Uploaded by jade.blando

Sonja L. Reading plus Excerpts (1)

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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.
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