title: The challenge of staying happier: testing the Hedonic Adaptation Prevention model.
abstract: The happiness that comes from a particular success or change in fortune abates with time. The Hedonic Adaptation Prevention (HAP) model specifies two routes by which the well-being gains derived from a positive life change are eroded--the first involving bottom-up processes (i.e., declining positive emotions generated by the positive change) and the second involving top-down processes (i.e., increased aspirations for even more positivity). The model also specifies two moderators that can forestall these processes--continued appreciation of the original life change and continued variety in change-related experiences. The authors formally tested the predictions of the HAP model in a 3-month three-wave longitudinal study of 481 students. Temporal path analyses and moderated regression analyses provided good support for the model. Implications for the stability of well-being, the feasibility of "the pursuit of happiness," and the appeal of overconsumption are discussed.
authors.affiliation: University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA. Sheldonk@missouri.edu
authors.forename: Kennon M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Sheldon
authors.forename: Sonja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lyubomirsky
mesh_terms: D000124:Achievement; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006240:Happiness; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011582:Psychological Theory; D011788:Quality of Life; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult