Hedonic Treadmill
Hedonic Adaptation
The tendency of humans to quickly return to a relatively stable level of happiness despite major positive or negative events or life changes.
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Origin
Philip Brickman and Donald T. Campbell introduced the concept in their 1971 chapter "Hedonic Relativism and Planning the Good Society" in Adaptation-Level Theory, arguing that people adapt to improvements in circumstances much as sensory systems adapt to stimuli. Brickman tested the idea empirically in a landmark 1978 study comparing lottery winners and paraplegics, finding both groups converged toward similar happiness levels.
Updated February 22, 2026