I’ve been staying on in Barcelona for a few days after the excellent SCOPE Summit Europe, and I’ve noticed an interesting thing within myself, having moved from a nice hotel to a holiday apartment.

The apartment itself is fine, with a roof terrace and a small kitchen area – the kind of place I generally have no problem staying in.

The difference, I think, though, is that having stayed in a hotel where everything is finished to a high specification, moving on to an apartment that probably isn’t quite so well appointed has led to my feeling negative toward it. And even blaming it for the fact I got too hot while walking around to familiarize myself with the area.

Which makes me realize that perceptions of the environment we live in can be altered through levels of comfort – so perhaps comparing things against a lower baseline is a fairer way to make a realistic assessment.