Enjoyment Equation
Add people and memory to pleasure so the experience becomes richer
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 98%
Brooks distinguishes pleasure, which he describes as an immediate reward signal, from enjoyment, which he says adds people and memory. His compact equation is pleasure plus people plus memory equals enjoyment. The practical move is to inspect a pleasurable activity, especially one that can become compulsive, and ask whether it can be made social, relational, and memorable rather than merely repeated for another short reward. He uses alcohol advertising as an illustration of the distinction, not as evidence that social drinking is harmless. The model should therefore be applied within health and safety limits. It can enrich a suitable leisure activity, but it does not neutralize addiction risk or make every pleasure better simply because other people are present.
Origin
Extracted from The Diary of a CEO
Core principles
- 01Pleasure and enjoyment are not identical
- 02Compulsive solitary pleasure can narrow an experience
- 03Social connection adds relational value
- 04Memory extends value beyond the immediate reward
How to run it
- 1
Identify the reward
Name what provides the immediate pleasure and how often you repeat it.
Pro tip Notice whether you value the activity once the immediate sensation passes.
- 2
Check for capture
Look for compulsion, isolation, escalation, or harm that suggests the activity should be reduced or addressed directly.
Watch out Do not use this framework to rationalize unsafe substance use or addiction.
- 3
Add people appropriately
Where the activity is safe, share it with people whose company adds connection rather than pressure.
Pro tip Choose the relationship before choosing the stimulation.
Watch out A social setting does not make a harmful activity safe.
- 4
Make a memory
Give the experience a context, conversation, or shared event that remains valuable after the immediate reward fades.
- 5
Review the after-effect
Compare the connection and remembered value with the short-lived pleasure and adjust future choices.
In the wild
Brooks contrasts drinking alone with sharing a limited drink among friends and creating a memory together. He uses the contrast to explain his enjoyment equation, while also acknowledging that alcohol can be addictive.
→ The social and remembered context adds value beyond the immediate pleasure, without removing the need for safety limits.
Common mistakes
Calling every pleasure enjoyment
Brooks reserves enjoyment for an experience enriched by people and memory rather than immediate reward alone.
Using company as a safety waiver
Social context does not erase the risks of an addictive or harmful behavior.
Is it for you?
Best for
People reviewing ordinary pleasures that have become solitary, repetitive, or disconnected from relationships.
Not ideal for
Substance dependence or compulsive behavior that requires professional support rather than social reframing.
From the transcript
“you need to add people in memory”
“pleasure alcohol plus people plus memory equals enjoyment”
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