# Bookmarked: Untitled - Author: @gurupanguji - Date: 2025-06-06 - URL: https://gurupanguji.com/blog/2025/06/06/10792/ - Categories: link, philosophy - Tags: diminishing-marginal-utility, hedonic-treadmill, hedonism, life, philosophy --- > Brickman & Campbell (1971) called this puzzle the Hedonic Treadmill: as a person experiences a positive emotional event, expectations and desires rise in tandem which cancels their net long-term impact, resulting in no permanent gain in happiness. > > So no matter how hard one tries to gain in happiness, one will remain in the same place. *Source:* [Can We Hack Hedonic Treadmills? — LessWrong](https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/BrvonZ9qCA5sy3ruz/can-we-hack-hedonic-treadmills) > The baseline level may be identified at [different points among individuals](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16719675/) (such as neutral or positive), but is stubbornly stable *within* them. > > The implication is disheartening. If no action durably lifts well-being, then our daily efforts seem to generate motion without progress. > *Then* I realized. They are not hacks to the treadmill; they are *user manuals*. They tell you how use the treadmill without wearing it down, not how to transcend it. For people living *below* their baseline, these strategies can restore functionality. But for those already running well, there may be no higher gear. > As humans, we'll likely remain bound to our hedonic treadmills for a long time. Though if your own treadmill is intact, i.e. free from affective disorders or addiction and you are practicing fundamental well-being habits, you are already experiencing the *highest sustainable average happiness humans can currently achieve*. Maintenance, not optimisation, is the rational priority. > > *Cherish the plateau. For now, it is our summit.*

Cherish the plateau. For now, it is our summit. This is a beautiful line. This whole post is relatable. In recent days, I've been writing and unraveling what is the next 40 years of my life going to be. It was a good reminder that hedonism cannot be a sustainable motivator.