The Law of Hedonic Adaptation

The Law of Hedonic Adaptation is a psychological theory that suggests individuals have a natural tendency to return to a stable level of happiness after experiencing either positive or negative life events. This law can be applied to various aspects of our lives, including happiness, relationships, and material possessions. If you are at all interested in mental health, The Law of Hedonic Adaptation is an important concept to understand. It can help you to better understand your own experiences and help you to make more informed decisions going forwards.

In the context of happiness, the Law of Hedonic Adaptation suggests that an individual's happiness levels will adapt and settle into a certain range over time, even after significant positive or negative life events. For example, winning the lottery may initially bring feelings of extreme happiness, but over time, the individual's happiness levels do tend to return to their baseline.

Similarly, in relationships, the Law of Hedonic Adaptation suggests that individuals will adapt to the presence (or absence) of a romantic partner, and their happiness levels will return to a natural baseline, regardless of the initial level of happiness or satisfaction in the relationship.

In terms of material possessions, the Law of Hedonic Adaptation suggests that individuals will adapt to owning new items or experiences, and their resulting happiness levels will eventually return to baseline. For example, purchasing a new car or upgrading to a larger home may initially bring feelings of happiness, but over time, those feelings will tend to dissipate as the individual becomes accustomed to these possessions.

It is important to note that the Law of Hedonic Adaptation does not suggest that individuals cannot experience long-term happiness or satisfaction. Rather, it suggests that individuals will always have a baseline level of happiness to which they will return, regardless of outside circumstances.

This is The Law of Hedonic Adaptation in a nutshell. It’s a good concept to keep in mind. It can help us to make more informed decisions about major life events, such as purchasing a new home, leaving or starting a relationship, buying a new car, moving or changing careers. It can also help us to better understand our own emotional experiences (why we feel the way we do) and manage our own expectations accordingly.

How To Escape A Drama Filled Society

Living in a drama-filled society can be exhausting and draining for anyone. It's no secret that drama often causes unnecessary stress, anxiety, and confusion, and it can be difficult to escape. However, there are a few steps you can take to remove yourself from the drama and create a more peaceful, stress-free life.

1. Identify the sources of drama:

The first step in escaping the drama of your society is to identify its sources. It may be certain friends, family members, or co-workers who create drama. Alternatively, it could be social media or news outlets that stir up emotions and create angst. Once you identify the causes of drama, it will be easier to avoid them and reduce their impact on your life.

2. Limit your exposure to drama:

Now that you've identified the sources of drama, take steps to limit your exposure to them. For example, if you have friends who constantly involve themselves in gossip and drama, you may need to distance yourself from them or set boundaries. Similarly, if social media causes negative emotions or triggers drama, take a break from those platforms.

3. Surround yourself with positivity:

To counteract the negativity and drama of your society, focus on surrounding yourself with positive people who bring you joy and make you feel good about yourself. This may mean finding new friends who share your values and interests or making time for self-care activities that boost your mood.

4. Practice mindfulness and self-care:

Mindfulness practices such as meditation, yoga, and deep breathing can be helpful in reducing stress and anxiety. Self-care activities like taking a relaxing bath, reading a book, or going for a walk can also help reduce the impact of drama on your life.

5. Focus on what you can control:

Remember that while you can't control the drama in your society, you can control your reactions to it. Focus on the things you can control, such as how much time and energy you devote to drama, and let go of things you cannot control. By taking ownership of your own life, you'll reduce the impact of drama and create a more peaceful, fulfilling existence.

Escaping the drama of society takes effort, discipline and diligence, but it's worth it to create a more fulfilling and stress-free life. By identifying the sources of drama, limiting your exposure to them, surrounding yourself with positivity, practicing mindfulness and self-care, and focusing on what you can control, you can escape the drama and create a life that's full of peace, insight, creativity and well-being. Even in a society filled with transitory drama.

Spaceship Amygdala

I lived on Spaceship Amygdala for the first thirty years of my life. I traveled to all kinds of stressed out, anxious, addicted, terrifying and highly reactive places while traveling on Spaceship Amygdala. What a ride! The exhausting thing about traveling around on Spaceship Amygdala was that it never took me to the calmer and more satisfying places where I really wanted to go. Instead, it took me in dangerous directions where I felt like I was continually stressed out and under threat.

Everyone I knew was also traveling on Spaceship Amygdala so I never knew I could get off the ship. I thought that Spaceship Amygdala was the only way to get to where I wanted to go even though I always seemed to be landing in a bar or emergency room or trying not to hyperventilate and shake while pulled over in my car on the side of the road. Every time I realize that I am no longer flying around on Spaceship Amygdala I feel so grateful that I want to get down on my knees and kiss the ground.

The amygdala is that part of our brain which deals with emotional reactions, memory and decision making. It is a part of our limbic system, which is the part of our brain we share in common with most animals. Anything that has to do with our behavioral fear response, such as anxiety, worry, emotional reactivity, stress- is the result of an amygdala that is overactive (functioning abnormally). The amygdala functions to keep animals and humans alive when dealing with very real predators in the wild. But if our amygdala is continually sending us into chronic fear reactions (fight/flight) when there is no real threat in our immediate reality (other than the thoughts in our head and symptoms in our body) it is often because our amygdala is not working right. It is perceiving a threat when there is no real threat present (this is what PTSD is). This is why when we are traveling on Spaceship Amygdala it can be a really long, frightening and uncomfortable trip.

Imagine being on an airplane that was continually bumping you around, sending you into cold sweats, agitation, elevated blood pressure, and palpitations, when there was no real weather-related reason to do so. Maybe the plane had experienced some real turbulence in its past, but now when there is no real turbulence the plane still cannot stop bumping you all around. This is what being on Spaceship Amygdala is like. It scares you and stresses you out even though there is no real threat present.

Many people take various drugs to calm themselves down when traveling on Spaceship Amygdala. Sometimes this works. Those who work in the control tower day and night trying to keep Spaceship Amygdala on a straight flight path recommend that when on board Spaceship Amygdala you should try focusing on your breathing and use mindfulness techniques to calm down. Those in the control tower realize that Spaceship Amygdala may never stop bumping people around but they also know that people on board are not in the life-threatening situation that they feel like they are in!

Fortunately, new policies are being implemented so that there are more employees on board Spaceship Amygdala coaching passengers on very effective, scientifically validated mindfulness-based practices that people can use to prevent themselves from becoming overly reactive. These practices are proving very effective for keeping people from freaking out every time Spaceship Amygdala bumps them around.

There are also ways to get off Spaceship Amygdala for good and climb on Spaceship Frontal Lobe (which is a much smoother, more satisfying way to travel) but these ways often require much more effort and discipline than passengers want to give. Most passengers on board Spaceship Amygdala still do not seem to realize that they do not have to be getting so stressed out all the time, but they often do not want to change. Such is the nature of space travel. But I am happy to report that now more than ever, some passengers seem to be fed up with getting bumped around all the time and are learning healthier ways of coping with the stress of traveling around on Spaceship Amygdala.

From my forthcoming book, “No Bullshit Mindfulness.”