Philosophy concepts

Hedonic Adaptation / Hedonic treadmill

A metaphor for the human tendency to pursue bigger/new pleasures every time. Because the surge of happiness that's felt after a positive event is likely to become the new personal baseline.

After a week of beautiful mountains and gorgeous lakes, our eyes recalibrated to the new ‘standard of beauty’. Our ‘wow’ standard went through the roof and so even if everything was stunning, the emotional reaction was dampened.