Discussion keeps the world turning.
You're tuned in to Roundtable.
I'm Steve Hatherly.
Today with Xingyu and Yusheng.
Coming up.
You know that frustration you've been carrying around, the frustration that has you thinking maybe I'll just go live in the forest and throw my cell phone in a lake so no one can contact me ever.
Well, what if I told you you can get rid of that frustration in under a minute?
There's a psychological trick that does exactly that, researchers say.
They call it mental subtraction.
It's not about forcing yourself to feel grateful per se, but it is about shifting your perspective so that gratitude shows up on its own.
We're going to talk about how it works, why it's backed by science and how you can use it right now.
After that, in China's rapidly evolving food landscape, one format has become the industry's most adaptable canvas.
Coffee chains are selling them, noodle brands are on board, hot pot restaurants and even dessert shops are adding them to their menus.
What am I talking about?
The burger.
It has become something of a culinary blank slate.
Why has it become so popular all of a sudden?
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You know that feeling, the one where everything just gets on your nerves.
Maybe your boss scheduled another late afternoon meeting.
Your partner, they left their socks on the floor again.
That annoys a lot of people.
Maybe your neighbor's dog won't stop barking.
Doesn't matter where the frustration came from.
You are mad.
Maybe you've even started daydreaming about escaping it all, getting away from it all, because that will fix all of your problems right.
Well, how about this?
What if you could short circuit that anger, that frustration, and land on genuine gratitude in less than 60 seconds?
This is the promise of a tool called mental subtraction.
Don't be fooled.
It's not math in any way, shape or form.
It's a psychological exercise that is backed by research.
We're going to learn how it works today.
I found this on the Internet.
And I love to talk about these types of stories because, to me, even though psychologists might back these stories and say yeah, they work, they might not work for every person in every scenario.
So let's get into it and then see if it will work for us.
So mental subtraction, it's kind of for what ifs.
Exercises where you imagine that a person or a job or a circumstance in your life, a positive person, a positive job, a positive circumstance never existed at all.
That's confusing.
I'm going to explain it in just a second.
Sounds like a cell therapy.
Yeah, well, it is kind of self therapy.
This came directly from a movie.
There's a famous movie called It's a Wonderful Life.
And in that film, the character is shown what the world would look like if he had never been born.
So this concept of mental subtraction comes exactly from that film.
So the concept is this.
There's a clinical psychologist.
Her name is Karen Stewart and she uses it with her clients who complain about their jobs.
And when they start to complain, she asks them a question.
She says, Meaning that job doesn't exist in your life just like that.
How would that make you feel?
This is what she asks her clients.
And it forces her clients to get out of the complaining cycle, stop and reflect.
Okay, what if tomorrow that job didn't exist anymore?
Would you be happy about that or would you not?
This is what's called mental subtraction, because you are mentally subtracting that thing from your life.
And researchers say it forces you to suddenly feel appreciation and gratitude.
The reaction is often...
Well, no, I mean, you know, I like I know I complain about my job, but it's pretty, pretty good.
Yeah, I like I like having it.
So that's why they call it an immediate mental reset that you can do within 60 seconds.
So it's not simply about appreciating what you have or appreciating the positive side of some things, but to look at if the good thing didn't happen or if it didn't happen at all.
Yeah, and then would you be happier or would you... Would you not?
Yeah, or would you not?
Yeah, it's as simple as that.
But isn't it just like you are getting to one extreme and then you are using another extreme to kind of counter that kind of feeling?
Mm-hmm.
But the thing is that it is a what-if question.
Yes.
So it didn't solve anything.
Some actual problem.
It doesn't solve.
The only problem it solves is the mental focus on the complaining and the perspective that you have about that thing that you're complaining about.
So is it similar to like we have?
All many of us have done the exercise of writing down the things that you are grateful for.
What's that called?
Gratitude journaling?
Gratitude journaling.
No.
Okay.
So they say it's not the same as gratitude journaling, because gratitude journaling is listing things that you are thankful for in your life.
I am thankful.
Number one, today I am thankful for my house.
Today I am thankful for my best friend.
That, according to clinical psychologists, the problem with that is that you can get bored with gratitude.
You can get bored with writing things down that you are supposed to be or shouldn't are appreciative of, and it can diminish the gratitude that you'll have for that thing if you're doing it all the time.
I guess it's like if your mom tells you that she loves you uh, 75 times a day, then the power of the words I love you is going to be diminished over time.
So it's a little bit different from gratitude journaling.
Now, there are a couple of caveats here.
You have to do this.
It's most effective when you're feeling frustrated.
So you don't just wake up in the morning and say, oh well, I complained about this thing, so let me try to do this mental subtraction exercise.
No, you have to do it when you're in the moment.
When you're in the moment.
I am so frustrated with my boyfriend.
He's driving me crazy these days.
