Hedonic Adaptation: How To STAY Happy | Being Well Podcast

We’ve talked on this show about lots of ways we can be happier over time, but one of the hardest things to do is to STAY happy as the events of life wash over us. On today’s episode of Being Well, Dr. Rick Hanson and I consider the human tendency to return to the same basic level of happiness regardless of recent positive or negative experiences–also known as hedonic adaptation–and how to contend with it so we can get off the hedonic treadmill onto what Rick calls the hedonic escalator.

Key Topics:
0:00 Introduction
2:15 What is hedonic adaptation?
6:15 Three factors of happiness
9:35 Survey of various research on hedonic adaptation and subjective well-being
19:55 Financial circumstances and relationships
26:35 How to sustain happiness - loving, knowing, growing
37:25 The single most effective intervention to hedonic adaptation
40:45 Forrest’s take on how lasting change happens
44:30 Antidote experiences and improving memory
47:25 Can we actually become happier?
50:20 Recap

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Who Am I: I'm Forrest, the co-author of Resilient (https://amzn.to/3iXLerD) and host of the Being Well Podcast (https://apple.co/38ufGG0). I'm making videos focused on simplifying psychology, mental health, and personal growth.

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