Introduction
This will be a two part series where I will be going over life in general and some of the barriers that keeps us from being happy. This part will go over the concept of happiness and why a lot of people focus primarily on it instead of looking for meaning in their life. With regards to happiness, it is something that everyone wants to experience.
Who wouldn’t want to feel good about life and themselves in general?
Everyone wants this feeling! However, a lot of people try to get it in the wrong way. Solely looking for happiness or even chasing it will get you further away from it in most cases. Stay tuned to learn why that is.
What Is Happiness?
I would like to start off by asking the question “What is Happiness?”. Whenever you think of definitions for the concept, you end up getting a vague answer. A lot of the times, the definition includes the word “happy” inside, which is not valid.
Since definitions don’t really give us the answer, we have to look at what is universally true about happiness and what it is. First things first, we all know that happiness is a feeling/emotion. Happiness is something that we feel inside, like a sensation. It’s essentially one of the best if not the best feeling to have.
Other than happiness being a feeling/emotion, there isn’t anything else that is universally true about it. Since that is the case, there is another point I would like to make. Happiness is an arbitrary term meaning that there is no clear cut definition for it.
My definition of happiness and how I experience it will be completely different from the way that you experience and define it.
How Can We Measure Happiness?
Since there isn’t a clear cut definition of happiness, there must not be a way to measure it. Since happiness is an arbitrary term, then there is no way to measure it, right? Actually, there is a way to measure happiness and it works for everyone.
When you understand how this measurement works, you will understand exactly how we find happiness and how quickly we find it. This measurement/concept is called the hedonic adaptation.
Hedonic Adaptation
Take a look at this graph demonstrating how hedonic adaptation works. Here we have two types of lines: the set point and the happiness line. The set point describes our baseline of happiness. As humans, we all have a set point regarding the way we feel and our brain regulates this feeling.
In this graph the set point is set at 5 which is the average. On this graph, 5 would describe the feeling of contempt. Contempt meaning that you are feeling okay as the good doesn’t outweigh the bad and vice-versa. We can all agree that most of our days are like this. Yes, we may have hard times or even have times where we feel amazing, but our brain brings us back to this set point.
The line regarding happiness is the rate at which our mood changes throughout the day or even through our life. These changes comes from events that happen in our lives. Just imagine yourself winning the lottery. You have a lot of money and feel really happy. Your rating would be around a 9-10, but eventually that happy feeling will fade until you hit your set point. Same thing regarding losing a loved one or having someone take all of your money, just the opposite would happen.
Why Is Hedonic Adaptation Important?
Well, there are a few reasons as to why hedonic adaptation is important. The main reason being that it shows that no matter what happens, our brain does it’s best to restore us back to our set point. Now our brain doesn’t always bring us back to our set point as there are many exceptions to this concept. I will cover those exceptions later on in this post.
Another reason why hedonic adaptation is important is that it gives us a visual representation of how we fluctuate between different moods. If you’ve ever been through a major life event that’s negative, you feel like it is something that you can never get out of. Like that negative feeling is never going on end. On the other hand, if you’ve been through a positive life event, you want it to last forever even though it ends quicker.
So to wrap this section off, whenever you go through something negative, just know that your brain will set itself back to it’s set point. You won’t feel that way forever. Same thing applies whenever you have a happy moment, unfortunately that doesn’t last forever.
Important Information Regarding Hedonic Adaptation
After going through the basic concept of Hedonic Adaptation, you can see how straightforward it can be and how useful it is to understand it. There is some key pieces of information I left out that I want to address. The first point is that we all don’t start at the same set point.
We Don’t Start Out With The Same Set Point
The graph shown earlier was just a simple representation of what most people’s set point starts with. Realistically, most people start out in the middle (5) of the graph. However, there are some key factors that determine where your set point starts out at. The set point that we have comes from
- 50% from our parents
- 10% from things in our control
- 40% from external events
The 50% From Our Parents
Now you may be wondering why half of our set point comes from our parents and that is a valid question. First, I do want to address that none of this comes from genetics. People weren’t necessarily born with a higher set point than others. However, people are born into better environments than others, especially in the context of growing up.
The 50% comes from our upbringing, how we were raised, whether or not we were loved as children, and the impact our environment had around us.
If any of the aforementioned points were negative in your life, then you are more likely to start off with a lower set point than others. A major reason as to why is because when you’re in a negative environment, it’s difficult to get out of it. This is especially the case of children since there is very little they can do to get out of their sticky situations.
Since these children are unable to get out of their environment when they’re young, they are essentially playing “catch up” during their adult years.
When you look at this aspect of our set point, it can seem like it’s unfair that some people get a bad stick for something that they had no control over. While this is true, later on you will see that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
The 10% In Our Control
The good part is that we do have an aspect that is in our control even if it starts off as a very small factor. Think of all of the things that we have control over in our life. Everything that you thought of fits in this category. Even though it is a small percentage, there is a plethora of things that attribute to it.
As you can see in the image, those are the main categories when we are dealing with things that are in our control.
