satisfaction treadmill. Suppose that in addition to adapting to particular objects or experiences, you also adapt to particular levels of satisfaction. In other words, suppose that with great ingenuity and effort in making decisions, you manage to keep your "hedonic temperature" at +20 degrees, so that you feel pretty good about life almost all of the time. Is +20 degrees good enough? Well, it might be good enough at the beginning, but if you adapt to this particular level of happiness, then +20 won't feel so good after a while.
The concept of the "satisfaction treadmill" suggests that individuals adapt to specific levels of contentment, much like they adapt to certain experiences or possessions. Initially, achieving a stable state of happiness, akin to maintaining a "hedonic temperature" of +20 degrees, feels satisfying. However, over time, this level of happiness can become less fulfilling as one habituates to it.
As people continue to strive to keep their happiness constant, they may find that what once felt satisfying eventually loses its appeal. This highlights the paradox where the pursuit of a static level of happiness can lead to diminishing returns, prompting a continual search for greater satisfaction that ultimately remains elusive.
