Where Is there "this puzzling discrepancy"? what does discrepancy refer to? Many people labor under the assumption that becoming lastingly happier involves accumulating things, such as bigger houses or fancier cars. But the newest research shows that we experience mostly temporary changes to our well-being when we get a raise or acquire granite counters for our state-of-the-art kitchens. A simple analogy helps to explain this puzzling discrepancy. Remember when your child begged and pleaded for a certain toy, and once it was received, the amount of joy derived from this possession didn’t provide the same attraction as time went by, and another thing became the object of desire? This common occurrence has been called the “hedonic treadmill,” a nickname that suggests we are destined to always crave more in order to maintain a current level of happiness. Thus, we adapt to good things and then begin to crave more, which is why the treadmill analogy exists.