110 SPF and the Irrationality of Our Choices

10:20 AM

Just came back from Walgreens and I purchased this 110 SPF sunscreen. I live in Puerto Rico where the sun can be extremely strong, so I wear sunscreen. Most people here do not. You know what doesn't make any sense? That I considered any other options. I was at the sunscreen section for like 10 minutes, browsing and looking at different sunscreens. Sun Bum is my favorite sunscreen brand, and I've tried out so many, like 5 different ones at least, and it's the one I use the most.

What is really illogical and irrational, is that after seeing this 110 SPF sunscreen by Walgreens, is that I considered anything else. Nothing came close to 110 SPF. Nothing even came close to 100 SPF. The closest one was 70 SPF, and even then, there was only like 1-2 sunscreens that had that much. The majority were in the 45-50 SPF range. All of them were more expensive than the 110 SPF too. This 110 SPF was only $12, the other ones were like $14 minimum for a 45 SPF. Some of them were like $40, the luxury beauty brand ones that had their own special theft-proof container. I was legitimately considering them too, I thought they must be really good if they're this expensive and this guarded.

The only reason I went with the 110 SPF, was because I stood there for too long, and it would have been awkward to walk out empty handed, and it was the cheapest option basically. That's really the only reason I picked the 110 SPF, was because I didn't feel like buying any other ones and just wanted something random. It's so irrational.

The thing is, I thought it being 110 SPF meant the cream would be so thick, smelly, horrible. That's what I don't like about a lot of sunscreens, is that they can be uncomfortable to wear. After shopping, I drove around for a bit to warm up the car because it's been a while since I drove it, then I went back home, used the sunscreen, and was blown away. This is the best sunscreen I've ever used. It's so smooth and silky, has almost no smell, and it is invisible on the skin. WOW.

This made me reflect on my purchases. I see myself as a rational and logical person, and after this, it's clear that I am not. Our purchasing is completely irrational. Animal products like meat, dairy, eggs, torture and kill animals, and are purchased by "animal lovers" who believe they are compassionate and kind to animals. There are vegan substitutes for all these products already, that don't hurt and kill any animals, are better for your health, have 90%+ smaller carbon footprint, and taste the same or better, yet most people don't opt for them just out of habit and irrationality.

If we really were rational about our choices, I would have immediately gone for the 110 SPF instead of browsing any of the other options. We would disregard any animal products that have killing necessary and built-in, and go for options that don't involve them. This probably applies for many other purchasing areas too, but sunscreen and especially animal products are probably the strongest examples.

12:16 AM (of Monday, January 6th, 2024)

It makes sense too. Just from a numbers only perspective, the cheaper price and the higher SPF should have made me immediately go for the 110 SPF as soon as I saw it, and skip everything else. Yet I stood there, browsing, checking out the different sunscreens.

Today I should have prioritized working a lot more. I had so much free time and could have done so many things, yet the day is over now, and I can't say I got anything done at all. I made a lot of irrational choices throughout the whole day today. I hope I can only learn from my experiences.

I went to the park and walked for around 20 minutes. It was raining the whole time. I would have kept going, but at around 20 minutes in, I checked my pockets and noticed my glasses weren't there. Maybe I left them in the car, or maybe I dropped them, I didn't know, but I decided to head back to the car. It turns out they were in the car the whole time, and I just decided to go home then.

At home I watched videos, took a nap, and just wasted my time. I didn't exercise or anything. I tried going to the gym, but they were closed. I went to Marshall's later and bought some food, and ate that.

Anyway, I'm most disappointed that I didn't get any work done. I just woke up from a nap, like a 1-2 hour nap, so I think it's time for me to work and get things done now. I'm gonna work on things now, right now.