{"id":228,"date":"2026-06-15T11:30:45","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T18:30:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/choice.work\/?p=228"},"modified":"2026-06-15T11:36:18","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T18:36:18","slug":"choice-log-no-1781547302-hedonic-treadmill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/choice.work\/?p=228","title":{"rendered":"Choice log no. 1781547302 – Hedonic Treadmill"},"content":{"rendered":"

The hedonic treadmill<\/strong> (also known as hedonic adaptation) is the psychological tendency of humans to quickly return to a relatively stable baseline level of happiness despite major positive or negative life events or changes in our circumstances. cite<\/a><\/p>\n

Because humans are remarkably resilient, both joy from a big promotion and trauma from a negative event tend to fade over time as we adjust to our new normal. cite<\/a><\/p>\n

The Striving Cycle<\/h3>\n

When it comes to positive achievements (like a pay raise or buying a new car), the hedonic treadmill manifests in a predictable four-step loop cite<\/a>:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Desire: We believe that acquiring a specific thing or reaching a milestone will make us deeply happy.<\/li>\n
  2. Obtain: We reach the goal and experience a surge of excitement and pleasure.<\/li>\n
  3. Adapt: The novelty wears off, the item or status becomes the \u201cnew normal,\u201d and our happiness level drops back to its baseline.<\/li>\n
  4. Desire Again: Because we feel unsatisfied, we set our sights on the next bigger milestone to chase.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \"Hedonic-Treadmill-Diagram-PowerPoint-and-Google-Slides-Template\"<\/p>\n

    source<\/a><\/div>\n
    Similar to:<\/div>\n

    \"hamster-wheel\"<\/p>\n