Generally speaking, people often return to a set level of happiness despite life's ups and downs, For instance, people who win the lottery tend to return to roughly their original levels of happiness after the novelty of the win has worn off. The same-is true for those who are in major accidents and lose the use of their legs. The change in ability can be damaging at first, but people generally return to their pre-accident levels of happiness after the habituation period. This phenomenon is called hedonic adaptation, a concept studied by positive psychology researchers.
There are activities that are more or less affected by hedonic adaptation. Some of these activities are known as pleasures. They can lift your mood and leave you feeling wonderful, but their effects can be relatively a short time. What's more, we get used to them relatively quickly. If you have the same meal every day for a week, for example, you may find it to be less pleasurable by the end of the week. Gratifications(满足）are also such activities affected by hedonic adaptation. They can get us into a feeling of "flow” where we don't notice the passage of time, and where we're thoroughly engaged in what we're doing. Gratifications are activities that require more effort and thought, but the payoff is higher as well The more we engage, the more we enjoy!
Knowing that pleasures don't last long in their effects may make them seem less worth the effort than gratifications. There are reasons why they can be perfect for certain situations, however. First, they bring a quick lift in mood without a great deal of effort. This is actually quite valuable because there is significant research that shows that a lift in mood can lead to chain reaction of positive feelings. Second, gratifications do take more effort, so when you only have few minutes or a very limited amount of energy, pleasures are often the simpler and more accessible option.
Thankfully, we can do something to move away from the limiting effects of hedonic adaptation and engage in activities that can create a greater level of happiness in lie. For example, be sure to make time for hobbies! It doesn't really matter what the hobby is; as long as it's one you enjoy, you'll benefit from it, and these benefits will extend into the rest of your life. It's also a good idea to help other people. This can create greater meaning in your life, and thus create greater happiness. Enjoying your positive experiences is also a great way to maximize the positive in your life. So at the end of the day, a few days, a week, write about three things you enjoyed that day. Then, you'll be reliving these positive experience as you write about them, and can relive them again when you read.
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Hedonic Adaptation |
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Concept of hedonic adaptation |
Hedonic adaptation refers to people's general tendency to return to a set level of despite life's ups and downs. |
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Two kinds of activities influenced by hedonic adaptations |
●Pleasures are activities whose positive effects are ，and our adaptation to them is also gone fast. ●Gratifications are activities that take us more effort but can bring more results. In other words, compared with pleasures, they are moreto the effects of hedonic adaptation. |
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Advantages of pleasures over gratifications |
●Pleasures not only can lift our moods quickly but also are relatively
●Pleasures are a better-choice when we're tooor worn out. |
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Tips of the effects of hedonic |
●Take up hobbies that to you whatever they are. ●Do others a favor and it can make you live more ●Enjoy your positive experiences by taking a regular about adaptation them. |
