What is “The Region-Beta Paradox“?

So I recently heard about the idea of the region-beta paradox, although a notion it’s a concept that can have significant implications for our lives. 
Basically, the beta paradox suggests that sometimes worse situations can actually be better than better situations because they can give people the drive and inspiration to make changes for the better. 

To demonstrate this concept, take the example of traveling a mile. If you were to walk a mile, it might take you a certain amount of time. But if you were to walk more than a mile you might choose to drive instead. Paradoxically, you might actually reach your destination faster by traveling two miles than you would by traveling one mile.

This idea can also be applied to our personal and business lives. For instance, you might not feel driven to hunt for a better opportunity if you're stuck in a "passable" work or if you're in a relationship that's "not that bad," you might not feel the urgency to make changes or move on. But if things are very bad, you could be more motivated to act and alter things for the better.

The beta paradox thus proposes that sometimes tougher circumstances may really be preferable since they give people the drive and energy to make positive changes.

It's important to recognize this dynamic and use it to our advantage, rather than getting stuck in a state of "comfortable complacency."

A trick knee hurts longer than a shattered patella because the latter injury exceeds the critical threshold for pain and thereby triggers the very processes that attenuate it.
— Gilbert et al. 2004
Link: https://lnkd.in/grqPPc87