Beyond the hedonic treadmill
Revising the adaptation theory of well-being
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 8726316 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ed Diener (0000-0002-7418-4282, corresponding author), Richard E Lucas (0000-0002-7995-3319), Christie Napa Scollon (0000-0002-4304-4666) |
| Year | 2006 |
| Volume | 61 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 305-314 |
| Publication date | 2006-05-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | American Psychologist (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0003-066X • E-ISSN: 1935-990X |
| Publisher | American Psychological Association (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1037/0003-066x.61.4.305 |
| PMID | 16719675 |
| OpenAlex | W2052283723 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 403 |
| References cited | 45 |
According to the hedonic treadmill model, good and bad events temporarily affect happiness, but people quickly adapt back to hedonic neutrality. The theory, which has gained widespread acceptance in recent years, implies that individual and societal efforts to increase happiness are doomed to failure. The recent empirical work outlined here indicates that 5 important revisions to the treadmill model are needed. First, individuals' set points are not hedonically neutral. Second, people have different set points, which are partly dependent on their temperaments. Third, a single person may have multiple happiness set points: Different components of well-being such as pleasant emotions, unpleasant emotions, and life satisfaction can move in different directions. Fourth, and perhaps most important, well-being set points can change under some conditions. Finally, individuals differ in their adaptation to events, with some individuals changing their set point and others not changing in reaction to some external event. These revisions offer hope for psychologists and policy-makers who aim to decrease human misery and increase happiness
Adaptation (eye · Affect (linguistics · Cognitive psychology · Epistemology · Happiness · Life satisfaction · Neutrality · Personality · Point (geometry · Set (abstract data type · Subjective well-being · Temperament · Well-being · Computer Science · Mathematics · Optimism, Hope, and Well-being · Psychological and Temporal Perspectives Research · Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction · Psychology · Social Psychology
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| Unique citing works | 403 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 17,52 |
| Citation span | 2003 - 2026 (24) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | Yes |
| Citation types | Neutral: 395 |