Well I guess I think of things like ... art and aesthetics.
[ Matt tips his left hand this way and that for ehh, unaware that he won't have the ability for much longer. ]
There was some data my world's scientists collected to suggest that certain aesthetic aspects--green spaces in public, looking at sunsets or listening to music--lower stress and raise contentment. So, they're beneficial. But if we were going by pure efficiency, I don't know if they'd fit the bill.
You could definitely make arguments for the ultimate efficiency of poetry and gardening, on a long enough timescale. But I guess it also depends on what your definition of efficiency is.
no subject
[ Matt tips his left hand this way and that for ehh, unaware that he won't have the ability for much longer. ]
There was some data my world's scientists collected to suggest that certain aesthetic aspects--green spaces in public, looking at sunsets or listening to music--lower stress and raise contentment. So, they're beneficial. But if we were going by pure efficiency, I don't know if they'd fit the bill.
You could definitely make arguments for the ultimate efficiency of poetry and gardening, on a long enough timescale. But I guess it also depends on what your definition of efficiency is.