Do Material Pleasures Bring Happiness? The Answer Will Surprise You

As believers, we have values, and a Torah that commands us what we can and cannot do. As human beings, we also have desires, instincts, and thoughts, but we are taught that certain behaviors are negative, and for this reason, we do not engage in them.

Do those who feel that they are free to do as they wish enjoy life more fully? Indeed, the thought crosses our minds, "If only there was kosher certification for this caviar, we would feel like we are in paradise." Is that really true?

In 1971, psychologists Philip Brickman and Donald Campbell coined the term "hedonic treadmill." Hedonism is the pursuit of pleasure, and a person who wants enjoyment enters a treadmill which brings about happiness and joy. Brickman and Campbell discovered that shortly after achieving a goal and regardless of the level of happiness reached, a person returns to their original degree of happiness after achieving a goal. Whether they achieved a work promotion, enjoyed an insane vacation, or purchased a yacht, shortly after, they return to the same initial state, and once again "need" something to grant them happiness. If they have a yacht—they will want two; if they have a million—they will want a billion, and so on.

This research is epitomized by the famous saying of our sages "One who has one hundred wants two hundred." No person leaves this world with even half of their desires fulfilled; they always feel they have less than half of what they want. No matter how much they have traveled, regardless if they are rich or poor—they always want at least twice what they have.

The research also examined people who endure significant suffering, revealing a similar outcome: those who have greatly suffered are not less happy! At the moment of suffering, the body and mind react very harshly, but shortly after, it returns to its initial state. People who have lost their legs are no less happy than those who walk on two legs!

Further studies were conducted, and found that people who win millions in the lottery are not happier than those who did not win. After the win, they enter the race again. Once you become a millionaire, you want to compete with other millionaires.

Another study included those who experienced significant events that should result in happiness and joy, as well as those who experienced events that should cause sorrow. The common factor amongst all was that three months had passed since the event. The study checked their mental state, interviewed them, tracked dopamine and anxiety chemical levels, and found no causal link. No parameter of happiness or sadness remained to tell the tale. A person's feeling depends almost entirely on how he perceives things.

In one of the famous stories, the Baal Shem Tov took his students to see a poor man who was eating a Shabbat meal consisting only of lentils, yet out of his tremendous happiness and positivity, he saw in the lentils an appetizer, a main course, and even dessert. That poor man was not putting on a show; he was truly as happy as the wealthy man of the town was with his dishes. No physical or mental test would find more happiness in the wealthy person. Who is rich? The one who is happy with their lot. Happiness with one's portion is the opposite of the hedonic treadmill.

The restrictions imposed by the Torah are the greatest kindness. A person with no restrictions are constantly running to earn money, and indeed they work for years to purchase a huge, luxurious home on the seafront, but they are no happier than the poor man who eats lentils. Therefore, they continue to work to buy themselves a unique luxury car. But shortly after, they feel empty again, and so they continue to toil, and suffer for something that looks shiny from the outside but doesn't satisfy them internally.

A person who immerses themselves in a life of Torah does themselves the greatest kindness imaginable. They can be happy in a regular home, with a regular car that meets their needs, and with food that nourishes their body sufficiently, without entering the race that has no beginning and no end.