The upshot is that we are, in essence, never quite satisfied. Expectations tend to adapt to conditions, so that when things improve, our expectations correspondingly rise. One explanation for this offered by social scientists is that happiness doesn't depend on objective conditions, but rather on our own expectations. Though most of us experience occasional 'peaks' in contentment, the term hedonic treadmill characterises the fact that these are usually temporary, and that people have a tendency to remain at a relatively stable level of happiness despite the good things that periodically happen in their lives. Though it doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, the expression hedonic treadmill refers to one of life's most fundamental paradoxes – the fact that happiness is transitory in nature. Like a hamster on a wheel, we're stuck on the hedonic treadmill, running faster and faster, but getting nowhere We are, in essence, never quite satisfied. If you can identify with an experience like this, and I'm guessing that, though the context may vary widely, most people can, then we share the common experience of plodding along on the hedonic treadmill. In the first few weeks after the transformation was complete I'd go in to make the first cuppa of the day and my heart genuinely did a little leap – this new room was actually making me happier! And then, slowly, almost imperceptibly, the feelings waned and using it just became … normal. For many years I tolerated my tired and impractical kitchen and then, eventually, joy! It received a makeover, and became the thing of beauty and convenience I'd longed for.