Hedonic adaptation refers to the tendency to

• A. Tendency to return to baseline happiness after changes.
• B. A persistent increase in happiness after success.
• C. Avoidance of pleasure to maximize gains.
• D. A cognitive bias that inflates future outcomes.

Answer: (A)

Hedonic adaptation is the tendency for people to return to a stable level of happiness after changes in life circumstances. When something good happens, we may feel a temporary boost, but over time our mood shifts back toward our usual baseline as we adjust to the new situation. The same pattern occurs after negative events: the initial dip in happiness gradually recovers toward the prior level. This explains why major life changes like a win or a setback often produce only temporary shifts in long‑term happiness.

The other options don’t fit because hedonic adaptation isn’t about a permanent rise in happiness after success, it’s about returning to baseline. It isn’t about avoiding pleasure to maximize gains, and it isn’t a cognitive bias inflating how we view future outcomes—it's a process of adjustment in actual experienced happiness over time.