A hotel pool runs short of towels. | Delivery of your luxury car is delayed by a week. |
Service levels in a restaurant. | The market value of an investment goes down on a particular day. |
You are popular but one particular person doesn't seem to like you. | You don't approve of the color of your neighbor's front door. |
You don't like the looks of a neighbor who moved in down the street. | You feel that your personal assistant has been slow with some task you've assigned them. |
You have a good job but are passed up for a particular advancement opportunity. | You have a high salary but your bonus was slightly lower than you imagined it would be. |
You reserved a tennis court for 2 pm but it isn't available until 2:15 pm. | Your boss needs you to come into the office when you would prefer to work from home. |
Your coworkers ignore your input in a meeting. | Your employer books you in a regular hotel room as opposed to a suite. |
Your neighbors don't realize how much status you have. | Your photo of your lunch doesn't get many likes on social media. |
Countersignaling
Applying the term champagne problems to yourself can be a type of countersignaling. On the surface, you are criticising yourself but in a way that suggests that you are privileged and high status.Bad Habits
Complaining about champagne problems is typically a bad habit as this is unlikely to draw sympathy from others and may tend to make you less likable.Human Condition
Champagne problems say something about the human condition whereby people can continue to be unhappy when they are blessed with great advantages in life.Gratitude
The solution to champagne problems is typically gratitude whereby you appreciate what you have.Sweating the Small Stuff
Another solution to champagne problems is to transcend pettiness whereby you do not allow small problems to influence your emotions and consume your thoughts.Whataboutism
Champagne problems can be used as a type of whataboutism whereby you imply that one person's problems are meaningless because someone else has more serious problems. It is not fair to think that a person should be concerned with their own problems just because others may have larger problems.Perfectionism
Perfectionism is the pursuit of refinement in things. This is often depicted negatively but is important in many domains whereby improving things to a high state of refinement certainly can have great value. In this context, perfectionism should not be confused with champagne problems. For example, a musician who is upset that they can't master a challenging piece of music -- this is passion and pursuit of talent as opposed to a champagne problem. The difference is that the musician is trying to be productive as opposed to complaining about a lack of luxury, social status or control over others.Notes
Champagne problems are by definition trivial. The affluent and high status can have serious problems just like anyone else and these would not be champagne problems.| Overview: Champagne Problems | ||
Type | ||
Definition (1) | Relatively trivial problems of affluence. | |
Definition (2) | Inflated expectations that aren't realized. | |
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Opposite Of | ||
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