{"id":210852,"date":"2025-09-04T09:44:53","date_gmt":"2025-09-04T09:44:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.anglepoise.com\/eu\/?p=210852"},"modified":"2025-09-04T09:44:55","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T09:44:55","slug":"are-we-ever-getting-off-the-hedonic-treadmill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.anglepoise.com\/eu\/journal\/are-we-ever-getting-off-the-hedonic-treadmill\/","title":{"rendered":"Every \u201cfix\u201d fades: Are we ever getting off the hedonic treadmill?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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I was coasting down the river on my stand-up paddleboard the other day, as I\u2019m wont to do.\u00a0<\/span>It was a rare moment of tranquility in the life of someone running a business (always grateful, never grumbling. Okay, sometimes grumbling).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I sailed past a lady sitting on a grassy bank in the evening sunshine. I called out, \u201cyou\u2019ve got a lovely spot\u201d. She called back: \u201cSo do you!\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

She was right. And it was an exchange that cheered me for the rest of the day. In fact, it still cheers me, when I think about it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That feeling is something you <\/span>cannot<\/b> buy. But that doesn\u2019t stop us trying.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n


\nForever chasing\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Everywhere you look, there\u2019s a sale on.<\/span><\/p>\n

With every sale, there\u2019s a hint of a win, something new, something just for you\u2026 and \u201cwell it can\u2019t hurt to look\u201d. Suddenly, you\u2019ve spent \u00a350 on something you\u2019d never even conceived of \u2018til it hit your Instagram feed 15 minutes before.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And it <\/span>does<\/b> feel good\u2026 for a minute. You might get a second rush when the parcel drops through the letterbox. Then your <\/span>object nouvel<\/span><\/i> gets put away, or worn once, or used a handful of times\u2026 then it\u2019s forgotten. And you\u2019re 50 quid poorer.<\/span><\/p>\n

The \u2018hedonic treadmill\u2019 suggests that our happiness (or lack thereof) is actually quite stable. It will always return to baseline, whether you win the lottery or lose an arm. The smaller the high, the quicker you\u2019ll return to \u201cnormal\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And so we keep chasing the highs – never to be fulfilled.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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When the fun stops<\/strong><\/h3>\n

I find modern marketing and advertising <\/span>so <\/b>vindictive, because it\u2019s all based on spotlighting our insecurities and selling the \u201csolution\u201d back to us.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s been going on in the beauty and fashion industries for decades. But now it\u2019s invading our homes. You can\u2019t buy a house, but you can \u201ctransform\u201d your space with a cheap sunrise projector from TikTok shop.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Even cleaning products have <\/span>gone viral<\/span><\/a>, for god\u2019s sake – thanks to <\/span>Ms Hinch<\/span><\/a> and all of us spending way too much time locked down. The most utilitarian thing I could think of has become \u201chedonic\u201d. Perhaps because it\u2019s an affordable luxury – and cleanliness is all people can control in a broken housing market.<\/span><\/p>\n

You\u2019re forced into a tiny houseshare, but don\u2019t worry – you can buy this \u201cviral\u201d folding airer from Amazon to save space. You\u2019re being exploited by your landlord, but a new set of plastic containers can help!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you tried to sell any of that crap to a turn-of-the-century laborer, or a Victorian, heaven forbid – they would\u2019ve responded with a baffled \u201chow long will it last?\u201d. We used to buy for durability and function.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019re sitting ducks for sales psychology. \u00a339 sells more than \u00a335. No \u2018\u00a3\u2019 signs on menus sells 10% more. \u201cShrinkflation\u201d keeps prices the same while reducing portion size. \u201cCharm\u201d pricing, anchoring, the decoy effect, BOGOF, constant flash sales, \u201cdrops\u201d, and scarily targeted ads\u2026 all engineered to keep us hooked. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Consumer culture sells us a \u201cself\u201d at a discount – outfits, gadgets, wellness routines – that promise transformation. Funnily enough, we never transform. And we don\u2019t even notice.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Finding the off-ramp<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In better news, there\u2019s another kind of happiness: <\/span>eudaimonic wellbeing<\/b>. This is the kind you get from the pursuit of meaning, self-realization, growth, and authenticity.<\/span><\/p>\n

A few non-hedonic hacks:<\/span><\/p>\n

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