Should You Pay-A-Ton for Peloton? (Part 2)

December 24, 2020 Ashley 0 Comments

Aside from the connection and convenience, there’s a big reason Peloton makes for weight loss.

And that’s a thing called investment bias. (Sometimes known as confirmation bias.) It’s the same reason why partners value significant others they had to work hard to obtain. And why we struggle to get over a breakup following a relationship we poured our all into. Our brain hates the feeling that it’s wasted effort. So, if you’ve invested time, energy, or money because something seemed like the right choice, your brain has a need to prove that right by taking action consistent with that decision.

This is why people tend to lose more weight when they join a gym versus buying a dirty clothing hanger elliptical or bike they got for free off Facebook marketplace. If you didn’t pay for it, there’s nothing wasted by letting it rot in your dungeon of a basement. But if you paid for it and you’re not using it to the point that results come, then you are not only literally throwing money away – but you were also wrong. Buying an overpriced contraption is no different.

And that goes especially for those unlike myself – the ones who abhor cardio. Some people are into strictly lifting. They hate anything but weights. And they really have to force themselves to do cardio. So, having a live trainer to boost your moto can help heaps with that. Especially, like we said, if you’ve already paid an obscene amount to get it. And that I can understand. Getting on the heavy bag alone doesn’t offer nearly the same perspiration inspiration as hitting mitts with my dojo coach. I work harder with someone around. And, as a result, I burn more. Boom. Weight loss level up.

Then, finally, there’s the social and entertainment element.

This is bigger than we think it is. I myself didn’t realize how much of a factor it was until recently when a friend on Facebook shared her latest Christmastime ride, featuring a flamboyant and animated trainer. And, I’ll be honest. Seeing this guy give it his all made me understand exactly why they pay these trainers enough to charge you a ridiculous subscription. Homeboy spent the cycle sesh assessing the different singers in a male Christmas song duet, explaining why Justin Bieber wasn’t as good as his singing partner, and pausing at just the perfect time frame to cue riders what their RPM or heart rate should be. Equal balance of professional and fun. He was engaging. He was animated. He was motivating. He was why people pay for this preposterous gadget. All of the ingredients are there. Serotonin from working out. Oxytocin from connecting with others. Dopamine from laughter, the anticipation of more great content, and the eagerness to compete and win against fellow riders or runners. Plus, you can share rides to the other ultimate addiction apps out there (like Facebook) to entice new recruits to this sweaty recluse cult who also want to form faux digital connections.

I had wondered for so long why people were willing to pay so much for this.

And now I get it. Peloton offers what is literally the ultimate and full on feel good neurochemical cocktail. It’s ingenious, really. The designers of this machine have managed to create a way to get you addicted to something healthy like working out. In that way, these guys haven’t just hacked weight loss. They’ve hacked your whole body and brain into paying crazy amounts to do so.

And I’m not sure I can even be mad about it.