Dr. Laurie Santos

Maybe you'll get it, great, but not that great because as we just talked about with hedonic adaptation, it won't feel as good as you expect for very long.

Maybe you'll get it, great, but not that great because as we just talked about with hedonic adaptation, it won't feel as good as you expect for very long.

And you're probably expecting it to be really awesome because you're miswanting and all of a sudden, oh, it's not as great as I thought.

And you're probably expecting it to be really awesome because you're miswanting and all of a sudden, oh, it's not as great as I thought.

So even if you get it, it's a letdown.

So even if you get it, it's a letdown.

But of course you might not get it, right?

But of course you might not get it, right?

And then there's no happiness.

And then there's no happiness.

If anything, if you're expecting to get it, now you feel terrible because you have this comparison point of getting it

If anything, if you're expecting to get it, now you feel terrible because you have this comparison point of getting it

And now you feel crappy because, oh, I didn't get there.

And now you feel crappy because, oh, I didn't get there.

And we see this so much in so many different studies that have looked at field cases where people don't get what they're expecting.

And we see this so much in so many different studies that have looked at field cases where people don't get what they're expecting.

One of my favorite ones happens not in the work context, but in sports.

One of my favorite ones happens not in the work context, but in sports.

Researchers look at Olympic athletes and what happens when they get different medals.

Researchers look at Olympic athletes and what happens when they get different medals.