So, perhaps it isn't surprising that we sometimes have trouble acting in a way that will bring us the most happiness. Happiness is a complex, nebulous state that is fed by transient simple pleasures, as well as the more sustained rewards of activities that only make sense from a perspective of years or decades. Part of the problem is that happiness isn't a quality like height, weight or income that can be easily measured and given a number (whatever psychologists try and pretend). So, why don't they, in short, spend their winnings in ways that buy happiness? Lottery winners could take account of hedonic treadmill and social comparison effects when they spend their money. You might think we should be able to predict this, even if it isn't straightforward. If you win the lottery you may feel richer than your neighbours, and think that moving to a mansion in a new neighbourhood would make you happy, but then you look out of the window and realise that all your new friends live in bigger mansions.īoth of these phenomena undoubtedly play a role, but the deeper mystery is why we're so bad at knowing what will give us true satisfaction in the first place. Another explanation is that our happiness depends on how we feel relative to our peers. ![]() One way of accounting for this is to assume that lottery winners get used to their new level of wealth, and simply adjust back to a baseline level of happiness – something called the “ hedonic treadmill”. It seems that as long as you can afford to avoid the basic miseries of life, having loads of spare cash doesn't make you very much happier than having very little. One study famously found that people who had big wins on the lottery ended up no happier than those who had bought tickets but didn't win. ![]() ![]() Winning the lottery isn't a ticket to true happiness, however enticing it might be to imagine never working again and being able to afford anything you want. All the evidence suggests a big payout won’t make that much of a difference in the end. But before you place all your hopes and dreams on another ticket, here’s something you should know. Before the last Powerball jackpot in the United States, tickets were being snapped up at a rate of around 130,000 a minute. More is not going to make you happier.īe grateful for what you already have and happiness will find you.Think a lottery win would make you happy forever? Many of us do, including a US shopkeeper who just scooped $338 million in the Powerball lottery – the fourth largest prize in the game's history. The next thing is just going to make you want more. So, if you find yourself on the hedonic treadmill, get off by recognizing that you adapt to continually improving circumstances. Happiness is found when we get clear about our purpose, find ways to serve, savor the moments we are in, and are grateful for what we already have. Happiness is not found in the next thing, the next accomplishment, the next relationship, or the next purchase. Gratitude is a practice that directly counteracts the hedonic treadmill. If we stay on the hedonic treadmill, constantly believing that the next big thing is going to make us happy, we will find ourselves getting nowhere closer to joy. This process of desiring something, obtaining it, enjoying it for a while, then moving on to chase the next thing we think will make us happy is called the hedonic treadmill. We pursue whatever that thing is.īut once we get that thing, we get used to it. Some fun, but telling research shows that we tend to think we know what is going to make us happy. This week, we are focusing on Habit #2: Get off the hedonic treadmill. We have a brand new edition of the book out for the tenth anniversary of its release, and this week we’re continuing our series talking about the nine habits that make you happier, healthier, and more resilient. ![]() This is actually one of my favorite pieces of positive psychology, and it is habit number two in my book Successful Women Think Differently. Did you know that research shows that we are actually poor predictors of what will make us happy?
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |