Set Point Theory

There’s a theory in psychology called the “hedonic treadmill” which says that most people have a happiness “set point” that they are destined to maintain  the same level of general satisfaction  throughout their lives , no matter what decisions they make.

Things that you might expect to make someone very happy (winning the lottery , securing a prestigious scholarship) or very sad (losing a limb ) actually tend to not have a dramatic long term effect on a person’s happiness. In other words, people are pretty resilient. Or, put another way, we’re forgetful.

 We think how how happy we would be if we got a big raise and how much easier our lives would be with a bit more money in our pocket. And we get the raise and some things do get easier. But pretty quickly we forget how life was before and how happy we are supposed to be now. The new becomes the status quo, we find a new set of things to worry about, and we end up about as happy as we were before.

However , a new study of happiness  suggests the contrary – that is happiness is related to our life choices and can change greatly over time . Personally , I prefer this one . Choice is also a source of hope, and for many of us, hope is itself happiness, whether it’s predicated on truths or illusions. This is  being human. 

The data  from the new study shows that life choices such as who your partner is, what you prioritize, and how you spend your time, are tied to your happiness. More importantly, the study shows that your happiness can change over time if these choices change. The researchers acknowledge that there may be some “reverse causation” at work; while some of the changes in satisfaction are a result of personal choices, changes in general happiness may also affect choices. For example, increases in satisfaction may make it easier for people to exercise or spend time with friends.

Won’t life be dreadfully boring if we are confined to the “ Set-Point Theory” for our entire life?  What a relief  that we can now get down from the “ hedonic treadmill “.