Get off the Hedonic Treadmill

Imagine something you ever wanted something for a long, long time. You saved your money for it. You finally got it and it was wonderful. You loved having it. But after a period of time, the newness and novelty of that item wore off it was replaced with wanting something else. That’s what’s known as habituation, or the hedonic treadmill.

People adapt or habituate to their new possessions very quickly. Richard Layard explains this in Happiness: “When I get a new home or a new car, I am excited at first. But then I get used to it, and my mood tends to revert to where it was before. Now I feel I need the bigger house and the better car. If I went back to the old house and car, I would be much less happy than I was before I had experienced something better. Once your situation becomes stable again, you will revert to your ‘set-point’ level of happiness.

“The things that we get used to most easily and most take for granted are our material possessions—our car, our house. Advertisers understand this and invite us to ‘feed our addiction’ with more and more spending. However, other experiences do not pale in the same way—the time we spend with our family and friends and the quality and security of our job.”

As a society, we need to step off the hedonic treadmill and stop looking to material things to make us happy. But just like a dieter can’t give up food completely, we can’t give up things completely either. The truth is we do live in a material world, and there is room for material things to bring us satisfaction when we can put them in perspective. The possessions that typically give you the most satisfaction are the ones that aren’t connected to superficial desires such as status but rather a deeper value or interest, one that is genuine.

Discussion/Notebook Assignment: Can you name a case where something you purchased failed to give you pleasure after a short period of time? Which things did you buy did you enjoy the most? Is it because they were connected to a genuine passion or interest?

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I totally have this problem with buying new shirts. I will only wear my 5 most recently purchased shirts and then I stop wearing one when I get a new one.

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It's not what you make; it's what you spend.

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I am right with 'ya there on the clothes. After I wear something for awhile and it isn't "new" anymore it just isn't quite as special.

One thing that I have been extremely pleased with is the purchase of a digital SLR camera a few years ago. I've probably taken over 10,000 photos with it and it still continues to be one of my best purchases. I don't really have an urge to upgrade... I still have yet to figure out all the features this camera has. I think I love it because photography allows me to express my creativity.

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OK if anyone can tell me how to cook with a cast iron Panni Press I would be forever in your debt. I got one after hosting a party for a friend $80 but I paid $40 for it. I have attempted to use it twice and ate burnt sandwiches twice.

I think I am worse with scrapbood supplies. I am always excited to get them but don't really use them for that long before I want more.

I guess clothes are one of my purchases that stick. I still wear things that I have had in my closet for 10 years I wear then until the wear out.

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Kimberly Proud Mommy to Bethany Rose April 2006 &

Organizer of the Coupon Clippers of Tacoma