The Hedonic Treadmill

People have a tendency to maintain their level of happiness, regardless of external events

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You've just received a massive promotion at work, the position you've been angling towards for some time. With it comes the increased responsibility and pay increase you've been craving, and you're obviously overjoyed with the situation.

You celebrate and revel in the moment. And then, over time, perhaps a few days or weeks later...you return to your baseline level of happiness. The glow of the initial moment has worn off, and despite your improved situation, your level of happiness doesn't seem to have increased much at all.

This phenomenon is what is referred to as the 'Hedonic Treadmill', the tendency for humans to maintain a baseline level of happiness regardless of what external events or changes in circumstance occur in their life. It's a treadmill because, regardless of how much we appear to be moving forward and making progress, our level of happiness tends to remain the same.

Happiness is rooted within

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When something improves in our life, whether it's a larger salary, a new relationship, a bigger home, the expectation is that our level of happiness will improve with it. However, the common result is that we adjust our level of expectations, and the thing that was initially a massive boon to our lives becomes normal.

A depressed person may think that winning the lottery will improve their mood, but inevitably their baseline level of unhappiness returns once the newness of the event has faded. Looking to external events to permanently shift our emotional state is an easy trap to fall into, and illustrates the fact that our happiness is never dependent on things outside of ourselves.

The same is true for negative external events. If we total our car or lose a relationship, the pain can be intense for a while, but over time it usually subsides and we adjust to the new reality, returning to our baseline level of satisfaction. There are exceptions to this rule, as tragic events can affect our baseline happiness in larger, more long-term ways, but in general, our level of happiness is rooted within internal factors.

Sustainable happiness

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I consistently find myself looking towards an imaginary future where I have everything I believe I need. I have visions of writing and homesteading on a piece of property in the mountains, thinking that my level of happiness and satisfaction will be greatly improved by having these things.

There's an allure of fantasizing that can be difficult to resist, as it allows us to escape the present moment for an instant or two. However, it also sabotages our ability to fully experience the moment we are in. It also fosters a mindset of always looking to the next thing that's going to increase our happiness instead of simply appreciating the reality in front of us.

Seeking to improve our circumstances is certainly desirable and worthwhile. But when we believe XYZ will also improve our overall happiness in life, we fall prey to the hedonic treadmill, the neverending trap of looking outside of ourselves for an increased level of satisfaction.

Nurturing our own internal mindset and appreciation for our current predicament is one way to take a break from the treadmill and to discover a level of happiness that is far more sustainable than any external factor.

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All uncredited pictures from pixabay.com or my personal account

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