Eran Mizrahi is the CEO and cofounder of ingredient brothers, a natural ingredients importer.
Adapting to our surroundings is as much a part of life as breathing. Sometimes it’s a conscious decision; at other times, it’s a result of our evolutionary framework and there’s little we can do about it. Yet no matter how much we achieve or adapt or grow, the hedonic treadmill—our “general tendency to return to a set level of happiness despite life’s ups and downs”—leaves many of us unable to shake the cloud of discontent that hangs over us.
But is the hedonic treadmill always bad? And how does it affect someone with ADHD differently than neurotypical professionals?
More is never enough.
Something that’s all too easy to forget is that success begins with contentment. You have to be able to revel in the present, in what you’ve achieved today, for future success to have an impact.
Shane Parrish warns us of the dangers of becoming “happy-when” people in his book Clear Thinking, where he says, “The moment they get what they think they want, having that thing becomes the new norm, and they automatically want more.” The bottom line is, “happy-when” people are never actually happy.
“We tell ourselves that the next level is enough, but it never is,” writes Parrish. And that’s what we need to remember.
But the question is, why is our eye always on the horizon?
I’m here; what’s next?
The theory of hedonic adaptation dictates that our brains are hardwired to seek out more rewarding and challenging experiences. It’s similar to how flow theory dictates tasks should always challenge us to keep us engaged. This drive also leads us to compare ourselves to others (or our future selves) to help us survive.
Hedonic adaptation is essentially the ability to adapt to conditions and adjust our perceptions to ensure an optimal state of cognitive awareness. It means we have an emotional baseline to revert back to, helping us adapt to difficult changes around us—helping us create a new normal with the same sense of happiness we had before the changes.
But at the same time, it causes us to revert to our emotional baseline after each good change, as well. And so the hedonic treadmill takes us back to our baseline no matter how big our successes or achievements are.
Sadly, though, the difference we make—both in our own lives and to our professional partners—is dependent on how present we are in the here and now. We can’t constantly be on the run after the next big goal, because then our attention and our heart will always be in the future, and we’ll look right past the impact we’re making (or at least should be making) right now.
As such, our hedonic adaptation can blunt our reactions to the stimuli that used to drive us forward. After a while, the promise of what’s next is no longer going to be enough because you won’t truly appreciate it when it arrives. And so, our habituation causes us to grow unresponsive to the achievements that used to drive us forward.
How does this affect ADHD professionals?
Those of us living with ADHD are already less receptive to positive changes than others because our dopamine triggers are over-stimulated, and so our triumphs are short-lived. Research has shown that brain activity associated with reward processing (such as the orbitofrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex) is hyperactive in people with ADHD, which could be a key factor that leads to a lower emotional baseline based on the fleeting nature of little wins.
We all want that big win to change our lives—that’s just how we’re programmed. By nature, ADHD professionals are “happy-when” people whose minds are on something else at almost any moment. But the key to overcoming this is knowing that you can control your programming—at least a little.
How can you manage hedonic adaptation in your career?
Does this suggest professionals, whether neurotypical or neurodivergent, are destined for dissatisfaction? Are we doomed to be as discontented with our careers and successes as we are now?
I say definitely not. It simply means we have to keep a rein on our “happy-when” thinking and pull our thoughts back to a sense of gratefulness for the wins of today.
So how can you do that in your own career and help your team battle the onset of the hedonic treadmill, as well? I’m glad you asked:
1. Bring gratitude into the culture.
The best counter for hedonic adaptation is gratefulness. Finding the beauty and wonder of achievements and aspects that exist now can create a sense of success and well-being that reminds you that “now” isn’t all that bad.
2. Advocate mindfulness in the office/workspace.
Share easy mindfulness practices that everyone can partake in throughout the day. Breathwork and mindful breathing exercises are great places to start. In my experience, they can pull you back from wherever your thoughts are to where you are now.
3. Talk openly about personal development.
It’s easy to start seeing ourselves as our job titles and nothing more. When personal development becomes a part of the company culture and workspace, it’s a lot easier to remember that there’s more at play each day than just one task or one goal.
4. Act selflessly and help others.
Putting others’ journeys at the forefront of your own thoughts can help put your own journey in a different perspective. And beyond the holiday you take from your own “happy-when” thoughts, it may also help you find gratitude for your journey.
Final Thoughts
These practices have helped me deconstruct my thinking to slow things down, and I believe they can also help you keep your thoughts away from “happy-when” thinking. And remember: Staying motivated for what’s to come is a vital part of success, but it should never come at the expense of what is right now.
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