The Psychology Of Hedonic Adaptation

Critics view the hedonic adaptation tendency as a generalization that fails to take potentially shifting factors into account.

• Significant life events such as loss of employment or the end of a major relationship can change one's original level of contentment.
• Negative events are often more significant than positive ones.
• Consuming certain medication may also alter the set level of happiness in a person who has mental illness or other clinical problems.

People become used to whatever changes are causing their increase in happiness. Over time, the initial excitement of the thing that happened wears off with a return to the "set level of happiness."

Someone who undergoes a positive experience with desirable offshoots can shift their levels of expectation. It then becomes their new normal.

The process of hedonic adaptation can be minimized, if not eliminated.

• Uneventful everyday routines are the ultimate breeding ground for hedonic adaptation. Variety can help maintain and even increase the excitement and joy that accompanies positive life experiences.
• Gratitude and appreciation for the blessings in one's life can also combat hedonic adaptation.