By Ross Grossman, LMFT

Step Right Up: The Treadmill You Never Asked For

Imagine a treadmill that you can’t turn off. You sprint, you sweat, you get that new car, that promotion, that perfect croissant… and then a week later? Flat. The thrill is gone, and you’re eyeing a shinier toy. Congratulations: you’re on the hedonic treadmill.

Why Evolution Built This Feature Into You

Here’s the evolutionary joke: your ancestors were never meant to be blissed out on the savannah.

• If they got one good antelope and thought, “That’s enough, I’m set for life,” they’d starve by winter.
• If they found one cave and decided, “Perfect, forever home,” they’d freeze next migration.
• And if they fell in love once and said, “I’ll just stay here swooning,” their DNA would have died with them.

So evolution gave us a brilliant but annoying feature: quick adaptation. Joy wears off fast so we’ll keep scanning the horizon for more food, more safety, more mates. Survival win. Happiness… not so much.

Why It’s Still Running Your Life

Fast forward to 2025:

• That new iPhone thrills you for 6 days.
• That vacation glow fades faster than your sunburn.
• That kitchen remodel? A month later you’re back to fighting about who left the sponge in the sink.

Our brains are still wired for “what’s next?” not “isn’t this nice?” That’s the treadmill.

How to Step Off (Or at Least Slow the Belt)

As a therapist (and occasional treadmill hater), here’s what I tell clients:

1. Gratitude is Jet Fuel for the Present
   Write down three things daily you already have. Yes, even if it’s “the cat didn’t throw up today.”
2. Novelty Wakes Up the Brain
   Take a new route to work, cook something weird, or read outside your comfort zone. The brain lights up when things are fresh.
3. Savoring Beats Shopping
   Slow down and stretch out your pleasures. Don’t just inhale the coffee — smell it, sip it, imagine you’re in Paris.
4. Relationships Are Anti-Treadmill Tech
   The Harvard happiness study proves it: strong bonds outlast gadgets, granite countertops, and Instagram likes.
5. Reframe the Chase
   When you notice the “meh” setting in, remind yourself: It’s not the car, it’s the caveman brain. That perspective alone buys you breathing room.

The Punchline

You can’t permanently escape the hedonic treadmill — it’s part of being human. But you can learn to hop off now and then, towel off, and say: “Okay brain, I see your game. But I’m keeping this moment.”

Final Thought:
Evolution gave us the treadmill. Therapy, gratitude, humor, and love are the ways we jump off. Happiness isn’t a finish line — it’s a practice.

Sincerely,

Ross Grossman, MA, LMFT
Affinity Therapy Services

http://www.affinitytherapyservices.com