#43 Getting off the Treadmill

Adding an extra dose of behavioral science with our series In a Nutshell— a collection of behavioral science principles, explained in 150 words or less, written weekly by CUBIC director Allison Zelkowitz.

In this week’s 𝘐𝘯 𝘢 𝘕𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭: 𝗚𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗢𝗳𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗹

Fill in the blank:  𝘐𝘧 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 __________ 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘳.

Regardless of whether you’re longing for a new car or home, wishing to relocate or get a promotion, or hoping to improve your health or a relationship, it turns out there’s a flaw in this logic:  in general, neither positive nor negative events actually make significant, long-term changes to our happiness.

H͟e͟d͟o͟n͟i͟c͟ ͟a͟d͟a͟p͟t͟a͟t͟i͟o͟n͟ (also called the “hedonic treadmill”) explains that while most people feel bursts of joy after positive life changes, and sadness after setbacks, we all have a baseline level of happiness that we return to.  We “get used to” nearly everything.

So if major events don’t lead to increased happiness, what does?  T͟h͟i͟s͟ ͟a͟r͟t͟i͟c͟l͟e͟ recommends ways to overcome the hedonic treadmill, such as spending money on experiences or other people rather than things, seeking variety in our daily lives, and conscientiously savoring what we enjoy.