Your child is sitting at the TV, bored. He or she has been lethargic all day. You suddenly disturb them and make them go outside for some exercise. They resist at first, as a knee-jerk reaction. A few moments later, however, they are dashing around, laughing & playing.

When you say that it's time to go back inside, they resist. They want to play longer - now that you have aroused them and encouraged them to do so. (Positive behavior must often be encouraged.)

Same thing with my snakes. I see this time & again. When I encourage activity, they respond favorably. When put back into their habitat, they are active for at least 30-60 minutes, as they wind down. It's a dramatic change from their behavior just moments earlier when they had nothing to do and no incentive to explore.

Is the lethargic kid at the TV set as happy as the one who was roused and encouraged to be active? I don't think so. I'd love to see this theory tested in clinical tests.

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