What is the hedonic treadmill, and what problem does it cause in regards to policy ?

The hedonic treadmill, also known as the “hedonism adaptation”, is a concept that suggests people become accustomed to pleasure and adapt to new levels of happiness over time. This is due to the fact that people do not stay at the same level of pleasure once they have had it, and instead they become accustomed to the new level of pleasure, adapted to to it, and typically eventually return to their previous level of happiness. As a result, people tend to never find true lasting contentment with their lives or possessions. This presents a problem in regards to policy because the policies that are designed to create or increase the levels of pleasure in the lives of people may fall short in helping them achieve lasting contentment. In addition, policy makers need to understand that while they can provide short-term happiness, they may have difficulty in providing lasting joy or contentment.