Hedonic Adaptation: Causes, Critiques, and How to Stay Happy

Being Well with Forrest Hanson and Dr. Rick Hanson

Being Well

Education, Self-improvement, Health & Fitness, Mental Health

4.8 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 21 March 2022

⏱️ 58 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

We’ve talked on this show about lots of ways we can be happier over time, but one of the hardest things to do is to STAY happy as the events of life wash over us. On today’s episode of Being Well, Dr. Rick and Forrest Hanson explore "hedonic adaptation" - our tendency to return to a stable baseline of happiness - and discuss how we can get off the "hedonic treadmill." Watch the Episode: Prefer watching video? You can watch this episode on YouTube. Key Topics: 0:00: Introduction 2:25: What is hedonic adaptation? 6:25: Three factors of happiness 9:45: Survey of various research on hedonic adaptation and subjective well-being 19:55: Financial circumstances and relationships 27:35: How to sustain happiness - loving, knowing, growing 38:15: The single most effective intervention to fight hedonic adaptation 41:30: Forrest’s take on how lasting change happens 45:00: Antidote experiences and improving memory 47:50: Can we actually become happier? 51:00: Recap Support the Podcast: We're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link. Sponsors: Visit athleticgreens.com/BEINGWELL to take ownership over your health, and pick up the ultimate daily nutritional insurance! Join over a million people using BetterHelp, the world’s largest online counseling platform. Visit betterhelp.com/beingwell for 10% off your first month! Want to sleep better? Try the Calm app! Visit calm.com/beingwell for 40% off a premium subscription. Take care of your long-term health, and get the probiotic rooted in the latest microbiome science from Pendulum. Visit pendulumlife.com and use code BEINGWELL for 20% off your first month of membership. Discover your full genetic potential by uploading your existing DNA test results at genomelink.io. No trial period, no credit card, and no hidden fees! Connect with the show: Subscribe on iTunes Follow Forrest on YouTube Follow us on Instagram Follow Forrest on Instagram Follow Rick on Facebook Follow Forrest on Facebook Visit Forrest's website Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Hello and welcome to Being Well, I'm Forest Hanson.
0:10.4	If you're new to the podcast, this is where we explore the practical science of lasting
0:14.8	well-being.
0:15.8	And if you've listened before, welcome back.
0:18.2	We've talked on this show about hundreds of ways that we can improve our well-being
0:23.0	and be happier over time.
0:25.5	But one of the hardest things to do isn't just to get happy, it's to stay happy, particularly
0:31.2	in some reliable way as the events of life wash over us.
0:36.4	Good events, experiences, and changes in our life circumstances tend to make us happier
0:40.6	for a little while.
0:41.9	In bad events, experiences, and changes in our life circumstances tend to make us
0:46.2	unhappier for a while.
0:48.2	But there's this funny feature of life where over time, it can often feel like we're
0:53.4	just regressing back to a kind of stable level of happiness that we carry with us.
0:59.8	And that's what we're going to be exploring today.
1:01.6	This is something known as theodonic adaptation, and I'm really excited that we're going
1:05.8	to be delving into it.
1:06.8	So to help us do that, I'm joined today as usual by Dr. Rick Hanson, Rick is a clinical
1:11.3	psychologist, a best-selling author, and very happy to say that he's my dad.
1:16.1	So dad, how are you doing today?
1:17.7	Well, I'm doing well, and I got a nice little hedonic bump from you saying that.
1:23.4	And I'm seeing your face as you say it, and I just want you to know that I'm profoundly
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Being Well, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Being Well and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.