He won't stop texting me.
I'm at work.
I'm trying to do my job and I feel pressure like I have to reply right away.
Okay, stop.
What if your boyfriend...
Disappears.
Didn't exist anymore.
What if he was erased?
Would that be better for you?
And then people say, oh, well, no, not really.
He's a really good guy.
And he does a lot of very nice things for me.
So it stops you from focusing on the thing and, you know, putting your energy into the thing and shifting your perspective so that you can feel the gratitude.
And the gratitude comes naturally, they say at that time.
Sometimes I kind of realize that it's for the situation, that it is something that is bugging you, but the actual or the key thing that is bugging you is your own idea or your own annoyance to this kind of thing.
It is like you.
Maybe there is one way that you can solve this problem, but though the mind Or the idea of it is so hard to solve, this problem is actually something that is making you so annoyed and frustrated.
Yeah.
And that's the moment you can have this method to actually calm yourself down, first of all, and then maybe you will have the ability to actually do the thing or solve the problem.
Xinyu, do you think this is effective or do you think like, oh, what?
No, not really.
Can I have a try?
Yes.
You can have a try.
We're going to do that right now.
So let's do this exercise.
Let's go around in a circle.
And let's ask exactly the questions to see if this will work for us or not.
So I'm going to ask you Yushin, tell me one thing that you complained about yesterday.
In the last 24 hours,
And why did you complain about it?
My complaint is about the door in my apartment that I'm renting right now.
It is really steamy hot and it is an older place and the landlord isn't exactly someone who likes to spend money on upgrades.
That's why my door is still one of those old wooden doors you'd expect to see in the 1980s.
I can imagine.
Okay.
Wow.
Okay.
Now, imagine.
You should.
That door is gone.
Are you happier or are you not?
So the scenario is like, I don't even have a door now.
In this scenario, you are doorless.
No, totally not.
You're not happier.
No.
Now, does it change your perspective at all?
It feels like it's even worse, but I understand that.
Okay, it is at least better than nothing, that kind of idea.
See, there you go.
At least I have a door, even though it is really old.
That is the way that we think from another perspective, that when you're living in a very bad environment, but imagine or think that at least you are alive.
Well done.
Well done.
All right, your turn.
You can ask Xinyu.
So, Xingyu, what is that one thing you've been complaining about in the last 24 hours?
I was complaining about the noise outside my apartment because of the road construction that it's been going on for like weeks.
And that's really bugging me.
What are they building?
The metro line one, they're extending the metro.
So yes, there is a road construction there.
Now, what if your house is actually in the middle of a park, there are no any roads?
Would it be happier?
But shouldn't this therapy be, the noise was gone?
No, I think it should be about the subway station.
The subway station is gone.
There wouldn't be any plan for having public transportation near you.
Would it be happier?
Right.
So the subway station.
Now I've joined the therapy session.
We are co-therapists.
So if the subway, that's got to be a good thing, right?
There's going to be a subway station right in front of your house.
It's so convenient when it's finished.
Would it be better if the subway station was just gone?
Oh, actually, you did offer me another perspective into how I look at the thing.
Because the construction is something neutral.
And I was interpreting it as bad thing because it's noisy.
But it's just part of the process.
Yeah, it's part of the process.
And now I get it.
Yes.
I would rather to have that metro line.
So, Steve.
Yes.
What's one thing you've complained about in the last 24 hours?
The sofa in my house, I believe, is the most uncomfortable sofa in the world.
I feel like sometimes they constructed it to be painful instead of comfortable.
And I complain about it all the time.
So now...
Imagine that the sofa was gone.
If you gave me some gasoline and a lighter, I would happily eliminate that sofa from the planet.
So in this scenario, this strategy- But that means that you will not have any sofa in your house.
I'll sit on the floor.
The floor is more comfortable than this thing.
I'm telling you, this is the worst sofa I've ever seen.
Who built this thing?
Okay.
So this brings us to our point.
This doesn't work all the time.
Right.
This has to be this mental subtraction thing, has to be about something that you value most of the time, if not at least some of the time.
So it's about.
Maybe this is something that you value, but a specific part of this thing that you don't like.
Yeah, right.
So, instead of focusing on the thing that you don't like, think about the bigger picture, and that'll help you reset.
It's kind of cool, right?
I don't think it works in every situation, but I think it can work in some situations.
I kind of tended against it at the beginning, but after the two examples of me and Xinyu I started to realize well, it's hard to admit, but it's.
It works.
Yeah, effective.
Give it a shot.
Next time you feel frustrated, it's called mental subtraction.
Coming up next, burgers, burgers everywhere, and so many types to eat.
Looking for passion?
How about fiery debate?
Want to hear about current events in China from different perspectives?
Then tune in to Roundtable, where East meets West and understanding is the goal.
In China's fast-changing food scene, the burger has become one of the most flexible and borrowable formats in the entire industry.
