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Having a scoop of ice cream before dinner? Keeping up with the Kardashian’s family life? Buying flowers for yourself? Drinking milk direction from the carton? Are you guilty of these?
Well, you’re not alone. Canadians are notorious for spending more than $200 per month on restaurant food every month. We’re also known to spend a lot in Tim Horton, Starbucks and The Second Cup. And who says we’re not fans of online shopping and beauty services?
In a survey conducted by Credit One Canada and Credit Canada, they discovered these guilty pleasures among Canadians who’ve made sacrifices such as getting a second job or selling their stuff so they can pay for their indulgences.
So before you turn red-faced when made to confess your guilty pleasure, remember that it also has its benefits.
Research published by the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford revealed that among the surveyed call center workers of British Telecom, supported the economics of wellbeing: happy workers are more productive workers. This means that if they prioritize their personal happiness, they can be better at their work performance.
In my case, I treat myself to endless streaming of reality competition shows. I know they’re not everyone’s cup of tea and to be honest, they’re awfully entertaining. But for some reason (and I suppose it’s because of their high viewership), they have been renewed for many seasons now.
And I don’t have to feel apologetic for this list. I consider each show mentally stimulating even if the critics at RottenTomatoes or iMDB don’t share my views LOL.
My point is if it’s not affecting your mental and physical health, or distracting you from nurturing your relationships, then by all means go for it!
Several contestants gather in a single building and are restricted from having any personal contact with each other and the outside world. However, they are allowed to communicate via the in-house social media network called the Circle. They’re allowed to assume fake identities and even catfish others to become the ultimate “influencer” and eject the least popular contestants.
Why do I like it? It’s because it presents the social reality that inauthenticity is in some way, part of who we are. Many of us pretend to be somebody we’re not and it’s for a reason that I cannot judge them to be outright disappointments. The point is, we can’t be downright judgmental of anyone. They may look and sound manipulative (I’m looking at you, Seaburn!) but in reality, they’re the best friend we’ve always wanted to have.
The second season has gotten more exciting with the addition of Chloe Veitch from Too Hot to Handle (read my review below). It’s more reflective of our need for human connections, even if it means taking a risk by trusting those whom we know not much of.
Okay, I know it’s another reality dating show. But Love is Blind serves us a different treatment of the genre: 30 single men and women meet in what they call “conversation pods” that prevent them from seeing each other. Through anonymous courtship, the men would propose to the women and then get to meet face to face for the first time.
During their engagement, they attend a couple’s retreat, move to the same apartment with other couples, and then meet their fiancé’s families. On the day of their wedding, they make their final decision whether to get married or ditch the wedding ring.
So far, two couples in Season 1 who got married are still together (Lauren and Cameron, Amber and Matthew) while another has split up but decided to stay together (Giannina and Damian).
Yes, it’s absurd and lovable at the same time but it’s for this reason that shows like this get viewers like me more excited on what happens after the filming wraps to check if the couples are still together or not.
But if you want a terrible binge-watching experience, then this has got to be it. Too Hot to Handle gathers single men and women in an exotic location and can have the chance to split $100,000 if they have made no kissing, love-making or any self-gratifying act throughout their stay. Sounds easy? Well, it’s not if you’re trapped on an island with bombshells and bronzed toned guys. So if they commit a “crime,” the prize money drops until the end of filming.
I’ve got to be honest, there’s nothing really life-changing in a show that glorifies hedonists being challenged to remain chaste for a couple of days. It’s horrible. It’s unappealing. But as with any guilty pleasure, I keep coming back for more LOL!
Indulging in guilty pleasures is something that we are all guilty of. However, as the saying goes, too much of something is bad enough (the Spice Girls have reminded us of that in the 90s).
However, harmless guilty pleasures can give us self-compassion — the kind that we need when we’re too stressed at work or when we’ve lost our time for self-care.
After all, if it’s just an occasional type of pleasure, then there’s no reason to keep yourself from enjoying that special time that you deserve the most.
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