Hedonic Adaptation: How to STAY Happy
We’ve talked on this show about lots of ways we can be happier over time, but one of the hardest things to do is to STAY happy as the events of life wash over us. On today’s episode of Being Well, Dr. Rick Hanson and I consider the human tendency to return to the same basic level of happiness regardless of recent positive or negative experiences–also known as hedonic adaptation–and how to contend with it so we can get off the hedonic treadmill and onto what Rick playfully calls the hedonic escalator.
Watch the Episode: Prefer watching video? You can watch this episode on YouTube.
Key Topics:
0:00: Introduction
2:25: What is hedonic adaptation?
6:25: Three factors of happiness
9:45: Survey of various research on hedonic adaptation and subjective well-being
19:55: Financial circumstances and relationships
27:35: How to sustain happiness - loving, knowing, growing
38:15: The single most effective intervention to hedonic adaptation
41:30: Forrest’s take on how lasting change happens
45:00: Antidote experiences and improving memory
47:50: Can we actually become happier?
51:00: Recap
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