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WHAT IS THE HEDONIC TREADMILL?


Across everyone’s life, there are good things and bad things that happen- tragedies and fortunes, mistakes and advancements- but, how do these affect us as a whole? When something bad happens to any one person, they tend to reflect this. Their emotion may negatively change, putting them into a state of depression. It can take weeks to years to escape this, just like how it takes a while to come down from a dopamine high.

No matter what happens to somebody and how it affects them, they will return to a neutral state. This is because of something known as the hedonic treadmill. This is the idea that no matter how high or low your state of happiness will be, it will always drop or rise back to a neutral state.

When going about their daily life, many people will be attracted towards things that will bring them pleasure, like a spontaneous trip to the zoo or a theme park, or even something simple like going to the local ice cream parlor. However, the dopamine received from these actions is short lived, and eventually they'll forget how happy they were. Wanting to achieve this again, they'll repeat the action- instead of simply doing something that will last.

Often, people get stuck in a cycle. Chasing high after high, not knowing when to stop. This is why it's referred to as a treadmill.

People struggle when trying to differentiate a good life from a pleasurable one, which is a major factor in the hedonic treadmill. Chasing these highs, often being disappointed in the end and experiencing a low. It always balances out, and the cycle continues. Those who simply search for a good life are able to escape this.

While lows and bad experiences will still bring them down, it is far easier to bounce back- and to bounce back to a better point than most would. Maintaining a positive lifestyle by keeping things that will improve your mood close, yet not chasing them or valuing them more than people close to you, is an easy way to have a good life. Everyone’s threshold for what counts as either is different, so it is important that you know where that is.

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Pub: 04 Aug 2024 19:06 UTC
Views: 65