The hedonic treadmill is the psychological tendency for humans to quickly return to a stable baseline level of happiness, regardless of major positive or negative life events.
Core Concept & History
• Definition: Also known as hedonic adaptation, it means that new achievements, material possessions, or traumas cause only temporary spikes or dips in well-being before expectations adjust.
• Origin: Psychologists Philip Brickman and Donald Campbell coined the term in their 1971 essay "Hedonic Relativism and Planning the Good Society".
• Evolutionary Purpose: Constant striving and returning to a baseline prevented our ancestors from staying permanently content, pushing them to keep competing.
Core Concept & History
• Definition: Also known as hedonic adaptation, it means that new achievements, material possessions, or traumas cause only temporary spikes or dips in well-being before expectations adjust.
• Origin: Psychologists Philip Brickman and Donald Campbell coined the term in their 1971 essay "Hedonic Relativism and Planning the Good Society".
• Evolutionary Purpose: Constant striving and returning to a baseline prevented our ancestors from staying permanently content, pushing them to keep competing.
The hedonic treadmill is the psychological tendency for humans to quickly return to a stable baseline level of happiness, regardless of major positive or negative life events.
Core Concept & History
• Definition: Also known as hedonic adaptation, it means that new achievements, material possessions, or traumas cause only temporary spikes or dips in well-being before expectations adjust.
• Origin: Psychologists Philip Brickman and Donald Campbell coined the term in their 1971 essay "Hedonic Relativism and Planning the Good Society".
• Evolutionary Purpose: Constant striving and returning to a baseline prevented our ancestors from staying permanently content, pushing them to keep competing.
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