First time use
It is interesting how my enjoyment of different products depends highly on how many times I’ve used that exact item before.
For example, the best experience of brushing my teeth is always the first time I use a new toothbrush.
With socks, the best experience wearing new socks is always the second or third wear. You know, when they still feel brand new, but they have way less lint.
Other than single-use products, can you think of other products where your enjoyment changes based on how many times you’ve used it before?
Enjoyment of my poker set (from my perspective) has definitely changed over time. The first couple of uses were wonderful as I got to take home not only the poker set but additional pieces of minted paper in my wallet. However, over time those additional pieces of minted paper in my wallet have disappeared each time I used my poker set until I hit a “tipping point” when I had less paper than I began with. I believe there is a theory floating out there that this might be due to the “Marschall Effect” which is currently being studied but additional funding is required for further research 😉
I know it is similar to socks, but jeans…definitely best when worn in. However, I do not like that companies are now selling pre-worn jeans. I feel that somehow cheapens my efforts or wearing the same pair of jeans for a long time to get them just right and comfortable.
@ Mahesh
Great addition! I think you’ve hit on something there, how product usage changes not based on the changes in the product itself, but in how the interaction plays out and how it affects us. Thanks. Let us know how the future Marschaal Effect research goes.
@ K
Yes! Even though I don’t know if one can pick the exact number of times after first use that jeans become “worn in,” there definitely is some point at which they become better for having been used.