Hedonic Adaptation
/hiːˈdɒnɪk əˌdæpˈteɪʃən/noun
The psychological tendency to return toward a stable level of happiness after positive or negative life changes.
Did you know?The word hedonic comes from Ancient Greek hēdonē, “pleasure,” from the same ancient root that produced English sweet and Latin suavis, the source of suave.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*swad-u-
“Sweet, pleasant, or pleasing; the reconstructed root behind Greek hēdys and related words.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
hēdys
“Sweet, pleasant, or agreeable.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
hēdonē
“Pleasure or enjoyment; the source of English hedonic.”
Classical Latin
Latin
adaptāre
“To fit, adjust, or make suitable; formed from ad-, “to,” and aptāre, “to fit.””
14th Century
English
hedonic
“Relating to pleasure; adopted into English through learned scientific and philosophical usage.”
20th Century
English
hedonic adaptation
“A psychological term for adjusting to changed circumstances and gradually returning toward a baseline of well-being.”