Hey Brainiacs,
Welcome to this week’s newsletter! Let’s explore our craving for novelty and the different ways we can overcome this to find joy in the long term.
Novelty and The Brain
Do you ever find a new hobby that you get really addicted to for about two weeks, and then suddenly you don’t care about it anymore? Or you buy that new handbag and are filled with extreme happiness for about two days, until the newness wears off?
Well, this is the brain demonstrating something we call novelty-seeking behavior1. Our brain craves novelty, or things that are new. And this is largely because of the dopamine we get after experiencing something novel1.
A Side Note
Dopamine also drives the novelty-seeking behaviour. The more dopamine you have, the more you seek novelty. This may explain why individuals with altered dopamine systems, like those with ADHD and addiction disorders, find themselves seeking novelty so often2.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. We know that novelty leads to the brain forging new pathways, which can help with forming new habits, and that novel experiences are more memorable, so we can exploit novelty to improve our learning and memory3. But, the craving for novelty can also cause a problem. The same activity will eventually stop producing the same amount of dopamine as the novelty wears off. So, you’re no longer interested in that new knitting class, or buying one new handbag doesn’t quite have the same high. This leads to a lack of motivation and can even lead to addictive tendencies4.
Addiction Versus Habit
A habit is a behavioural pattern that an individual develops. This happens through frequent repetition of a task, such that the behaviour becomes subconscious. An addiction is a behaviour or habit that is compulsive. The person's body becomes reliant on the addiction, and despite negative consequences, the individual cannot stop.
The Hedonic Treadmill
The cycle of increased joy from something new, back to baseline levels of happiness when the novelty wears off, to searching for novelty again, is part of the hedonic treadmill5 (Figure 1).
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F18bd325d-93ff-4a8c-9ea4-1f7a5de0720b_821x565.png)
The original hedonic treadmill theory proposed that we react to good and bad events with temporary increased or decreased happiness, but eventually come back to our baseline happiness levels6. This theory was supported by evidence from lottery winners, who were not permanently happier after winning the lottery than before7. Similarly, accident survivors who had become paralyzed were not permanently sadder after the accident7. And studies looking at individual happiness levels found that they do not change much across a lifetime8.
But, because these positive events lead to temporary increases in happiness, we wrongly pursue more ‘good events’, like a promotion, a new job, or a new house, with the false belief that it will make us happier forever. And then we spend the rest of our lives pursuing the next thing that will make us happier, instead of being happier. Or, in terms of novelty, we search for the next novel experience to bring us joy, and drop it when it’s no longer novel. This adaptation is known as hedonic adaptation5.
Finding Joy in Long Term
What can we do about this? Well, this is what the field of positive psychology has been working on for a few decades: trying to make us happier in the long term by increasing our baseline levels of happiness instead of chasing the next novel experience. This is reflected in the adapted Hedonic Adaption Prevention Model, which suggests that if we intentionally try to make the positive effects of life events last longer, we can enhance our happiness by preventing this adaptation9.
This updated model suggests three components influence our baseline happiness, of which only the second, Intentional Activities, we have control over. The three components are genetics, intentional activities, and circumstances9. Through studies on twins, we were able to understand that genetics influences our wellbeing; in fact, 30-40% of the variation in well-being could be accounted for by genetic factors10. Intentional activities are the only component we have control over, and I will come back to these later. Lastly, our circumstances - life events, environmental conditions, and social relationships - make up the final component that dictates our well-being. Although we cannot control what happens to us, we can control how we react. This comes under intentional activities, but essentially, by modifying how we react to events, we can make the positive effects of a positive event last longer, whilst mitigating the stress of a negative event9.
Now back to those intentional activities.
Gratitude
Gratitude is a major antidote to hedonic adaptation. It helps negate the dampening of happiness that comes with negative events by rewiring how we think about the negative, and it maintains happiness longer when there is a positive event9,11. Keeping a gratitude journal or engaging in other gratitude exercises is a great way of shifting your focus towards the positive and increasing lifelong happiness11.
Diversifying Activities
We know our brains need novelty, and so by engaging in multiple different activities at once, we are less likely to get bored of them. Intentionally diversifying your activities will help prevent adaptation and maintain high happiness levels.
Acts of Kindness
Engaging in acts of kindness can increase happiness by creating a sense of fulfilment and inspiring positive emotions9. Try volunteering for a cause you care about, or giving a lending hand to a neighbour!
Mindfulness
Mindfulness can also help break the cycle of constant striving and give a sense of relaxation and contentment. Practising breathing exercises and meditation can promote a sense of being in the present moment, and reduce stress12,13.
Savouring and Mindful Enjoyment
Learning to pay attention to and actively savour moments of joy in your daily life can help boost your attention to the positive. You can practise mindful enjoyment by being fully present and immersed in activities you enjoy (eating a meal with a friend or a walk with your dog in nature), which can also help to counteract our negativity bias!
Meaningful relationships
Building and nurturing strong and meaningful relationships, be it with the community, your friends, or your family, can impact happiness profoundly! We are social creatures and having support of others, whoever they may be, helps us to have a sense of belonging and wellbeing14.
Limit materialistic pursuits
Materialistic achievements can often lead us down the novelty-seeking rabbit hole. The materialistic achievement will never be enough, and there’s almost guaranteed to be someone who has something ‘better’. Focusing on experiences, meaningful connections, and personal growth is a better way to sustain long-term happiness.
Purse personal growth
Setting goals and pursuing activities we are interested in and value can give us a sense of purpose and fulfilment. Challenging ourselves, learning new skills, and seeking new opportunities can help keep us engaged and seeking novelty in a healthy sustainable way. Embrace your growth mindset!
Hedonic Treadmill and Relationships
The hedonic treadmill also explains why a year into a relationship, we no longer feel that spark when we first started dating. We begin to incorporate the happiness we feel with that person into our daily lives, and the high begins to come down.
We can use our knowledge of novelty to help spark excitement in the relationship by introducing something novel – like a new date night spot. But to maintain the relationship long-term, the same intentional activities discussed above can be applied to a couple! Expressing gratitude for one another, spontaneously performing acts of kindness for each other, and pursuing a common goal can be great ways to boost happiness in a relationship!
Until next week,
Nicole x
P.S. Please leave a comment with topics you’d like covered in future newsletters!
References
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0896627306004752
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-90-481-2350-6_5
Brickman, P., & Campbell, D. T. (1971). Hedonic relativism and planning the good society. In M. H. Appley (Ed.), Adaptation-level theory (pp. 287-305). New York: Academic Press.
https://www.wellbeingintlstudiesrepository.org/hw_happiness/1/