Lifestyle/Habits
One of the most important categories is our lifestyle and habits because that is essentially how we carry ourselves throughout our lives. You can control the way you live your life, what to do with it, and how you go about it. That is something no one can take away from you.
There will always be people that come into your life and tries to ruin it or mess it up for you, but they can’t physically change that for you. Everyone has their own path and idea on how they want to live their life. It’s just that most people lose sight of what it is that they really want from life (stay tuned for the next post to learn more).
Purpose/Meaning
The next category is our purpose or meaning in life and this is something that a lot of people don’t really have control over. The reason I say that is because a lot of people haven’t found their purpose in life or simply lack a clear direction of where they want to go. Think about those people in your life that have goals or ambitions in their life and tries their best to go after it. These people are always on the go trying to become a better version of themselves.
For some people, that may be a turnoff since that requires a lot of work, dedication, and consistency. Some people may not see the point in doing those things or feels like they will never amount to nothing. In all honesty, going after your goals and following your dreams is one of the most important things to a fulfilling life, especially if you’re doing it for the right reasons.
Likes/Interests/Perception/Reality
This one is pretty self explanatory. Everyone has things that they like and dislike. Interests that you go after and things that just doesn’t spark your excitement. These are the things that make us who we are, that shapes our personality.
Perception and Reality is how you see the world based on the things that you’ve learned and the experiences that you’ve been through. Two people may go through the same thing, but their perception of the world may be different. For people that go through a lot of mental health issues, they may have a negative perception of reality. On the opposite side of the spectrum, people that are in good health or successful may have a positive perception of reality.
Those examples are just surface level components of perception and reality since it can go much deeper. However, we are not going to dive deep into every single event or moment that shapes our perceptions and creates our reality.
The 40% That Is Out Of Our Control
There are two main components when it comes to things that are out of our control. The first one is pretty obvious which is major life events that happens to us in our lives. We can’t necessarily control if a loved one passes away or if a company shuts down and you lose your job. I will admit it, there is nothing we really can’t do for this one as we cannot change the outcome of these events. However, the next component is something we all have a hard time dealing with as we have a lack of control over.
The second component is anything that involves other people’s thought processes. When I say this, think about the times where we get so caught up caring about what others’ think of us. Think about those times where you are afraid to do or say something because you don’t know how others would react to it. This is exactly what I’m referring to.
More times than not, we get caught up with those things and it takes over our life. We constantly think about what others are going to say, how they react to us, and how they feel about us. When in reality, we should focus on how we feel about ourselves and the things that we want to do.
Will all of this being said, there is one more point I would like to address when in regards to our set points.
Set Points Change Over Time
Our set point changes throughout the course of our life and it is based on the factors that I’ve mentioned. Someone can have a rough childhood and take all of their trauma into adulthood and increase their set point by focusing on things in their control. That is the main key/takeaway I want you all to have. It doesn’t matter where you start, it’s how you finish. It’s just some people have a harder journey to that finish line. The 10% that’s in your control is the deciding factor when it’s all said and done.
With knowing this information, I want to take a turn into how hedonic adaptation works within common mental health issues. For this post, I will be looking into Depression and Anxiety as that is something a lot of people deal with on a consistent basis.
Hedonic Adaptation For Depression
For this graph, I decided to show the set point for depression. As you can see, the set point starts lower than the standard baseline set point. This means that people with depression naturally feel less than content. Also, I want to address that since there are many different levels of depression, the set point goes from 2-3 to distinguish that difference.
If you pay attention to the trend between the depression set point and happiness, you can see that it’s very similar to the first graph I presented. The mood for people with depression would increase above their set point and below their set point. However, this is not the most important trend to pay attention to.
If you pay attention to the trend between the standard baseline set point and happiness, you will see that there are far more moments of negative feelings/emotions than positive ones. Since most of the feelings and events they go through is negative, it takes more for the brain to regulate their mood.
Hedonic Adaptation For Anxiety
For this graph, I did not include a set point for anxiety because it’s basically the same as the standard baseline. However, there is one major difference between this graph and the graph I presented in the beginning. The line for happiness spikes at the extremes without much room for the middle. It’s either these people feel really down (anxious) or they feel really good. This is an example of cause and effect with the events that people with anxiety go through.
If someone with anxiety is going through a situation that makes them anxious, the happiness line goes down to the extreme. A bunch of different negative thoughts (similar to what I was talking about regarding things we can’t control) rush into their head and can’t overcome it. It’s when these people overcome the anxious event that’s in front of them, that the happiness line spikes upward. It’s the best feeling in the world because it’s like you’ve overcome a huge obstacle in your life.
The next time the line goes down is when that person faces another event/situation that makes them anxious. Then the cycle repeats itself.
Is There Anything We Can Do To Change Our Set Points?
To begin this section, I would like to ask you all a question.
What do you think you can do to change your set point?
I pose that question because throughout this post, I have shared the answer to that question already. Yes, there are things that we can do to change our set points no matter what kind of position you’re in. Even though I mentioned it before, I would like to go into more detail about these things.
