Seinfeld Trivia Night: What I Learned About Myself

At a recent Seinfeld trivia night, I discovered a side of myself I never knew existed. When I really love something, I do everything, absolutely do everything, and suddenly I become a person who wants to win. I get competitive! Good grief. This revelation made my head spin because I didn’t even know that person existed. Who am I?

Why I love Seinfeld

I think Seinfeld is one of the funniest sitcoms ever! The humor is very clever, and I love it because the punchlines are unpredictable. Well, after watching and rewatching, I can predict what will happen next. But the humor itself is unlike many other shows.

I also love all the memorable quotes. I don’t think a week goes by without me sneaking in a Seinfeld reference. And yes, I can do the Elaine dance pretty well. Just ask some of my coworkers!

More Than Just a Laugh

Seinfeld isn’t just a sitcom to me. It’s more than just laughing or cringing at the ridiculous things the characters do. It is a fascinating look at human behavior, social customs and absurd moments in everyday life. And yes, most of the things they do are completely over the top. But I don’t think I’ve found another sitcom that makes me laugh out loud like Seinfeld does.

I think this is a show about everything, not a show about anything, which by the way, is only one episode and not the original pitch.

Seinfeld Trivia Night

When my friend invited me to a Seinfeld trivia night, I was so excited to go. I’ve been watching Seinfeld since it first aired in Australia in the mid-90s. I’d put my baby to bed and sit in front of our old tube TV to watch my weekly comedy.

So you could say I’m pretty confident that my general knowledge of Seinfeld is solid. But I wanted to be sure, and I probably studied for this trivia night more than I did for my HSC. I want our team to win.

My friends, including my husband, are my teammates, and while they’re all fans, I’m pretty sure they’re not as obsessed with it as I am.

Then we lost, and it hurt.

I was surprised at how bothered I was because, before trivia night, I would have easily said that I was one of the least competitive people. I don’t even have a favorite football or soccer team. But then again, if Australia is in the Olympics, I suddenly become a huge fan of whatever sport is being played. I totally relate to Puddy and his face painting (if you know, you know).

So what does this mean? Am I actually competitive or not? Is Seinfeld trivia night just a competitive moment I’m having? And is there perhaps something that triggers me to enter competitive mode? Come with me as I explore this aspect of my personality. Because it’s never too late to discover new things about yourself. Dizzy!

Intrinsic Motivation Is My Drive

I put on my pseudopsychologist hat and say that Seinfeld trivia night turned me into a competitive person (for a while) because it tapped into something I love.

I don’t really care about the prizes. In fact, I didn’t even know what it was until the night was over. Of course, a $100 pub voucher would be great, but that’s not the point.

It’s not just about beating the other team, although I still don’t know how the other team knows what they know! Google is cheating? No. I better not say that because I don’t want to be a loser.

For me, it’s all about knowing the little details that keep me motivated, like Jerry lives in apartment 5A (despite the early episodes being 3A), Elaine is forbidden from ordering at Hop Sing, you have to say please and step aside when ordering soup from Soup Nazi, and George’s ATM password is Bosco.

Remembering all that lights up my brain. And all that trivia is important to me because I really love the show, and that’s what motivates me. It’s not for anyone else. It comes from within. Real!

I Had a Dopamine Hit!

Humans are hard-wired to experience the pleasure of mastering things that challenge them. For me, Seinfeld trivia night is a test of how well I can remember all those little details. Apparently not as good as I expected.

The euphoric feeling of knowing you’re good at something you really care about is a dopamine hit. That’s why I’m so into it, being “all in.” It’s not a feeling I notice too often, and I like it.

Selective Engagement

The fact is, I’m not competitive at anything, almost nothing to be honest. Maybe that’s why my mother-in-law couldn’t understand me, but that’s another story. Something has to really resonate with me to bring out that competitive spirit. So far, I’ve found two things: Seinfeld trivia and support for Australia at the Olympics.

Not Ego

I don’t want to prove anything to anyone. It’s all about me, my love of Seinfeld, and my own enjoyment. Me, me, and more me.

Am I Competitive?

So I think, in short, I’m not always competitive. But I Can being competitive, super focused and maybe a little preoccupied with the things I love. Who would have thought that trivia night could teach me so much about myself? Go out!!