Hedonic Treadmill
- “why doesn't getting what I wanted make me happier”
- “happiness always returns to normal”
- “does money buy happiness”
- “the treadmill of always wanting more”
:: COMPARE ::
Hedonic treadmillvsFlourishing
The short answer
The treadmill explains why chasing circumstances plateaus — pleasure adapts fast. Flourishing research targets meaning, relationships and functioning, which adapt far less readily. It's the difference between improving your conditions and changing what you're doing with them.
Side by side
| Aspect | Hedonic treadmill | Flourishing |
|---|---|---|
| Concerns | Pleasure | Functioning and meaning |
| Adapts | Quickly | Slowly, if at all |
| Driven by | Circumstances | Engagement, purpose |
| Ceiling | Returns to baseline | Can genuinely shift |
Which one you meant
Readers who land here meaning Hedonic Treadmill rather than Flourishing are usually searching for phrases like “why doesn't getting what I wanted make me happier”, “happiness always returns to normal”, “does money buy happiness”.
Flourishing
- “what does it mean to be truly well”
- “more than just not being depressed”
- “how do you measure wellbeing”
- “the opposite of languishing”
Which came first
Hedonic treadmill. 1971 — Philip Brickman and Donald Campbell argue people are confined to a 'hedonic treadmill', adapting even to extreme good and bad circumstances.
- 1971Hedonic TreadmillPhilip Brickman and Donald Campbell argue people are confined to a 'hedonic treadmill', adapting even to extreme good and bad circumstances.
- 2002FlourishingCorey Keyes sets out a mental-health continuum running from languishing through moderate wellbeing to flourishing, defined by emotional, psychological and social wellbeing.
Read either one in full