Glossary
Hedonic Adaptation
The process by which emotional responses to changed circumstances may diminish as those circumstances become familiar.
Definition
Hedonic adaptation describes movement in emotional experience after positive or negative changes become part of ordinary life. Adaptation varies by person, event, attention, and continued experience; it does not mean that every purchase quickly becomes meaningless or that wellbeing always returns to one fixed level.
Origin
The idea developed from research on adaptation and the hedonic treadmill in psychology during the twentieth century.
Usage in luxury
The initial novelty of an acquisition may fade while usefulness, aesthetic pleasure, ritual, memory, and emotional meaning can persist or develop over time.
Examples
- - A new car becoming part of an ordinary commute
- - A well-used instrument gaining meaning after novelty fades
Related terms
Related reading
Sources and further reading
- Hedonic Adaptation - Annual Review of Psychology (2007)