Ending it sweet

Erik Cheng

End it on a high note. Or is it a good note? The mixture of musical terms and emotions has been used to describe the urge to end a commitment, project, or experience with no loose ends and a sense of fulfillment.

This sense of satisfaction comes from the "peak-end rule" developed by psychologist and author Daniel Kahneman. In his theory, Kahneman hypothesized that humans reflect on an experience based on the most extreme point and its ending.

In an article written by researcher and psychologist Jeremy Sutton on PositivePsychology.com, he explains that we can use the peak-end rule to achieve a positive ending that can significantly impact any experience regardless of importance.

"For example, eating a preferred piece of food last during a meal improves the reflective experience (Müller et al., 2019)*. As a result, the dessert at the end of the meal could be significantly more important than the starter for the customer's experience and, ultimately, their review," Sutton said.

Outside of the restaurant industry, the peak-end rule can also be found in our entertainment. Movies and TV shows have gravitated towards ending with grand, emotional, and wowing moments to give viewers a positive and fulfilling impression of their production.

A noteworthy example of cinematic fulfillment and usage of the peak-end rule comes from the 2019 release of “Avengers: Endgame”. The movie was a highly anticipated sequel to a decade's worth of story-building by Marvel Studios. It lasted for three hours and left viewers, such as Carlmont junior James Hardy, feeling well-earned satisfaction.

"When I look back on Endgame, my first thought is not about the wonky computer-generated effects, any weird dialogue, nor an overdose of jokes. It's the moment when Captain America picks up Thor's hammer near the end of the movie," Hardy said. "In my opinion, it works so well because they've been building up to it for a decade, so you feel you really earned it when the Captain America you were introduced to all the way back in 2011 is now worthy of picking up the magic hammer."

Beyond film and entertainment, fulfillment and completion extend to life-defining moments. Carlmont senior Jace Areff has found a light of happiness despite his extraneous circumstances.

"I got a concussion and missed most of my junior year. My senior year really reintroduced a high level of socialization to me that I'm very happy to have, and it's liberating being able to be myself around people I care about," Areff said.

Despite never being able to finish his junior year, he does not let it define his time in high school.

"When I look back on my high school experience, I think of spending nights at my friend's houses, being on late-night calls, and going on wonderful adventures. When I think of my concussion, it's a whole separate thing. I don't even consider it part of my high school experience because of how many positive things have happened since," Areff said. His positive attitude towards his high school experience has bled into his motivation. Even though he has already submitted college applications, he focuses instead on his goals and satisfaction as his last year ends.

"It being my last year adds more emphasis on the spring final, as a sort of final performance review just to prove to myself that high school has meant something to me as an effective teaching tool," Areff said. "I know it feels arbitrary in a way because it's equal weight as any other final, but I have this feeling that if I'm ending a chapter of my life, I do want it to end with a sweet feeling."

Utilizing the peak-end rule is complex. For Areff, he had to confront his troubles and healthily process them. Local clinical psychologist Sandy Lillie further explains that it is essential for a journey to end on a "good note"; we must confront our lowest points to ensure we can enjoy the best of the emotional highs.

"You don't want to just move on without processing what happened. You want to feel like you have kind of confronted your troubles and allow yourself to be conscious and aware of whatever was difficult, and hopefully share it. It makes a lot of difference being able to share challenging experiences versus having to deal with them alone. It really affects how vulnerable you are and how resilient you can be," Lillie said.

*As seen in “What is the Peak-End Theory”.