THR 351 Jade Blando Sonja L. Reading plus Excerpts One of the pieces of research I found meaningful was that the emotional effects of anything thin out with time. “People inevitably adapt to positive and negative events, such as marriage, birth of a child, promotion, divorce, widowhood, and winning the lottery (Boswell, Boudreau, & Tichy, 2005; Brickman, Coates, & Janoff-Bulman, 1978; Lucas, 2007). This withering attribute of the habits we wish to form should be reinforced with variety in the way we approach them. It can be a challenge to continue a positive habit when its effect wanes in spite of your dedication. Imbalances between effort and happiness or success and happiness(where our stimulus desperately needs to be resuscitated by gratitude or change) show us that because we adapt, lasting happiness can’t be found in a habit, accomplishment, or moment. Causationally, their relationships to each other are unclear. So for us it can mean we’re not defined by our great or terrible moments [ex: huge lotto win or painful divorce], defining ourselves isn’t really possible until we’ve run out of moments and are dead. So our desire to hold onto the feeling of happiness and figure out how to remain there[stuck in a state of pure hedonic bliss] isn’t a realistic expectation. We have to embrace the spectrum of emotions. Hedonic adaptation also accounts for why the happiness of wealthy and successful individuals is fairly similar to the happiness of those above the poverty line. The value of this is that our subjective self-fulfillment isn’t based on any prerequisites outside of our control. We are always able to make our lives more fresh and rewarding by showing gratitude and investing in activities that engage our interests, personalities, and sense of exploration. Examples include keeping an optimism diary, reaching out to new opportunities/ people, writing letters of gratitude, and looking for new ways to affirm the values most important to you.