Two Types of Happiness
In order to give you an accurate description on what it is that we can do to change our set points, I have to go over the two types of happiness. I know earlier, I talked about happiness and how it is an arbitrary term. However, happiness can be split up into two different categories. These categories or types of happiness is Hedonism and Eudaimonia.
Hedonism
Think of Hedonism as our “guilty pleasures”. The things that we go after when we want that temporary feeling of happiness. The things we go after when we want to experience that immediate happy feeling. Examples of “guilty pleasures” include:
- Money
- Buying New Things
- Traveling
- Video Games
- Entertainment
- Sex
- Food
- Alcohol
- Smoking
The list goes on and on, but I think you get the point. Another way you can think of Hedonism is “the things that we use or do to cope with whatever is going on in our lives”. Our coping skills are the things that we use to try and have that experience of happiness that we want to experience. The problem with this kind of happiness is that it is temporary, meaning that the feeling doesn’t last very long.
We need more of our “coping skills” in order to feel good and that cycle repeats until nothing really works anymore. There’s no long term sustainability if you were to choose to focus on this type of happiness.
As you can see from the graph, there are a lot of more positive experiences above the set point. However, our set point never increases past the baseline which is what we were looking for.
Eudaimonia
If you’re looking for long term sustainability for happiness, then Eudaimonia is for you. Think of Eudaimonia as the things in life that bring fulfillment and satisfaction. Key things that bring this kind of happiness is:
- Meaningful Relationships
- Self-Improvement (Working on Yourself & Your Goals)
- Focusing on Your Passions & Purpose in Life
As you can see with these examples, all of these things are lifelong meaning that there is no expiration date. You’re always going to continue to work on these things. With each improvement in these categories, you’re improving your set point. Since you’re constantly improving yourself, the factors regarding your parents and the environment you were raised in don’t have that much effect. The same can be said regarding the things that we can’t control besides major life events happening.
Since you’re improving and working on things that are important to you, you tend to care less about what people think. You start thinking more about what benefits you and the kind of impact you want to leave out on the world.
Now of course things will get to you and your level of happiness will fall below the set point. However, those things will not decrease your set point back to baseline.
As you can see from the graph, our set point increases along with the happiness line. Even though there are some moments where the happiness line falls below the set point, it still would be above or the same as the baseline set point. Even when looking at the set point, it is above feeling content which means that most of your days are positive.
Which Type of Happiness Is Better To Focus On?
Each type of happiness has it’s strengths and weaknesses. For Hedonism, it is easier to reach that happy feeling that you’re looking for, but it doesn’t last very long. For Eudaimonia, it takes more time to reach that happy feeling, but the feeling improves over time.
To anyone reading this, it would be best to focus on both at the same time. Continue to improve yourself and work on your goals for the long term, but remember to enjoy life and spend time on the things that make you happy. It’s essentially the same as a “work-life balance”. Don’t spend too much time on one thing or else you’ll neglect the other. The same can be said for those dealing with depression and anxiety.
You need to have those things that make you feel good in the short term because that will give you more motivation for the long term. If you feel like things are too difficult where you’re at, then you’re going to have a hard time overcoming them.
How Can We Use This To Our Advantage?
There are three key advantages when you take a look at the concept of happiness and hedonic adaptation.
- Happiness is not “permanent”
- Focusing on “meaning” is more important than chasing happiness
- Self-Awareness is key
Throughout this post, I’ve talked about the first two points, but never shined light to the last point. Self-Awareness is important in anyone’s journey in life because it allows you to know the ins and outs about yourself. It allows you to develop a positive relationship with yourself, which is pretty rare if you look at society.
When I talk about self-awareness, I am not talking about how a lot of philosophical thinkers or self-help people define it. It’s not so much about knowing every detail about yourself and sticking to what you like. That’s a definition that can work for a lot of people, but not for those dealing with mental health issues.
The type of self-awareness I’m referring to is
Taking the person that you are now and searching for the person that you would like to be if there is anything missing. Knowing yourself fully by identifying your strengths and weaknesses and working to improve them (if needed). Constantly asking yourself, “what do you really want from life” and going on that journey of getting it (if you don’t have it already).
For those with mental health problems, they may not believe that they can become the person that they would like to be. That’s more of a fantasy in their world since they’ve been battling this pain for such a long time. Well, remove that pain by thinking of a life where you could be anything you admired to be (visualization) and go after that person. Ask yourself, what does it take to become the person I really want to be? What are some of the strengths I already possess? What are the weaknesses that I have to work on?
Once to take a look at those things and work on trying to become that person, your set point will increase and things will begin to improve.
Conclusion
That is the overview of hedonic adaptation and how it can help people find happiness. With hedonic adaptation, happiness doesn’t last forever, but searching for meaning and focusing on your purpose leads to long term happiness.
Stay tuned for part 2 where I go over why so many people are lost in the world. Some of the information here will lead on to there.
If you have any comments or questions, feel free to leave them down below.
