The hedonic treadmill, also called hedonic adaptation, is the tendency for people to return to a fairly stable baseline level of happiness after a major positive or negative life event, despite the intensity of their initial emotional reaction. As circumstances improve, for instance through higher income, a person's expectations and desires tend to rise correspondingly, which prevents the improvement from producing any lasting gain in overall happiness.
Facts
Core ClaimThe hedonic treadmill describes the tendency of people to keep a fairly stable baseline level of happiness despite external events and fluctuations in their circumstances. 1 First Described Year Classification
Type of Phenomenon Sources
1. Hedonic treadmill, Wikipedia
Behavioral and psychological approach section
the tendency of people to keep a fairly stable baseline level of happiness despite external events and fluctuations in demographic circumstances.
Behavioral and psychological approach section [first-described-year]
'Hedonic treadmill' is a term coined by Brickman and Campbell in their article, 'Hedonic Relativism and Planning the Good Society' (1971), describing the tendency of people to keep a fairly stable baseline level of happiness despite external events and fluctuations in demographic circumstances.
lead section, phenomenon-kind classification
The hedonic treadmill, also called hedonic adaptation, is the tendency for people to return to a fairly stable baseline level of happiness after a major positive or negative life event, despite the intensity of their initial emotional reaction.
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