Get Off the Hedonic Treadmill to Find True Fulfillment
I am not a rich person. But I have met my fair share of people who have more than enough money to live a life of leisure if they choose to do so. One of the things I have noticed about wealthy individuals is that while their wealth gives them comforts and conveniences, it does not make them any more happy than those without wealth. In fact, sometimes, their wealth weighs them down with worry and anxiety: they are afraid of losing their wealth and are anxious because they rarely feel they have enough money. They always want ‘just a little bit more.’
Conventional wisdom asserts that if an individual becomes wealthy, that individual will be happy, fulfilled, and satisfied (C. Senik, 2014. Wealth and Happiness. Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 30(1):92-108.) However, research has shown that a preoccupation with accumulating wealth leads to compromised psychological and relational health (B.J. Sherman, 2006. The Poverty of Affluence: Addition to Wealth and its Effects on Well-Being. Graduate Student Journal of Psychology. 8:30-32.)
In a fascinating study, Brickman & Campbell (1971. “Hedonic relativism and planning the good society,” In: Adaptation level theory: A symposium (pp. 287-302). M.H. Appley, (Ed.) (New York: Academic Press) coined the phrase Hedonic Treadmill for materialistic individuals who become trapped by their adaptation levels relative to wealth, fulfillment, and satisfaction. These individuals need (demand?) increasing levels of stimulation merely to maintain old levels of pleasure and fulfillment. Restated in common English, if $5,000 made them happy yesterday, perhaps $5,500 will be needed today to experience the same level of happiness.
The hedonic treadmill is a never-ending pursuit of the same levels of happiness while requiring more and more wealth. The more wealth materialistic individuals have, the more they chase because they are not more happy. Fulfillment is always just outside their reach, so they keep chasing a little bit faster—just a bit more money, wealth, security—only to find that what they are chasing is ever-elusive. Happiness is the Road Runner, and they are the Coyote.
A materialistic individual can become stuck on the Hedonic Treadmill, always chasing but never arriving, always wanting a little bit more but never finding satisfaction, fulfillment, or happiness. They live unsettled, anxious, and discontented lives while deluding themselves into believing they are living the good life.
Christ talked about the elusive nature of wealth, calling it a deception that chokes out the righteous life that God desires we lead (Matthew 13:22). Yet, our society teaches us, over and over, that wealth brings happiness. But I beg to differ. You see, the things we want—I mean really want—money cannot buy. For example:
Money can buy a house, but it cannot buy a home
Money can buy a doctor, but it cannot buy health
Money can buy membership, but it cannot buy belonging
Money can buy companionship, but it cannot buy friendship
Money can buy access, but it cannot buy acceptance
Money can buy a thrill, but it cannot by satisfaction
Money can buy sex, but it cannot buy love
Money can buy education, but it cannot buy wisdom
Money can buy security, but it cannot buy peace
Money can buy power, but it cannot buy respect
Money can buy a position, but it cannot buy loyalty
Money can buy a savings account, but it cannot buy financial security
Money can even buy a religion, but it cannot buy a Savior
Don’t give yourself to the pursuit of money and wealth. Do not live your life on the treadmill. Doing so will wear you out and leave you totally empty and vacuous. You may end up being wealthy, but you will be a shadow of who you could have been.
Instead, give yourself to God, who is the supplier of all that we really want in life. You will find deep fulfillment, happiness, and true success only through him.