Every week, Dr. Justin Altschuler writes a post that provides new insight and perspective into the familiar parts of life, helping readers live a healthy, happy, meaningful life.
Avoid the This Treadmill
Quick Summary: Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got til its gone? What if we could avoid that trap? The hedonic treadmill, also known as hedonic adaptation, refers to the tendency of humans to quickly return to a relatively stable level of happiness or subjective well-being, despite major positive or negative events or changes in their lives. In other words, people often experience temporary boosts or declines in happiness due to certain life events or circumstances, but over time, they tend to adapt and revert to their baseline level of happiness. The term "hedonic treadmill" implies that individuals are constantly chasing happiness, but they often find themselves on a metaphorical treadmill, making efforts to increase their happiness but ultimately remaining at a relatively stable level. This phenomenon suggests that external circumstances and material possessions have a limited and temporary impact on long-term happiness, and true well-being is influenced by other factors such as relationships, personal growth, and a sense of purpose or meaning in life. It can also be influenced by where we put our focus. We often delude ourselves into thinking that this phenomenon will abate when something happens. “When I’ve achieved X, or completed Y, then I will be content and be able to stop chasing. When I’ve arrived, I’ll be happy.” The problem is that there is always a next thing to achieve, or reach, or get. When you are the CEO and making $10 million, but your fellow CEOs are making $50 million, suddenly your income doesn’t seem so great. In certain philosophical and spiritual traditions, particularly in Buddhism, the term "hungry ghost" refers to a metaphorical being that is consumed by intense craving, desire, and insatiable hunger. The hungry ghost is depicted as a realm or state of existence within the cycle of rebirth, where beings are driven by constant craving and dissatisfaction. The hungry ghost metaphor can be interpreted beyond its literal existence as a realm and can also be seen as a symbolic representation of human psychological states. It points to the human tendency to be driven by endless craving and dissatisfaction, always seeking more and never finding lasting contentment. The problem is the desire for more— because no matter how much the hungry ghost gets, it’s never enough. What if, instead of focusing on the next thing that we need to be happy, we focus on what we have? As Sheryl Crow sang, “Its not getting what you want, it’s wanting what you’ve got.” Taking the time to acknowledge and appreciate the things we have in our life, making this a regular habit, shifts our attention away from what is missing and towards what we already have. If you had enough, would you know it? -Dr. Justin Share Doc’s Thoughts If you enjoyed today’s newsletter, share it with your friends and family! |
Doc’s Thoughts
Every week, Dr. Justin Altschuler writes a post that provides new insight and perspective into the familiar parts of life, helping readers live a healthy, happy, meaningful life.
Doc’s Thoughts When we love and care about someone, it is natural to want to help them—in fact, that is a part of love. We tell them they matter to us, offer kind words, give gifts, show up, listen, make dinner, sit beside them when things are hard. Love takes many forms, and much of what makes life worthwhile comes from these ordinary acts of caring. We also want to protect the people we love from suffering, to help them avoid the bad relationship, terrible decisions, and mistakes we can see...
Doc’s Thoughts In my work with people who use drugs, I often talk with people who are filled with regret, shame, and deep feelings of sadness about where their life is. One of the joys of my work is being a part of people moving from this place of unhappiness to a place of significantly more joy. This extends beyond just drug use. At heart, I am fairly optimistic, and believe in people’s ability to learn, to grow, and make peace with themselves. Bad endings While I hope this for everyone, I...
Doc’s Thoughts It is pretty easy to feel pessimistic about the future. We all have our own list of reasons: global warming, species extinction, AI, rising national debt, erosion of democratic norms, increasing authoritarianism, inequality. Looking at the world through that lens, it is not hard to understand why so many young people feel pessimistic and overwhelmed. There is plenty to be afraid of, and there are rational reasons to be fearful. But fear can also become the default lens through...