Applications
The concept of the happiness set point can be applied in clinical psychology to help patients return to their hedonic set point when negative events happen. Knowing that happiness can temporarily depart from one's given hedonic set point, determining when dips are occurring can be extremely helpful in treating conditions such as depression. When a dip occurs, clinical psychologists work with patients to recover from the depressive spell and return to their hedonic set point more quickly. In doing this, psychologists are helping to equip patients with the tools to combat any potential depressive spells that may arise in the future.
Since approximately 40% of our level of subjective happiness is determined by intentional activities, one's proactive and deliberative action can drastically improve his or her overall happiness. Psychotherapists provide patients with different altruistic activities (for example, a gratitude journal) that can help him or her return to their hedonic set point.
Read more about this topic: Hedonic Treadmill