Hedonic adaptation is a phenomenon experienced by human beings that is sometimes beneficial and sometimes is harmful. Understanding the concept will help you recognize the phenomenon in your loved one as they overcome addiction or depression.
How Hedonic Adaptation is Beneficial:
Hedonic adaptation is actually a vital part of our human ability to overcome negative circumstances. For example, this ability to “adapt” will help individuals become happy again once they overcome their battle with depression or win their fight against drug addiction. It also allows individuals to move on after the loss of a loved one or overcome a difficult childhood full of abuse or neglect. It in essence allows humans to cope with bad things and still be able …show more content…
Well, after they get “used” to owning their new car, or after they become accustomed to a new income after a getting a coveted job, their happiness level begins to wane. Eventually, that high level 10 happiness slowly goes back down to 0. That is when individuals feel the need to once again raise their happiness levels through additional gains. This might be in the form of buying more cars, attempting to earn more money or seeking out happiness in some other manner. This begins a never ending cycle of being happy, not being happy, being happy, not being happy that won’t end until the phenomenon is recognized for what it is and combated.
What Hedonic Adaptation is Not:
Hedonic adaption should not be confused with desensitization. Yes, both desensitization and hedonic adaptation both reduce the emotional intensity of an event. Hedonic adaptation diminishes the intensity of an event by shifting the perceptions of the negativity or positivity of a stimulus. This in turn leads a person to become more sensitive to differences in various stimuli.
To better explain the difference between the two types of adaptation, consider this
How Hedonic Adaptation is Beneficial:
Hedonic adaptation is actually a vital part of our human ability to overcome negative circumstances. For example, this ability to “adapt” will help individuals become happy again once they overcome their battle with depression or win their fight against drug addiction. It also allows individuals to move on after the loss of a loved one or overcome a difficult childhood full of abuse or neglect. It in essence allows humans to cope with bad things and still be able …show more content…
Well, after they get “used” to owning their new car, or after they become accustomed to a new income after a getting a coveted job, their happiness level begins to wane. Eventually, that high level 10 happiness slowly goes back down to 0. That is when individuals feel the need to once again raise their happiness levels through additional gains. This might be in the form of buying more cars, attempting to earn more money or seeking out happiness in some other manner. This begins a never ending cycle of being happy, not being happy, being happy, not being happy that won’t end until the phenomenon is recognized for what it is and combated.
What Hedonic Adaptation is Not:
Hedonic adaption should not be confused with desensitization. Yes, both desensitization and hedonic adaptation both reduce the emotional intensity of an event. Hedonic adaptation diminishes the intensity of an event by shifting the perceptions of the negativity or positivity of a stimulus. This in turn leads a person to become more sensitive to differences in various stimuli.
To better explain the difference between the two types of adaptation, consider this