Hack the Hedonic Treadmill

Our bodies are like thermostats, quickly adjusting to whatever life throws at us and returning to the same stable ‘set point’.

Whether internal body temperature, physical weight or emotional response, we all have a natural point we return to, no matter how much our situations change for better or for worse.

This is the basis for the theory of the hedonic treadmill. First mentioned by Brickman and Campbell in their 1971 paper “Hedonic Relativism and Planning the Good Society”, this metaphor helps us understand why we experience fleeting highs and lows.

We all remember the last time we bought a long-coveted shiny new object, only for the novelty to wear off a short time later. Likelihood is, we’re probably now craving a new, shinier object.

Brickman and Campbell’s paper showed that no matter what life throws at us, we come back to the same state of happiness over time. They studied extreme cases and found that “lottery winners and accident victims both returned to their pre-event happiness levels within a few months or years.”

Whilst it’s comforting to know that humans are resilient to change in times of difficulty, it’s quite frustrating to hear that we have no ability to increase our long-term happiness.

But is that really the case?

The Happiness Set Point

When we experience life’s highs and lows, “hedonic adaptation” quickly brings us back to our happiness set point and we continue on life’s treadmill.

But how do we reach our unique happiness set point in the first place?

Studies of twins and families show that 40–50% of our set point is genetic. Some happy people are just born with it. Personality traits also have a lot to account for here. Diener & Lucas found that extroversion is often linked to a higher happiness set point, whereas anxiety and self doubt is linked to a lower happiness set point.

A small amount — some studies say just 10% — is down to our circumstances. Life-altering positive or negative events can have more lasting effects on our happiness set point. Having a child, for example, can increase your happiness levels for one or two years before it returns to baseline levels.

This means approximately half of our happiness is subject to forces we can’t control — perhaps that’s what makes some of us naturally “glass half full” and others “glass half empty”, but the other half is ours for the taking.

Lyubomirsky explains: “although our happiness levels may have a genetic component, they are more malleable than once thought and can be raised through strategic activities.”

So what mysterious “strategic activities” can we do to change our happiness set point?

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Change Your Set Point

We don’t have to accept the set point we’re given. And whilst our natural urge is to increase the highs we chase, the route to longer lasting happiness is to change the set point itself.

Connect with Others

Robert Waldinger’s famous TED talk on a 75-year-long happiness study shares the first and most important factor that can increase your happiness set point over time: building relationships.

Friends, family, community, all help us to feel happier and live longer. Finding ways to deepen existing relationships or to form new ones and sustain them over time is one of the most effective ways to increase our happiness set point.

Be Kind

Lyubomirsky explains that regular acts of kindness, in the form of volunteering or in the form of a random act for a friend or stranger, can have a profound effect on the happiness set point because of their ability to promote positive emotions (boosting seratonin and dopamine) and create a sense of fulfilment.

Strive for Growth

Where the hedonic treadmill naturally leads us towards chasing success, one of the tricks to raising the happiness set point is to refocus our drive to succeed on growth and development. Challenging ourselves and learning new skills.

An Oxford University study showed that when people participate in classes outside of work, they improve their mental and physical health, reporting greater satisfaction with their lives.

Live in the Present

One symptom of getting caught in the hedonic treadmill is the tendency to always look forward, focusing on the next thing. When we do that, we trade current happiness for future happiness.

A study recording happiness of participants at random times during their day revealed that in moments where participants were distracted or daydreaming, they were also less happy than when they were fully absorbed in a task.

Taking time to relax and do activities we enjoy helps us to focus, reducing anxiety and boosting our overall happiness, not just future happiness.

Savour It

Feelings of gratitude have long been associated with increased happiness levels. This doesn’t mean you need to whip out the gratitude journal. It’s just as powerful to savour moments of happiness that come your way, making sure you’re free from distractions so you can enjoy them to the full.

“Savouring can lead to an increase in positive emotions such as happiness, joy, and gratitude,” says Dr Goddard-Crawley. “By focusing on and relishing positive experiences, individuals can amplify these emotions. Regularly engaging in savouring practices can contribute to improved mood and overall wellbeing.”

How to savour the good times? Slow down, engage all the senses and afterwards, recall the experience over and over.

However much we increase our set point, we will still end up chasing highs now and again. It’s part of being human. And whilst we can control the highs we chase, we can’t control our natural reflex to chase higher highs as a result. That’s the essence of the hedonic treadmill, we’re always onto the next thing, because, like video game players, we’re desensitised to the level we’ve just attained.

Yet the more we can do to create moments of happiness that increase our set point, the more we can expect happiness to increase in the long term. Over time, the hedonic treadmill will feel less like a rollercoaster and more like a walk in the park.

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