Coffee chains, noodle brands, hot pot restaurants, Even dessert shops are all adding burgers to their menu.
What is going on?
What is up with the obsession with the burger craze these days?
Yeah, as we mentioned that so many different types that you could never think that they will have a dish called burger is happening right now here in China coffee brands.
Also, hot pot and social dining brands.
Also, even traditional Chinese rice noodle specialists, they are also offering burgers.
And that is when people are starting to...
You know, wonder why they're all having burgers.
But the thing is that some of these brands that they are not like originally designing or having burger dishes, their burgers are quite good compared to some of the traditional fast food brands.
They can be and they can be playful as well.
There are certain hot pot restaurants that have introduced very visually playful, I guess is the word burgers like a pink color burger designed for social media.
I mean, that's not your traditional menu item.
Right.
You wouldn't have a hard time finding a pink burger.
But these burgers, sometimes at these restaurants, the hot pot restaurants, these are designed to go viral.
Right.
So it gets customers in the door a little bit and then they order the burger.
They take a picture of the burger.
They go online and post it.
And then people are like, oh, what's that hot pot restaurant?
Let's go check it out.
And sometimes they use some even traditional Chinese materials or ingredients to make it a kind of more localized burger.
Chinese cuisine inspired burgers.
Exactly.
Some of the – for example, I think I used to eat one.
It's an omelet burger.
There are eggs inside, but it's like Chinese-style omelet, like deep-fried with spicy – that kind of – sauce.
Is it good?
It is good.
Okay.
Yeah, it's like you are eating a burger while having a Chinese dish.
But in one bite.
So one of the big reasons, obviously, is to get more customers in the door.
I'm curious did you go there specifically because you knew about that burger, or did you just happen to see it on the menu?
Yes, because they branded themselves as Chinese-style burgers.
Yeah, see, right?
So it's working.
Mm-hmm.
It's working.
How are the traditional burger spots responding to this?
Like your big burger players like, I don't know, McDonald's or KFC or those big restaurants.
Yeah.
In China.
So some of these traditional giants, they're expanding aggressively into lower tier cities.
I guess that's because now the food and beverage industry is highly competitive.
The supply is definitely bigger than demand, and they are competing for customers.
In the previous shows we've talked about tea shops they're selling snacks and coffee shops they're selling bread and light meals, and all of these elements are being incorporated into this industry.
I have a question.
How is the burger viewed from the average consumer here in China?
I think in the West, I think it's fair to say a burger is seen as something that's very unhealthy.
It's seen as kind of like a cheat food.
If you're on any kind of strict diet or anything like that, it's like a treat.
Yeah.
Is it viewed like that here or is it viewed differently, do you think?
In some way, yes.
It's still perceived as, quote unquote, junk food.
But the thing is that there is a trend that telling people, okay, if you don't have...
For example, dressings or different sauce in the burger.
Burgers are actually very healthy food because it has protein, it has vegetables, it has carbohydrates.
And you can have all of them in one dish and it is quite healthy if you only eat these kind of healthy ingredients.
And more importantly for these young customers, I mean the burger accompanied by a cup of coffee together.
I mean, these can be a... Burger and a coffee.
That sounds weird to me.
Because on social media why the coffee shop.
It launched burgers and it went viral.
Because some of the pictures shown on social media.
They're pretty, pretty good.
And yeah, young people think that these can be very good elements for their like social media persona or something like that.
So that somehow, I think, captured the hearts of these young customers.
And also for these companies, too.
Burgers, they are easy to standardize.
You only need fixed ingredients of the buns, patties, and other vegetables and sauce.
Very simple.
And it's quick to serve.
Yes.
It's very, very quick.
It's very quick.
And for, like I mentioned, photogenic.
So these elements all contribute to why burgers are being incorporated.
I don't see any rivalry, really.
You know I brought up the big name brands, but I don't From the way I think people see it in Canada, at least I think I can say you know.
Those big brands are seen as fast food and other restaurants will have their own burgers, too.
But I don't think they compete with each other.
So I don't think there's any kind of rivalry happening here.
I think it's just restaurants that don't typically sell it are trying to have fun with it.
You can experiment with a burger.
You can put four patties instead of one.
You can put you can make them tall right, so you can make it very social media friendly.
Yes, and it's a way to get in the door.
Uh, get customers in the door very quickly.
Yushan, what is your favorite burger?
What needs to be on the burger to make it delicious?
Oh, the fresh vegetable, like the lettuce, and also the fresh, maybe the meat inside.
It's got to be freshly cooked.
Bacon?
No, shrimp.
Shrimp?
Yes.
Is it called a burger in Western context?
That's not.
We got to go.
I got to say goodbye.
Thank you, Yuxin.
Thank you.
I'm Steve.
Have a great one.
And we'll see you next time.
