Aperitif Effect

A small glass before dinner sharpens the appetite; that is why the drink exists. The effect named after it is broader: a small taste of anything increases the hunger for more of it.

The principle runs through ordinary life. Five minutes of a good book makes an hour likely. One small win on Monday makes a productive week likely. The first push of a flywheel is the hardest — after the taste, momentum begins to do the work for you.

But the same door swings both ways. One cigarette after quitting makes the second likely. One glance at the quarrel online makes the hour of quarrelling likely. The appetite does not care what it is fed; it only learns to want more of it.

So be deliberate about first sips. Offer yourself small beginnings of the things you want more of, and refuse the ceremonial first taste of the things you want less of. The meal follows the aperitif.