The Hedonic Treadmill
What is an Hedonic Treadmill?
The hedonic treadmill, also known as hedonic adaptation, is the idea that people have a set level of happiness, and after increasing or decreasing in response to life events, happiness tends to return to the set level. Hedonic adaptation is the process of the fading impact of life events on happiness over time.
For example, getting a raise at work or starting a new enjoyable relationship will likely temporarily increase a sense of happiness. However, over time you adjust to these events, and your happiness returns to your baseline level. And, once you adapt to a new positive life event, you may desire more and more positive events to maintain happiness.
A Set Level of Happiness
It is important to note that not everyone has the same baseline level of happiness, which may be related to genetics, and not everyone will experience a complete return to baseline after certain events. However, many people return to their set point of happiness.
Negative events also do not tend to decrease happiness long-term. Happiness decreases temporarily and eventually returns to the set level. So, the hedonic treadmill can have a mixed impact. It can offer protection from negative events while restricting increases in happiness.
This article from PositivePsychology.com provides an overview of the hedonic treadmill.
How To Avoid The Hedonic Treadmill
Even though you may have a general happiness set point, it is not fixed and you can influence your degree of happiness:
Vary your routine and experiences as repetition and decreased novelty can factor into stagnant happiness. For example, you could go out to dinner in an area of town that you have never been to before, take a hike on a new trail, or start a new hobby.
Mindfulness and intentionally tuning into the present moment can enhance the pleasant aspects of an experience. You can practice mindfulness by engaging your senses. Pause and take note of what you can see, hear, touch, taste, and smell as you go about your day, or name these things to yourself as you are engaged in an activity. If you are taking a walk, notice the feel of the sun on your face, the breeze in the air, or the physical sensations as your feet hit the ground.
Gratitude, or cultivating a sense of appreciation, can also boost happiness. It is natural to focus on what you don’t like or what is not going well. Yet, daily life often contains many moments of appreciation, and even if life isn’t ideal there are likely things you are thankful for. Creating a gratitude practice, such as verbally noting one thing you are grateful for each morning, or ending the day by writing down three things were grateful for that day (big or small) can enhance gratitude.
Setting meaningful and values-based goals can also aid motivation, desire, and a sense of happiness. Many tasks of life arise out of necessity, a sense of responsibility, or a sense of “should” (What you think you should be doing) which can feel boring and monotonous. Investing your time and energy in meaningful pursuits that are genuinely important to you can increase energy and happiness and make daily life feel more worthwhile.
To learn more about effective ways to get off the hedonic treadmill and boost your sense of contentment and happiness, please contact us at CBT Denver.