I read, or at least flip through, a lot of magazines. Good ones. Bad ones. Those devoted to topics about which I have much interest, and those exploring areas I care little about.

Invariably, I find something of note. It may be a stunning photograph in Birds & Blooms, a fascinating tale of accomplishment in This Old House, or a thought-provoking review in Stereophile.

One thing I’m struck by is how often what I’m reading seems to relate to cigars. (You were wondering when we were going to get to that, weren’t you?) Like the other day when I was perusing the September issue of Men’s Health.

There are few people farther from the magazine’s target demographic than I: old, balding, overweight, arthritic, exercise-averse. But there’s usually something to catch my eye. In this case, it was an article about the power of money in our lives and ways in which we can exert control over it.

The article cited a fascinating study that revealed much about how little we understand our sense of enjoyment. Asked whether they preferred a massage with or without interruptions, 73% said without. “Yet those who then received an interrupted massage valued it twice as much,” according to the article.

Why, you ask. Well, the researcher, NYU professor Tom Meyvis, explained that the key is savoring. Experience too much and you adapt to the experience, failing to appreciate it. Break it up, though, and “you reduce adaptation and increase sensitivity,” Meyvis said, adding in the article, “I’d also suggest that instead of buying one big thing make little purchases over time to repeat that initial enjoyment effect.”

So, back to cigars. The implication seems pretty obvious to me: when you find a cigar you absolutely love, don’t buy a box. That would lead you to smoke them more regularly, become accustomed to them, and reduce your enjoyment of them. Instead, buy singles and you’ll have the pleasure of anticipating the purchase, smoking the cigar, and thinking about when you’ll smoke it again.

And with that I offer a doff of the chapeau to the good professor. I have no idea whether he’s a cigar smoker, but I plan to email him a copy of this commentary and see if he has any thoughts to offer. If he does, I’ll be sure to pass them along.

In the meantime, savor your cigars. Think, and grow, happy.

–George E



photo credit: Men’s Health