Why lottery winners aren’t as happy as you’d think
We adapt to good fortune surprisingly fast. Psychologists call it the hedonic treadmill: you keep running and stay in the same place.
In 1978, psychologists interviewed 22 major lottery winners and 29 people paralysed in accidents, plus a control group. The winners were not significantly happier than the controls, and found less pleasure in everyday things like a compliment or breakfast. The accident victims rated themselves less happy, but less unhappy than most people would predict.
The sample was tiny and the details are often overstated. The core idea has held up well though: we adapt.
How it works
A pay rise, a new car or a bigger house feels wonderful, and then it becomes normal. Expectations rise to meet circumstances. This is the hedonic treadmill: you keep moving and your satisfaction stays roughly where it was.
The important nuances
Research since the 2000s shows the baseline is not fixed:
- Some events, such as long-term unemployment or severe disability, can lower wellbeing for years.
- Different parts of wellbeing (moment-to-moment mood versus life satisfaction) adapt differently.
- People’s baselines differ, and can change.
A useful takeaway
Adaptation is fastest for things and slowest for experiences, relationships and variety. Spending on shared experiences, small and varied pleasures, and time rather than objects tends to resist the treadmill best.
Bring it up
“There’s a famous study comparing lottery winners and accident victims, and the results are more surprising than you’d expect.”
Follow the thread
- RelatedBhutan measures Gross National Happiness Why measuring happiness is harder than measuring income.
- RelatedThe Big Mac index Economists comparing living standards across countries face a similar problem: more money doesn’t translate simply into more wellbeing.
- RelatedWhy your parents’ clothes look ridiculous, and your grandparents’ look charming What was exciting quickly becomes normal, then tired.
- RelatedThree meals a day is a fairly modern habit Habits that feel natural are often recent and could easily have been different.
