Discussion The Hedonic Treadmill, Dissatisfaction, and Happiness

Soyteen Liker

Soyteen Liker

it's just getting started

Hedonic treadmill - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org en.m.wikipedia.org

The hedonic treadmill, also known as hedonic adaptation, is the observed tendency of humans to quickly return to a relatively stable level of happiness despite major positive or negative events or life changes

I think this is an interesting concept in human psychology. It reminds me of the Buddhist concept of dukkha: that life is unsatisfactory. I guess it can be seem like a good thing because you'll usually return to an equilibrium but it's negated by the idea of trauma anyway. If you win a million dollars, you'll get bored and accustomed to it eventually. If you get raped, you can get PTSD that never goes away and torments you. Thus, it's asymmetrical.

I guess it's perspective but I can't help not to see it as making life ultimately a futile chase. I guess it reminds me of my own concept that happiness is found within, but it feels like I can't really dive within because whatever is within would overwhelm me and destroy me if I didn't tread carefully. I don't really want to turn this into a "wahhh woe is me" SNCAfest, but I'm not sure how to elaborate well on my thoughts.

What do you guys think about this idea? How does it manifest for you?
 
People get used to good things quickly. They start to subconsciously believe that it's gonna stay forever this way. I guess it's our human instinct to constantly seek the betterment of our own quality of life. The better your life is, the better the chances of you being healthier and spawning offspring.
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When you lose something you can feel it for a lot longer because of the same exact reason. It's in our nature to not like a worse existence.
 
Soyteen Liker said:
Why?
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I've never experienced such a thing nor have I ever known someone who has experienced such a thing. Even my father, who literally fought in a war, does not show any signs of trauma. Not to mention the ridiculous attention-whoring that is being done by leveraging trauma, similar to people constantly crying that they're suicidal. It’s all fake and gay.

The human mind is far tougher than people give it credit for, and I believe it will heal from any wounds inflicted upon it, given enough time and rest.
 
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