Why habitual pleasure no longer make us happy

A Life / by admin / December 19, 2019

What is the hedonic adaptation

First kiss brings more pleasure and positive emotions than the fifth or thirtieth. The first ice cream tastes better than the same, eaten in some time. Or joy, tested at the time of buying a new car, it is erased from the memory, and you can only sadness on gasoline prices. This occurs due to the adaptation mechanism Hedonic.

After a positive event, which caused a storm of emotions and forced to experience happiness, we always return to its original state - that was before the peak of euphoria.

The mechanism is also called "hedonic treadmill." This term in the early '70s, scientists have introduced Philip Brickman and Donald Campbell, discovered the human tendency to return to the starting point of happiness, no matter what happens in his life.

StudyLottery winners and accident victims: is happiness relative? 1978 Brickman and his colleagues supports the theory that people who win the lottery large sum, were happier than those who did not win anything after a year and a half. Although at the moment when they learned about his

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luck, Their level of happiness was much higher than usual.

Therefore, we are always not enough that we have. Increasing salaries happy for a while, but then we want more. Delight from the first date is replaced by domestic problems, and we begin to look more vivid emotions, although recently we have all more than satisfied.

In fact, the adaptation works both ways: we get used to the bad as well as to good.

In the same study, there was another group of people paralyzed due to an accident. It turned out some time later and they returned to the usual level of life satisfaction. It turns out, you can really get used to everything, no matter what happens.

Why do we get used to the pleasures

In a studyThe challenge of staying happier: testing the Hedonic Adaptation Prevention model. American psychologists Lubomirski Sony and Cannon Sheldon considers two paths that lead to the hedonic adaptation. One is related to the weakening positive emotions from positive changes in your life, the other - with increased desire for even more positive emotions.

Positive emotions subside

Imagine that you have a long time to hitchhike with tents and dreamed to be in the foam bath, relax and wash in warm water. Making it the first time in a long time, you certainly will be very happy. But later the foam bubbles and warm water will no longer deliver as much pleasure, as then, after a grueling trip.

You no longer notice the pleasant joy to become familiar things. And that get less pleasure, because what was once the whole event became commonplace.

We want more

Positive change is becoming the norm, and you want more. For example, you lost weight and in the mirror you see a result that pleases you. But I think that, having thrown off a couple of kilos, will be happier, and the current weight was perceived simply as a new standard.

Is it possible to take control of happiness

Sonia Lubomirski in the book "The Psychology of Happiness. New approach "argues yes. Happiness 10% depending on the circumstances, on 50% - from genetics and 40% - from your intentional acts.

Therefore, the key to happiness is not to change your genetics (which is impossible), and not to change the circumstances (ie, become richer, more attractive, or to find a more friendly colleagues, which also turns out not always), but in the daily, focused action.
Sonia Lubomirski

As once again experience the joy of everyday things

the diversity of life

Get the positive emotions from different walks of life are looking for new sources of fun and complement the old. Add to your favorite coffee, which has become a morning routine, caramel syrup, find new and interesting task to you at work, try the new pose in sex. Do everything to pleasure were not uniform.

Appreciate what you have

People are constantly looking for happiness, but for some reason did not think that it is they might already have. You have to be thankful for what you have, to be able to enjoy a delicious meal, think about not only how earn more moneyBut also to plan, what is the nice things you can spend the available savings. It can be a lifetime chasing something more, and without feeling, what ever you do to be happy. Think about what makes you happy here and now, and stop.

Try each day to write down a few things that are grateful for today. You'll find that life is much more pleasant moments, it seems. Just to much you have become accustomed.

To monitor the level of happiness

Try to understand hedonic adaptation. In some moments you filled with joy, from the give pleasure? Compare with this: what do you think will make you happy and why do you believe that without this you can not be happy right now? But how many actually euphoria last?

Surely you can find in everyday life things that once seemed to you such necessary for happiness. Now you have them, so why did you stop getting pleasure from them?

Hedonic adaptation - part of our lives. But if you understand the principle of operation of this mechanism, you can take your own happiness under control and learn to enjoy even the usual things.