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.
