We have all wanted to "win" at something, whether it be larger wins like an academic award or placing in a sport, or a smaller win, like receiving a compliment on a hairstyle or outfit you spent a lot of time putting together. For some people, "wins" in certain areas of their lives come easier to them than others. You may be one of these people. However, being exposed to constant "wins" may not always produce a positive overall association with the given activity, and many can relate to feeling devastated following a loss and indifferent after a success. In order to examine this concept and why humans experience winning this way, it is important to understand the hedonic treadmill.
The hedonic treadmill, also known as hedonic adaptation, is the observed tendency of humans to swiftly return to a stable level of happiness after an extremely positive (or negative) experience. To apply this theory to a real-life scenario in order to explain how this can have harmful effects, I will use a personal example--I have been a competitive martial artist for the majority of my life, and recently had to spend weeks preparing for an international competition sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee. Success at tournaments was not out of the ordinary for me, but I understood the importance of this competition and worked for hours each day in order to guarantee a spot on the podium. I successfully placed second in my division which was not an easy feat, but the thrill of winning was short-lived.
Many athletes can relate to these feelings of apathy that arise quickly after achieving something that most would expect to make them feel great. This quick return to a normal mood is an example of the hedonic treadmill at work. Now, you may be wondering, if the hedonic treadmill can be applied to both positive and negative experiences, why is it that losing often affects people much more dramatically than winning?
It is common for losses to feel disproportionately more significant than wins, especially for those who participate in competitive extracurricular activities. A theory that seeks to explain this is loss aversion. Loss aversion is a cognitive bias in which a situation is perceived as more emotionally significant if it is framed as a loss rather than a gain. Let me provide a basic example of this concept at work: someone who lost 10 dollars would likely feel much more displeasure than someone who gained 10 dollars would feel pleasure.
Loss aversion is one reason among many that one may not experience wins as intensely as they experience loss. This phenomenon is a very dangerous one because it can create a sense fatigue as one works incredibly hard to win, only to maintain their emotionally "meh" status quo and to avoid those debilitating emotions that accompany loss. Considering both loss aversion and the hedonic treadmill, it is understandable that many turn to viewing an extracurricular activity that they once loved once as taxing or laborious with no products of their hard work that seem to justify the tenacity required to participate in the activity.
We are all at risk of developing the Sisyphus complex. This is why it is so important for many--especially teens--to have a strong system of support in each of their extracurricular communities and be aware of the reality of the hedonic treadmill and loss aversion. It can be easier to avoid defining your competitive experience by how much you win if you have other elements in your activity that generate positive emotion (friends, travel opportunities, etc.). We do not have to succumb to the fatigue of pushing a metaphorical rock up a hill with every practice, training, or activity session. The consequences of cognitive biases are avoidable.
This is really enlightening! You've helped me a lot to identify my own cognative biases in my own sport, and I'm working against these biases. I would like to hear you talk more about activities other than sports, because I think that you'd have some insightful things to say. This is a great blog.
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