Voorpret
This Dutch word literally translates as "pre-fun". Learn more below.
Language can be useful to shape thought. Paying attention to concepts that don’t translate directly into English can give us an insight into another society’s philosophy, sensibilities and values.
Take, for example, the Dutch word “voorpret”.
Literally translated as “pre-fun”, voorpret refers to the pleasant anticipation of a forthcoming event. Yet it’s more than just looking forward to something, in which the focus is on the future. It’s more about the here-and-now pleasure that comes in the preparation.
There’s no more obvious manifestation of voorpret than the preparation made for a journey or holiday. Pleasure can be found in the reading of guidebooks, the online research … and in the planning of what and who you’re going to see … and where you’re going to eat.
Adopting a voorpret mindset can actually improve your happiness. Actions consistent with this mindset would include: doing the scheduling (writing it down), and taking the time to anticipate.
Research shows that we gain a lot more before a big event, rather than after. In 2007 professors and psychologists Leaf Van Boven and Laurence Ashworth studied the impact anticipation has on our feelings and found the connection to be a lot stronger than retrospection, so much more so that it can impact our overall well-being.
And voorpret was of extra relevance during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2021 the Van Boven/Ashworth research was applied by Leslie-Miller, Waugh and Cole to a study that explored the regulatory techniques that are effective at stimulating long-lasting positive emotion during the COVID-19 pandemic, with findings suggesting that positive anticipation of future experiences, along with hopefulness for the future, can be a powerful predictor of a positive emotional state during the here-and-now of a global pandemic.
So, try to stay hopeful … and make some plans.
Voorpret was discussed in Episode 12 of the REMORANDOM video podcast
Episode 12: Voorpret, Rorschach Test, Segway, The Scream
It has been called the most hyped tech product of the early 21st century, predicted to completely transform our cities. What was that product and why did it fail? The Rorschach inkblot test has shaped our view of human personality. How has it been used over the years?