“Hedonic Adaptation” (adapting to pleasure) is a biblical doctrine.  The premise is used both by economists and sociologists to explain why we rapidly and inevitably adapt to almost everything we experience eventually taking it for granted.

If you live in a world in which you experience misery more often than joy, adaptation is very beneficial.  It may be the only thing that gives you the strength and courage to get through the day.  But if you live in a world of plenty, in which sources of joy outnumber sources of misery, then adaptation defeats your attempts to enjoy your good fortune.

Whereas adaptation does nothing to negate improvements in our lives it does much to negate the satisfaction we derive from those improvements.  An example of hedonic adaptation would be walking into an air-conditioned building on a hot humid day.  At first the feeling of the cool dry air is very refreshing and pleasant but within a few moments we no longer notice it because we have adapted.

Pleasure derived from positive experiences does not last.  What’s worse, people seem unable to anticipate the process of adaptation.  The waning of pleasure or enjoyment over time always seems to come as an unpleasant surprise.  That high quality sound system, luxury car and the 10,000 square foot house will not provided the same level pleasure it gave when first experienced.  Once the excitement of the “new thing” wears off our happiness index falls back to where it was before we had the experience.

Faced with this inevitable disappointment, what do people do?  Some people wise up realizing that lasting pleasure is not derived from things.  However most are driven instead to pursue novelty, to seek out new commodities and experiences.  They are captivated by the “grass is greener somewhere else” syndrome.  In time, these new commodities lose their intensity.  Ignorant of adaptation, people get caught up in the chase, a process that has been labeled the “Hedonic Treadmill.”  What follows is a vicious cycle of materialism: obtaining more and more stuff while experiencing less and less joy with each acquisition.

Jesus called it the “deceitfulness of riches” (Matt 13:22).  King Solomon said, “He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase” (Eccl 5:10).

Being aware of adaptation makes us more prudent in our decision-making processes understanding that the “high” we get from new things will not last.  Many times we are still paying the note on things that no longer bring us joy.  That leads to buyer’s remorse: the guilt we experience for trying to find satisfaction in the accumulation of things.

The only antidote to the unconscious process of hedonic adaptation is gratitude!  Expressing gratitude makes us physically healthier, and more optimistic, alert, enthusiastic, and energetic.  Giving thanks makes us feel better about our lives and more likely to achieve personal goals.  By focusing on how much better our lives are now than what could have been, or how bless we really are we can defeat the adaptation process allowing us to truly enjoy life at levels no material increase can provide.

The Bible tells us to give thanks continually and express our gratitude praising God for all He has done for us.  As Americans I believe we should be doubly grateful for the freedoms we enjoy and the liberties we have.

Rocky J. Malloy