Hedonic Treadmill

Notes

We get used to the good and to the bad as well. Many good or bad things can happen to us but over time our level of happiness will remain the same homeostasis. We are more sensitive to changes in our situation, than the situation itself, which suggests that Happiness is an internal state and that any perception of I'll be happy when is simply wrong.

The classic example was that they looked at people who were in a car accident and those who won the lottery, and after a few years their level of happiness was the same. On the one hand, is shows how much resilient we are. We can experience many Hardships but we will overcome, it is in our nature to do so. However, this also means that many of the things we thought would bring us happiness ultimately fail to do so. But perhaps it's a reassuring thought to know that we don't have to hustle endlessly to reach happiness, it is right here with us. Rather than causing us to feel Indifference, it's about realizing that happiness is not a matter of increasing what we have, and more a question of acknowledging the good we already have, to be content with your life, and to live in a state of harmony with your life as it is, instead of pursuing higher and higher goals. Things like Gratitude bring much more happiness than external things.

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Overview

🔼Topic:: Wellbeing (MOC) 🔗Link::