It is often said that variety is the spice of life.
In many ways, people seem to take this idea to heart. When a new smartphone comes out, for instance, everyone rushes to buy it. However, within a few months people look for ways to get rid of the same phones in favor of new, shinier ones. Or take the classic example of college dining. Students arrive on campus where there are often many different places to eat. Within a few weeks (or even days), they will complain about the lack of food options. Sometimes, a new building containing several new eateries will be constructed.
Will this satisfy the students? No. They will quickly turn to off-campus options, and when those are exhausted, they will just stick to eating Styrofoam. And even that eventually gets old.
This is the “adaptation-level phenomenon” at work: the force that turns new and exciting into old and dull. This constantly forces people to seek out new methods through which they can obtain happiness and comfort. David G. Myers, who coined the term, suggests that we tend to form judgments based on our prior experiences. We get excited when we buy new houses and cars, when a new Nintendo game is released or when a new episode of our favorite TV show appears on Netflix. But soon our excitement wanes, and we become accustomed to what we once appreciated.
The only solution? Find something different—something that will help us get back to that previous level of gratification. Thus, in a way, human beings live in a constant state of need, never quite attaining their desired level of satisfaction.
It is not hard to see how problems could arise from constant application of the adaptation-level phenomenon. There is always the chance that it will lead to relative deprivation: the feeling that one is worse off than others with whom one compares oneself. When looking for something fresh or unique, people often latch on to what is popular or trendy at the time. In doing so, however, they will start to take note of what others have. Jealousy, envy and greed are then not too far down the road. It goes without saying that bad situations can arise when those emotions come into play.
Perhaps more importantly, the adaptation-level phenomenon suggests that one will never be completely happy with what one has. In many cases, this is not a good thing. If one constantly is chasing a comfort level that will never be met, the result will be a life spent hunting for a Holy Grail that does not exist. This, ironically enough, will only make one unhappier and lead to endless misery.
Conversely, in some situations refusing to be satisfied can surprisingly be a good thing. Take, for example, this snippet from an interview of Bruno Mars on “60 Minutes.”
“I was built for this. It’s dedicating yourself to your craft. Spending thousands of hours in a studio learning how to write a song, learning how to play different chords, training yourself to sing. You know, to get better and better.” The interviewer asks him if he’s there. Mars said, “No. I’m not even close.”
Mars intimates that he is not good quite enough as a musician and always can find ways to get better. This same desire to improve drives many others to work ever harder on their craft. For instance, when interviewed after big wins professional athletes and coaches often say that their or their team’s performance wasn’t that great, and that there were many things they could execute better or avoid doing the next time around. Some may concede that they will celebrate a bit but there is always a caveat: they will get back to work as soon as possible. A relevant example occurred last year. After a big win, coach Bill Herrion of the University of New Hampshire men’s basketball team said, “A win like that, it’s great for us…In basketball real good wins are very short-lived. We’re flying back today and we’re going back on the court this afternoon. Everything now turns to Abilene Christian for Thursday night at home.”
When it comes to approaching one’s chosen profession, perhaps we could learn a few things from those who have succeeded. The adaptation-level phenomenon can have its benefits, but unfortunately it seems to all but disappear where it could be most effective. What if we were never satisfied with our levels of goodness? What if we always looked for ways to become better people? Maybe we could find little ways to show others that we respect them. Perhaps we could snap less at others when we are frustrated or angry, or not shut people out when we are “busy.” Maybe we could stop taking advantage of people for our own personal gain and even make sacrifices for others every once in awhile. There certainly are many good things that could arise from a desire to improve one’s levels of kindness and compassion.
Unfortunately, most people believe they are fantastic human beings, despite knowing deep down that most of the time they are not. As a result, very few individuals are willing to concede that they could learn to treat others better and put in the effort to do so. Hopefully, this sad reality will be reversed one day. The day you think that you are good enough is the day that you stop trying to become better. We need the adaptation-level phenomenon in principle, but not all that it brings. What is needed is an acceptance of its good tendencies (an improvement of one’s self) and a rejection of its bad ones (nonstop grief). Hopefully, with some practice, we all can learn to discern which is which.
Ben Zhang is a Trinity senior. His column, "human foibles" runs on alternate Mondays.
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