The Hedonic Treadmill

I believe most people want to be rich, strive for fame, status and money. It may not be their intrinsic desire to do so, but rather a result of societal, parental and peer pressure. Nevertheless, a life based on the ceaseless acquisition of material possessions, wealth and accomplishments is not the answer to everlasting happiness. This is explained in a theory called the 'hedonic treadmill', a term coined by Philip Brickman and Donald Campbell.

So what is the hedonic treadmill? It is an analogy of someone running on treadmill to illustrate the point that we need to keep striving in order to maintain the same level of happiness, akin to someone running at the same speed just to maintain the same position on a treadmill. If we want to increase our happiness, we need to strive even harder. Psychology researchers have found that the level of happiness of lottery winners increased initially but returned to their original levels quickly. The reverse is also true - the level of happiness of those recently handicapped fell initially but climbed back to original levels subsequently.

"In all of these situations, despite a massive shift in standard of living or achievement of major life goals, after a short period of time the life-satisfaction levels return to normal. Despite the fact that external forces are constantly changing our life goals, happiness for most people is a relatively constant state. Regardless of how good things get, we'll always report about the same level of happiness. It is believed that the baseline of an individual's happiness is at least partially genetic. For example, identical twins are usually equally prone to depression. "-quoted from Wikipedia

So if you think that striking the lottery, snagging the President's scholarship or winning some prestigious award will give you prolonged joy, think again. But then I am sure, many people would have had first-hand experience of the effects of the hedonic treadmill themselves, yet they still strive for even more material wealth, fame or higher status in the hope of attaining the elusive everlasting happiness. As the internationally acclaimed author J.K. Rowling has aptly put it: "...personal happiness lies in knowing that life is not a check-list of acquisition or achievement. Your qualifications, your CV, are not your life, though you will meet many people of my age and older who confuse the two." (http://harvardmagazine.com/commencement/the-fringe-benefits-failure-the-importance-imagination)

I have had relatives and friends asking me why I did not choose to study medicine or some other courses which more lucrative in nature. Being a doctor will allow me to save lives. Yes, it is a noble thing, but my passion still lies in Physics. Nevertheless, there are many people who wish to become doctors and lawyers not for lofty ambitions, but for the high pay. Last year, there was a spate of articles in The Straits Times which highlighted the trend of general practitioners in Singapore offering cosmetic surgery to boost their income. Plastic surgeons and cosmetic specialists earn much more than an average GP, and this explains why cosmetic courses are so hot in medical school. This merely drives home the point that many doctors are more interested in making big bucks rather than saving lives and earning less. As much as I would like to believe that people of such intellectual calibre would be enlightened enough to realise the trap of the hedonic treadmill, it is not to be. Well, maybe the fault is not theirs alone. It is not easy to overcome the strong societal, parental and peer pressure to achieve the so called 'success', which is defined shallowly in terms of monetary wealth and societal status.

Before the current financial crisis, business and finance courses in universities were all the rage given the high salaries of those working in these sectors. However, reality sunk in upon the unfolding of the Subprime Crisis and many graduates are now finding it an uphill task to get a job or even an internship. As a result, more students are now turning towards the engineering and other faculties. Several years back, there was also a sudden wave of interest in the life sciences industry after the government's exhortation that it is the 'next-big-thing'. As with all fads, the life sciences craze fizzled out some time as well. Sounds Déjà vu? My point here is that we should not just follow where the money seems to be, for it may very well turn out to be the wrong path. Neither am I advocating that one should always blindly follow one’s interest, for we have to feed our families and ourselves. Nevertheless, monetary remuneration should not be the salient and over-riding factor in determining one’s career path. A balance between pragmatism and idealism has to be struck.

When I was younger, I wanted to be a great scientist and aspired to win the Nobel prize. However, as I grew older and wiser, I realised that winning prizes is not the most important thing in life and it will only give me temporary happiness. I still wish to be a scientist, but my main aim now is to help people through science research and development, as well as through other forms of community service. I am not advocating that everyone should give up their ambitions to be bankers or superstars or even the President of United States. It is good to have aspirations, for you will then have something to work for and life becomes more meaningful. But making money and attaining status should not be the ultimate aim in life. We must exercise caution in threading the fine line between sinking into complacency and being overzealous or 'kaisu', or we would only be the ones to suffer.