The fact that we can’t control the happiness we get out of experiences over time due to hedonic adaptation raises the question: How much of our happiness and pleasure is actually within our control? We repeat this pattern every time we make a new and exciting purchase, even though we’ve experienced hedonic adaptation before. You’ll be excited at first, but after a few weeks, the novelty will wear off and you’ll be used to wearing them. For example, imagine buying a new pair of shoes you’ve been eyeing for months. When we make a choice expecting excitement and pleasure, we don’t realize that pleasure will decline as we get used to it. Schwartz explains that we tend not to expect hedonic adaptation. For example, if you eat that same chocolate cake again once a week for months, it’ll eventually feel less exceptional than it did at first, becoming more of a regular comfort than a special pleasure. Of course, comfort isn’t a bad thing, but when we want to feel pleasure, comfort seems insufficient. When hedonic adaptation sets in, pleasure is replaced by comfort. Because you’ve had a highly pleasurable experience (your new reference point), you’ve unconsciously set your standards higher. For instance, if you eat a slice of the best chocolate cake you’ve ever had, other chocolate cakes will start to pale in comparison. Hedonic adaptation can occur as a natural response over time, or in response to a changed reference point. What is hedonic adaptation? In his book The Paradox of Choice, Barry Schwartz asserts that even when we make good choices, we often end up disappointed in the long run because of adaptation: When we get used to things, they lose their novelty and we begin to take them for granted.Īdapting to the things that give us pleasure is called hedonic adaptation. Learn more about hedonic adaptation below. This tendency is impossible to outrun, but it is possible to learn to live with it. Hedonic adaptation is when you really enjoy something the first time you experience it, but the more you get used to it, the less pleasurable it becomes. What is hedonic adaptation? Why do things that once excited you become more disappointing each time you do them? Can this tendency be overcome? Like this article? Sign up for a free trial here. Shortform has the world's best summaries and analyses of books you should be reading. This article is an excerpt from the Shortform book guide to "The Paradox of Choice" by Barry Schwartz.
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