![]() ![]() The reality is that all experiences, no matter how wonderful or tragic, can be integrated back into our lives as we adapt our thoughts, feelings and habits to a base level of our “new normal. Hedonic adaptations mean that we’re also likely to get used to these things over time. A divorce, a redundancy, a physical injury, a betrayal or a trigger. Understand that just as the wonderful things lose their shine, so will the painful things lose their sting. Hedonic adaptation is when you really enjoy something the first time you experience it, but the more you get used to it, the less pleasurable it becomes. the hedonic treadmill trap, whereby we work harder and harder without ever achieving happiness. How to use hedonic adaptation to your advantage ![]() It takes 2 seconds to think that and now the next time you have a meal you will likely savour the experience and feel immense gratitude for something you previously may have taken for granted (up to three times a day)! For example, think of the last great meal you had and now imagine not being able to access food. Negative visualisation: Stoics have a practice where they imagine that all the good things in their life are gone. Mindfulness: Savour the things that matter and force yourself to notice the blessings by instilling a conscious gratitude practice.ģ. Mix it up: If you always fly business, book yourself an economy ticket.Ģ. Things stop feeling amazing over time because we get used to them are people, places and things.ġ. Even if they still feel confident in their path, the euphoria is usually gone.Īnd even if the thing we’re becoming used to isn’t causing us stress, like a new car might still be as feature-packed as the day we go it, but the heated seats and dynamic dashboard don’t thrill us like they used to. 18 months later, those same students often feel stressed, tired, and engrossed in the grind of their studies. They record the euphoria of getting into the college of their dreams. There was a trend in the USA of students filming themselves as they check their college acceptance. What we found most useful in her work were the techniques to “patch” the glitch, and also how the reverse can be true, in that situations that seem unsurvivable in one instant, can also ease into discomfort and perhaps even apathy over time.įirst, let’s look at a specific example. She calls Hedonic Adaptation a “happiness glitch”, meaning that we get used to what we have and don’t appreciate it as much as we did when we first got it, like a new partner, a new job, a pay rise, or a new car. Today’s post is a recommendation to seek out the work of Dr Laurie Santos, who is a Professor of Psychology at Yale University.
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