You have a roof over your head, food on the table… maybe even a job you like. So why don’t you feel happier? Turns out, your brain is wired to sabotage joy—but today, you’ll learn how to outsmart it.

Psychologists call this the ‘hedonic treadmill’—the harder you chase happiness, the more it slips away. Here’s why:

Your brain evolved to scan for threats, not joy. That’s why you remember insults longer than compliments.

A 2022 study in Nature Human Behaviour found that 75% of people adapt to positive life changes (like a raise or new relationship) within a year—and return to their ‘baseline’ happiness.

Social media trains us to compare ‘highlight reels,’ leaving us feeling inadequate.