4/16/2023 0 Comments Hedonic treadmil![]() ![]() There is an assumption that we all react and adapt to changes in our circumstances the same way. I’m much happier living in the countryside in a small village and walking my dogs. Now I’m older, the thought of having to get the glad rags on and actually go out and talk to people fills me with dread. I remember when I was young and the most important thing for me was going out partying at the weekend with friends. The things that make us happy can change.Moreover, what one person considers to be an essential part of their happiness might not matter to another. Happiness is derived from many different factors and each one can be more important to the individual. These points are due to character traits, our experiences growing up and our personalities. So if you imagine a pessimist at one end and an optimist at the other, our set happiness point is further towards optimism.Įven though this set point is nearer to optimism, we all have our own set points on the hedonic treadmill. Research shows that the set point we return to is typically above average. The average baseline set point is above neutral.There are five important factors to consider when it comes to the hedonic treadmill theory. So are we born with this set level, is it constant throughout our lives and can we change it? The Five Factors of Hedonic Treadmill Sure, we might experience an initial spike of happiness or dip of sadness, but once we get used to these fluctuations, we return to normal. It means that all of us have this baseline level, and no matter what happens to us, we’ll eventually return to it. Well, what it means is that circumstances do not account for our own personal levels of happiness. So what’s going on in our minds? Does this theory mean we can never be truly happy? Or does it mean that happiness is a fleeting moment, not designed to last? But how soon does this feeling wear off and you get used to the new features, the upgraded spec and the glory of it all? Pretty soon, according to the hedonic treadmill theory. It doesn’t seem to matter whether you are a teenager or older person the excitement on getting your hands on the latest version is palpable. We’ve all seen the massive queues outside stores in anticipation of the release of a new iPhone. This indicates that once you get used to a certain change it no longer has such a big effect on you. In fact, after an initial boost of happiness associated with the actual win, winners quickly returned to their original levels of happiness. A recent Swedish study revealed that although big lottery winners do feel an overall increase in life satisfaction, their overall levels of happiness were unchanged. You would imagine that a lottery win would always change a person’s life for the better. Examples of Hedonistic Treadmill Winning the lottery Likewise, someone who always looks on the bright side will naturally revert back to this state, whatever lows they may suffer. You’ll most likely go back to your level of unhappiness. So basically, if you are typically miserable, it doesn’t matter what happens to you in life, good or bad. ![]() That same optimistic will return to his or her basic set level. However, this low feeling won’t last forever. On the other hand, an optimist may suffer the most crippling losses and feel desperately sad for a period of time. The pessimist will soon return to their usual state of pessimism. However, according to the hedonic treadmill, this feeling of euphoria will dissipate. They might feel incredibly overjoyed and full of optimism for the future. So, for example, a pessimistic person may win millions in the lottery. The hedonic treadmill is our tendency to always return to our own particular level of happiness. Of course, we all experience different stages in our lives where we might undergo great highs or suffer devastating lows. ![]() In other words, no matter what happens to us, we always end up back at our original happiness levels. ![]()
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