Hedonistic Adaptation

A great article about wealth and happiness. It goes beyond the cliched "money does not make you happy" and makes a more interesting point. If money is not making you happy, then you are not spending it right!

The article argues that it is better to spend on leisure (vacation, sport, hiking) than on material things (couch, handbag, house). It explains the concept of Hedonistic Adaptation, where our brain is hard wired to moderate both the positive and negative emotions associated with a material change in our life. When we buy a new house, we are very happy, but our brain moderates that happiness over time. We need new house to be just as happy. In comparison, a vacation or a similar "memory making" exercise will become embellished and better in our minds than it actually was when we were doing it!

It is an interesting idea and one that I feel fits me well.

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