Why Do You Think You Love Coffee So Much?
And which level of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs do you fall under? Caffeine addict and SAYS contributing writer Isabelle Thye stirs a theory she believes will help you understand your love for coffee.
I love coffee. So much so that I abandoned my well-paid corporate job and took a dive into a F&B start-up company, feeling that I have made the best decision in my life even until today.
Making coffee in the morning is my sacred ritual. It creates the moment when I instantly feel invincible and empowered to do great things.
So it got me thinking — what does coffee mean to everyone? Why do you need coffee? Why do you go cafe hopping while complaining about overpriced coffee?
'Maslow’s hierarchy of needs' is a popular theory both in and out of psychology in explaining the underlying 'why' of human behavior.
Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a theory in psychology proposed by Abraham Maslow in his 1943 paper "A Theory of Human Motivation" in Psychological Review. Maslow used the terms "physiological", "safety", "belongingness" and "love", "esteem", "self-actualization" and "self-transcendence" to describe the pattern that human motivations generally move through.
This hierarchy suggests that people are motivated to fulfill basic needs before moving on to other, more advanced needs. Maslow was interested in learning about what makes people happy and the things that they do to achieve that aim.
1. Coffee fulfills your physiological needs. You need coffee as a source of caffeine. You can't be bothered by the hype of third wave coffee or the romance of hand-brewed coffee. To you, 3-in-1 sachet is king and kopi-o is awesome.
You do not care about the brewing method, the origin of bean, the roast profile, the presentation or the taste of coffee. Coffee is a staple wake up call.
2. Coffee makes you feel safe. You have formed strong association between coffee and staying awake. You consume coffee for the same reason athlete consumes steroid - coffee is your legit performance enhancer.
You rely on coffee to kick start the day with spiked energy, to get you through the night preparing presentation, to make sure that you do not fall asleep while studying history, or to end a long drive safely.
3. You find love via coffee. You bond with friends, colleagues, business partners, family members or a hot date over coffee. Your standards for good coffee are simple - it has to be insta-friendly and photo-worthy to be able to catch eye balls.
You drink coffee to impress.
4. Coffee boosts your self-confidence. You are a true believer in good coffee representing good lifestyle. You would like to be perceived as a coffee connoisseur who is serious about your daily cuppa.
You know your coffee and sometimes you tend to get fussy (i.e skinny double shot tall cappuccino with less foam two sugars extra hot no chocolate sprinkle, oh, with vanilla syrup please).
5. You love coffee for what it is. Coffee creates moment and space for you to appreciate good things in life. You could be a hardcore coffee lover who goes deep into studying the origin, the production chain and thousands of flavours in coffee.
To you, coffee is an adventure, a journey; it makes things happen in your life.
Your choice of coffee is very much dependent on your need for coffee. Watch Malcolm Gladwell's speech on choice and happiness:
So, why do you love coffee?
There are so many types of coffee available in the market ranging from 3-in-1 sachets, granules, capsule, kopi-o, espresso to filter coffee. The best coffee in the world lies in you - what do you see in coffee?