Hedonic Adaptation

My sweetheart’s got us on a YouTube bender of videos by Nathaniel Drew. We started with his exploration of living the daily routine of Picasso (interesting!) and last night we watched I Ate For $1 A Day, which is an nice twist on a classic stoic idea of voluntary simplicity to counteract hedonic adaptation. 

Hedonic adaptation, also called the hedonic treadmill, is the idea that even when good or bad things happening in life, we tend toward a stable level of happiness. In Nathaniel Drew’s video, he was spending an increasing amount on food and was not any happier and was concerned about the level of spending. He decided to try a week-long experiment and at the end of it, his appreciation of food and life went way up. I haven’t tried this level of extreme yet, but I did recently wait an extra week before going grocery shopping and found we’ve spent less and appreciate fresh produce way more since. It’s like a reset/recalibration on what’s essential.
 
 Novelty, variety and surprise can prevent or slow down adaptation and make you happier.

Inspired by these creative life hacks on Youtube, I’ve been experimenting on sleep schedules and that has been really helpful too. But today, with spring in the air and these crocuses blooming by my door, I am going to go out and play for a bit! Lunch on the balcony.

Best wishes,
Rose