Mark’s Daily Apple

The Hypothetical Game

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When I was a kid my best friend and I loved playing the hypothetical game. In case you are unfamiliar with this pastime it basically involves inquiring as to the minimum limits of compensation it would take to get the other person to experience something downright horrible. For example, “How much money would it take for you to run up to ugly Julie right now and kiss her on the mouth?� (We were juvenile, I know.) Or maybe, “How many Snickers would it take to get you to eat an entire earthworm?�

The consequences of such actions are fairly clear. My friend would probably be slapped by Julie and made a social pariah in the first case, and would likely vomit in the latter. Oh, but the sweet reward. We all have our price, and this is the beauty of the hypothetical game. (I think at age 10 it was somewhere around $100 and 2 1/2, respectively.)

The health version of the hypothetical game goes something like this: What sort of compensation would it take to get you to experience an intense blood sugar spike, increased urinary excretion of essential minerals, followed by an extended period of irritability and lethargy? Would a single can of soda do the trick? Most people would say no in all honesty, but do just the opposite in action. Strange, huh?

What happens if…

you drink a can of Coke right now?

you stay awake for 11 days straight?

you keep puffing away? (Warning: Graphic Image and Large File >7 mb)

you party a little too hardy?

you play golf during a thunderstorm?

you stop smoking right now?

you are a child that watches too much television?

you imbibe alcohol during pregnancy?

and last but not least…

you play too close to the event horizon?

Technorati Tags: hypothetical game, smoking, alcohol, sleep deprivation, childhood obesity, hypertension, lightning, black holes, Coke, soda

Posted under: Health, Humor, Personal Improvement

3 comments

1. Crystal:
   
2. November 1st, 2007 at 1:40 pm

   Good post Aaron.

3. Sara:
   
4. November 1st, 2007 at 10:55 pm

   I agree, I thought this was creative and interesting.

5. dr vic:
   
6. November 7th, 2007 at 1:29 pm

   Thanks for linking my article (What happens when you drink Coke). More will be forthcoming. Apparently, your readers appreciate this kind of link from the feedback we’ve had. Keep up the good work!

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