Walking around New York City, you’ll see as tourists kick “repugnant“ pigeons from sidewalks. Forced to hide behind gleaming, cherry red Coke cans or wait for skyward morsels of crumbly bread, it’s acceptable to say pigeons have had quite the downfall from society. A fact unknown to many, centuries ago, pigeons were revered as a sacred messenger. Domesticated, hallowed then harshly abandoned, it seems humans simply grew tired of this bird. The story of the vilification of this once sanctified symbol calls one term to my mind: the hedonic treadmill.

According to Verywellmind, hedonic adaptation or the hedonic treadmill is “an adaptation-level phenomenon, which is a term that describes how humans become insensitive to new stimuli, and quickly readjust to an emotional baseline“ (Scott). It’s often used as a psychological term to describe why humans always fall into the cycle of feeling like they don’t have “enough“.

Discrimination faced by immigrants increase with the duration of their stay. (Finch, Frank, & Hummer) Counterintuitive, right? As an immigrant immerses themselves into American culture, surely the prejudice or biases would mellow and the target on their back would dull. However, immigrant communities find themselves with a constant lack of education, healthcare, resources, and most importantly, respect. Could this “perennial dissastisfaction” be a key contributor to the exacerbation of discrimination? Americans become accustomed and desensitized as immigrants stay in the U.S. longer. This unfortunate comfort can disillusion or anesthetize individuals, driving them to feel secure enough to make cruel or prejudiced remarks. The lack of an equilibrium at which a person’s happiness can rest could be the dulling factor that drives them to romanticize hurtful stances.

It can then only be asked—when, if ever, will we feel full and stop wanting “more“? When will we become disenchanted by our hubris the same way we were by pigeons? When will we forget our incessant hunger and realize it may be “enough”?

Works Cited:

Scott, Elizabeth. “Hedonic Adaptation: Why You Are Not Happier.” Verywellmind, 23 June 2022, http://www.verywellmind.com/hedonic-adaptation-4156926#citation-1.

Finch BK, Frank R, Hummer RA. Racial/ethnic disparities in infant mortality: the role of behavioral factors. Soc Biol. 2000 Fall-Winter;47(3-4):244-63. doi: 10.1080/19485565.2000.9989021. PMID: 12055697.