Whenever people confront a setback and say to themselves, “I’ve already messed it up, so what the hell, I might as well have some fun,” they’ve committed themselves to the downward spiral of the what-the-hell effect. They give in and feel bad. Then, to feel better, they turn to what started the whole mess, which in turn triggers even worse feelings of shame and guilt, which leads to even bigger failures, and on and on it goes.
