What about things that you’ve never tried, and that you might not even know that you like? You’ve already climbed the difficulty curve of programming in X, so you don’t want to put so much effort in getting to the same level with Y. You’re putting in a lot of effort to reach the same spot. The author (as an economist, I suspect) equates new experience with consumption, but there is a huge range of new experience available if you do away with the frustration of trying to find something better than you currently do. Say, experimenting a range of sports (rock climbing, hiking, weight lifting, skateboarding) as act of knowledge rather than attaching to the results it gives.

It seems rational that there is more benefit in new experience, good or bad than repeating pleasant experience. Going to a new travel destination will give you more memories and anecdotes than going to your favorite vacation spot. And yet we’re all a little bit coward and tend to stay in our comfort zone.