Why your pay hike, promotion and dream car stop feeling special? Ankur Warikoo explains the 'Hedonic Treadmill' and how it affects happinessSynopsisBig wins often lose their excitement quickly. This is due to the Hedonic Treadmill, a psychological effect. People return to their normal feelings after success. Ankur Warikoo explains this. Happiness is not found only in future goals. Focus on relationships, health, and purpose for lasting fulfillment. Build a meaningful life now.Ankur Warikoo explained a concept known as the "Hedonic Treadmill," a psychological phenomenon that affects nearly everyone. You finally get the promotion you worked for years. The salary hike arrives. The dream car is parked in your driveway. For a few days, maybe even a few weeks, it feels incredible. Then something unexpected happens. The excitement fades, the achievement starts feeling ordinary, and your mind shifts to the next target. If this sounds familiar, you're not alone. According to entrepreneur and content creator Ankur Warikoo, there is a psychological reason why even life's biggest wins eventually stop feeling as satisfying as we imagined.In a recent social media post, Warikoo explained a concept known as the "Hedonic Treadmill," a psychological phenomenon that affects nearly everyone. According to him, the idea is simple: human beings tend to return to their normal emotional state relatively quickly, even after experiencing significant success or positive life changes. He pointed to examples many people can relate to.The salary increase that once felt transformative eventually becomes routine. The car that occupied your thoughts for months becomes nothing more than daily transportation. The promotion that demanded countless late nights and sacrifices gradually turns into the new normal. Then comes the inevitable question."What next?"Warikoo noted that this cycle often leaves ambitious people feeling confused. On paper, they are achieving everything they once dreamed of. Yet emotionally, they may feel strangely indifferent. The reason, he explained, is not that the achievements lack value. The problem arises when people assume that one future accomplishment will permanently change how they feel.Many individuals unknowingly tie their happiness to a future milestone. They tell themselves they will finally be content after the next salary jump, the next city move, the next promotion, or the next version of their life. Warikoo argued that this mindset creates a dangerous trap. "If you're waiting to be happy until the next milestone," he wrote, "you're spending your entire life emotionally waiting." His message was not that goals are unimportant. In fact, he emphasised that pursuing goals remains meaningful and necessary. The issue arises when goals become the only source of meaning in a person's life. This is where the concept of the Hedonic Treadmill becomes particularly relevant in modern life.Today's culture often celebrates achievement, productivity, and constant growth. Social media feeds are filled with promotions, luxury purchases, career milestones, and success stories. While these accomplishments can certainly bring joy, they rarely provide lasting emotional fulfilment on their own. Warikoo suggested that people who maintain long-term happiness tend to build their lives around factors that are less vulnerable to this psychological cycle.He highlighted relationships, health, purpose, community, personal growth, and meaningful daily routines as examples. Unlike external achievements, these areas often provide a deeper and more sustainable sense of fulfilment. As Warikoo put it, people do not need to wait until they have "made it" to begin building a meaningful life. The process can start now, alongside the pursuit of every ambition that lies ahead.Internet reactsInternet users resonated strongly with Warikoo's message and shared their own perspectives on success and happiness. One user observed that the real challenge is not achieving goals but staying conscious after achieving them, noting that milestones such as a first salary, promotion, or successful business often feel life-changing until they become part of everyday life. Another called it a powerful reminder that while achievements create moments of happiness, lasting fulfilment comes from relationships, purpose, growth, and gratitude. One commenter pointed out that success often changes our standards faster than it changes our satisfaction, making gratitude and progress equally important. Another reflected that ambition without appreciation can become "a treadmill with no finish line," arguing that true meaning comes from occasionally looking back and valuing how far one has already come.Read More News on...morelessRead More News on...moreless