Beyond the Hedonic Treadmill: Revising the Adaptation Theory of Well-Being

According to the hedonic treadmill model, good and bad events temporarily affect happiness, but people quickly adapt back to hedonic neutrality. The theory, which has gained widespread acceptance in recent years, implies that individual and societal efforts to increase happiness are doomed to failur...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American psychologist 2006-05, Vol.61 (4), p.305-314
Main Authors: Diener, Ed, Lucas, Richard E, Scollon, Christie Napa
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation
Adaptation to change
Adaptation, Psychological
Affectivity. Emotion
Behavior Theories
Behavioral Science Research
Biological and medical sciences
Changes
Coping
Coping Behavior
Defense Mechanisms
Emotional Adjustment
Emotions
Formative Evaluation
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Happiness
Human
Humans
Individual Differences
Life Satisfaction
Personality Theory
Personality. Affectivity
Program Improvement
Psychological Patterns
Psychological Theories
Psychological Theory
Psychology
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Quality of Life
Survival strategy
Theory
Well Being
Wellbeing
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Summary:According to the hedonic treadmill model, good and bad events temporarily affect happiness, but people quickly adapt back to hedonic neutrality. The theory, which has gained widespread acceptance in recent years, implies that individual and societal efforts to increase happiness are doomed to failure. The recent empirical work outlined here indicates that 5 important revisions to the treadmill model are needed. First, individuals' set points are not hedonically neutral. Second, people have different set points, which are partly dependent on their temperaments. Third, a single person may have multiple happiness set points: Different components of well-being such as pleasant emotions, unpleasant emotions, and life satisfaction can move in different directions. Fourth, and perhaps most important, well-being set points can change under some conditions. Finally, individuals differ in their adaptation to events, with some individuals changing their set point and others not changing in reaction to some external event. These revisions offer hope for psychologists and policymakers who aim to decrease human misery and increase happiness.
ISSN:0003-066X
1935-990X
DOI:10.1037/0003-066X.61.4.305