What is the ‘hedonic treadmill’ and why is it the foe of Christmas cheer?

The National

Dr Michael Plant, founder and director of the Happier Lives Institute, a non-profit research institute, and a research fellow at the University of Oxford’s Wellbeing Research Centre, said that objects tend not to make people happier because we have adapted to them, something termed the hedonic treadmill.

“Think of some item you’d really like to buy and you think will make you happier,” he said. “Say it’s a new car or phone. Now, think about the car/phone you already have, and ask how much happiness it gives you now. Probably, you don’t think about it any more. It’s faded into the background.

“For what it’s worth, there’s a good evolutionary reason for adaptation. Mother Nature doesn’t want us to be happy – she wants us to survive and reproduce. Getting used to things – but not realising that we get used to things – is her trick to motivate us to acquire resources.”