A few years ago I went shopping with a friend for a now motorcycle. He didn’t have a particular make or model in mind. His only two critteria? A big engine—since too much horsepower is never enough—and since he’s tall, a relativety relaxed riding position.

I suggested a Hayabusa, which met his criteria. Or an XS-14R. Both were within his budget, especially the Hayabusa since the dealer was offering a $2.500 discount on a previous year’s model.

He rode them both and loved them both.

Then he became very interested in a ZX-6R KRT. Great motorcycle, sure. But a much smaller motor. And a riding position that made him look like a contorted mantis(变形的螳螂). It seemed like an odd choice.

Until it hit me. The purchase of any motorcycle 750cc and under came with a free helmet.

Since my friend also wanted a new helmet, getting one for free was extremely appealing.

After all the math didn’t work. We eventually negotiated $3,200 off the price of the Hayabusa. The free helmet was only worth $250.

A 2017 study published in Marketing Science found that people tend to significantly overvalue “free”. When faced with a choice of selecting one of several available products, people will choose the option with the highest cost-benefit difference, however, decisions about free (zero-price) products differ, in that people do not simply take away costs from benefits but instead consider the benefits associated with free products as

Two months later my fiend traded in his 6R for a 14R. But don’t think badly of him. We’ve all been blinded by the power of “free”.

So whenever something is free, stop and consider the intent, and see “free” as a reason to do even more math.

Three years ago, a group of researchers at Cornell University Food and Brand Lab had a guess. They knew that many apples being served to kids as part of the National School Lunch Program were ending up in the trash, almost untouched. But unlike others, they wondered if the reason was more complicated than simply that the kids didn’t want the fruit.

They thought the fact that the apples were being whole, rather than sliced (切片的), was doing the fruit no favor. And they wanted to prove this idea.

They carried out a study at eight schools and found that fruit consumption (消费) jumped by more than 60 percent when apples were served sliced. They then made a follow-up study at six other schools, which not only showed the same result, but further supported. The whole apple consumption at schools that served sliced apples reduced by about 50 percent than before.

Based on these results, it seems that even the simplest forms of inconvenience can influence us. Sliced apples just make more sense for kids. The hardest part is getting kids to start eating fruit, and that’s exactly why sliced apples are the way to go. A child holding a whole apple has to break the skin, eat around the core (果核), and deal with the inconvenience of holding a large fruit. These problems might seem silly or unimportant, but they’re important when you’re missing teeth or have braces (牙箍), as so many kids do.

Sometimes what seems like a really small inconvenience actually makes a huge difference.

Give yourself a test. Which way is the wind blowing? How many kinds of wildflowers can be seen from your front door? If your awareness is as sharp as it could be, you’ll have no trouble answering these questions.

Most of us observed much more as children than we do as adults. A child’s day is filled with fascination, newness and wonder. Curiosity gave us all a natural awareness. But distinctions that were sharp to us as children become unclear; we are numb to new stimulation, new ideas. Relearning the art of seeing the world around us is quite simple, although it takes practice and requires breaking some bad habits.

The first step in awakening senses is to stop predicting what we are going to see and feel before it occurs. This blocks awareness. One chilly night when I was hiking in the Rocky Mountains with some students, I mentioned that we were going to cross a mountain stream. The students began complaining about how cold it would be. We reached the stream, and they unwillingly walked ahead. They were almost knee-deep when they realized it was a hot spring. Later they all admitted they’d felt cold water at first.

Another block to awareness is the obsession (痴迷) many of us have with naming things. I saw bird watchers who spotted a bird, immediately looked it up in field guides, and said, a “ruby-crowned kinglet” and checked it off. They no longer paid attention to the bird and never learned what it was doing.

The pressures of “time” and “destination” are further blocks to awareness. I encountered many hikers who were headed to a distant camp-ground with just enough time to get there before dark. It seldom occurred to them to wander a bit, to take a moment to see what’s around them. I asked them what they’d seen. “Oh, a few birds,” they said. They seemed bent on their destinations.

Nature seems to unfold to people who watch and wait. Next time you take a walk, no matter where it is, take in all the sights, sounds and sensations. Wander in this frame of mind and you will open a new dimension to your life.