I think I understand the concept of the hedonic treadmill, but let me check.

Creating happiness is harder than you think – many of the activities you think will make you happier… do very little.

People are exposed to many messages that encourage them to believe that a change of weight, scent, hair color (or coverage), car, clothes, or many other aspects will produce a marked improvement in their happiness. Our research suggests a moral, and a warning: Nothing that you focus on will make as much difference as you think.

Daniel Kahneman, founder of Behavioral Economics

On the other hand, creating happiness can be easier than you ever imagined – many of the activities you ignore, like cultivating gratitude, do very much even with little effort.

Is the gist that getting money, power, sex, fame, and material things doesn't really make us happier?

Whereas things like Gratitude do actually make us happier?

yes!  gratitude is like pushing the stop button on the hedonic treadmill.

Just Gratitude? Or are there other things too?

ahh how nice of you to ask!  there are many things that stop the treadmill, or at least put speed bumps on it.  i'll share my trick of metrics as soon as my article comes out!

Oh good! I imagine that listening / empathy can help. 

For sure. Helping others is a huge boost to our happiness!

And kindness?

well you might know more about that than anyone...  :)

Only kindness matters in the end. 

Wait, beauty and sunshine don't bring happiness?!

A growing list of traditional life pursuits are being found to have zero to only small correlations with happiness, well-being, and life satisfaction.

These include: beauty, money, sunshine, education, children, and choice.

Interesting quote from Kevyn Aucoin:

Beauty might bring happiness, but happiness always brings beauty.

the one that made me gulp was children!

Children might bring happiness, but happiness always brings children.

Wait, that's not quite right either. 

Children don't bring hedonic happiness, they bring meaning.

Chris, that's deep. I'm going to have to think about that. 

Children also enable us to think longer than our own lifetimes. 

yes to you both!

children do bring meaning and even a little hedonic happiness when they're good.  :)

(chris, i love your profile pic!)

So all we have to do is figure out what makes children good?

love, kindness and boundaries.

Boundaries is interesting because it's not limitless like the other two.

boundaries need to have boundaries!  and that is a good thing.  they should stop somewhere.

LOL you have to watch this video Emily:

http://pandawhale.com/post/46296/the-most-complex-international-boundaries-and-borders-in-the-world

that is too good!

Happy you liked it!

Great quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson:

Money often costs too much.

As a Pinterest image: