Events of recent days have made me suspect that I feel less depressed on days when I have little or no beard. But now that I know this hypothesis, I don’t know how to test it without priming myself every time I shave. Suggestions?
Reformulate your hypothesis as “the act of shaving makes me less depressed for one or two days” and test that. Since the outcome is the state of your own mind, priming doesn’t matter.
consider the idea that “rituals of personal care” are effective at convincing yourself that you value yourself more. (rather than specific to shaving).
Events of recent days have made me suspect that I feel less depressed on days when I have little or no beard. But now that I know this hypothesis, I don’t know how to test it without priming myself every time I shave. Suggestions?
It could also be that you feel less like shaving when you feel more depressed.
Reformulate your hypothesis as “the act of shaving makes me less depressed for one or two days” and test that. Since the outcome is the state of your own mind, priming doesn’t matter.
consider the idea that “rituals of personal care” are effective at convincing yourself that you value yourself more. (rather than specific to shaving).
Try also:
Painting your nails
getting a fancy haircut
cooking or eating a fancy meal
going to a performance of some kind of culture
setting aside time for other rituals
If shaving works, doing other rituals to clean both yourself and your flat might also have a similar effect.