"Hedonic treadmill¹" refers to the tendency to always go back to the same level of happiness despite positive life events. Personal happiness does seem to increase as family incomes rise, a phenomenon apparent in both the U.S. and Britain. But once we reach a modest level of income, more money doesn't bring greater satisfaction. This is when we find ourselves on what experts call the "hedonic treadmill".

“快乐水车”指尽管经历了本该令人快乐的事情，人们却并没有变得更快乐的现象。随着家庭收入的增长，个体的幸福感会增强，这种现象在美国和英国很常见。但是一旦人们的收入达到了一定水平，收入的增加却不能再带来更多的快乐。这时，人们就陷入了“快乐水车”时期。

 

Social scientists explain this happiness plateau through the "aspiration² adjustment hypothesis." As soon as we acquire a moderate amount of wealth, our expectations rise for a higher quality of life. When we don't reach these new levels, our spirits flag, leaving us disillusioned³.

社会学家用“期望调适假说”来解释这种高原现象。一旦我们获得了一定的财富之后，对于生活品质的期望值便会增加。如果不能达到这些新的高度，我们就会一蹶不振，感到幻想破灭。

 

A second explanation comes from the idea of "relative position": We compare our wealth and place in the social hierarchy⁴ to those around us. No matter how high we climb, we almost always encounter someone who is richer or who has more things.

我们还可以从“相对位置”这一概念中找到解释。我们往往会将自己的财富和社会地位与身边的人进行比较。不管我们在成功的路上爬得有多高，我们几乎总是可以碰到比自己更富有或拥有更多的人。

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