Some bars are famous for their excellent Guinness. You might think that this is due to the expertise of the barkeeps, or something special about the plumbing. It turns out, however, that the major determinant of the goodness of Guinness is how long the barrel has been open. The shorter the length of time, the better the beer. This opens the door to a strange inversion in our understanding of the cause of the bar’s reputation. We think that the bar’s reputation is due to the unusual goodness of the Guinness it serves. But in fact, the bar’s reputation for serving good Guinness is what makes so many people order Guinness there, and it is the resulting rapid turnover that makes the Guinness there taste so good.

Andy Clark, The Experience Machine: How Our Minds Predict and Shape Reality (2023)