<p>Some people actually become less happy after they win the lottery. Here's one possible explanation of why. There are lots of people each of which they can help but they don't have enough money to help all of them. Since they have so much money, they can help some of them but because they're already helping some of them, they don't have enough money to help the others. They end up getting criticized by some of them people they aren't helping because they can help them but aren't.</p>

<p>Some people might not encounter that problem after they win the lottery and instead feel happy at first because they can help so many people and not worry that they aren't helping even more people that they could have helped, but they eventually stop being more happy because their brain adapts. If it's an autistic megasavant, they might continue being happy that they won the lottery because they'll keep remembering their initial impression of their new life style of finding it wierd and different and continue finding it wierd and different.  </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-06-30T06:58:54.703Z
Hi Timothy, thank you for your answer. It would be great though if you could add some references to back up your answer. These do not only allow people to verify the validity of your answer, but also allow people to read upon the subject more. Please have a look at the answer above, where quotes from scientific papers are used, or have a look at the [tour](https://cogsci.stackexchange.com/tour).
Robin Kramer-ten Have
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-06-30T02:38:33.370Z
2017-06-30T02:38:33.370Z
Timothy
<p>When a person says he would be happy to win the lottery he is usually wrong?
Why are people bad at judging their happiness in the future? A person who knows that he will get a fancy house in the future thinks he will be happy. But when he ends up living in it he is not as happy as the thought he would be.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-08-22T00:12:34.883Z
[Hedonic treadmill](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedonic_treadmill)
asheeshr
<cognitive-psychology><well-being>
Why do people overestimate future happiness when they imagine acquiring something like a house or winning the lottery?
Reall
# Why do people overestimate future happiness when they imagine acquiring something like a house or winning the lottery?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2013-08-21)

When a person says he would be happy to win the lottery he is usually wrong?
Why are people bad at judging their happiness in the future? A person who knows that he will get a fancy house in the future thinks he will be happy. But when he ends up living in it he is not as happy as the thought he would be.

**Tags:** cognitive-psychology, well-being

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: [Hedonic treadmill](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedonic_treadmill)  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2017-06-30. Score: 0

Some people actually become less happy after they win the lottery. Here's one possible explanation of why. There are lots of people each of which they can help but they don't have enough money to help all of them. Since they have so much money, they can help some of them but because they're already helping some of them, they don't have enough money to help the others. They end up getting criticized by some of them people they aren't helping because they can help them but aren't.

Some people might not encounter that problem after they win the lottery and instead feel happy at first because they can help so many people and not worry that they aren't helping even more people that they could have helped, but they eventually stop being more happy because their brain adapts. If it's an autistic megasavant, they might continue being happy that they won the lottery because they'll keep remembering their initial impression of their new life style of finding it wierd and different and continue finding it wierd and different.

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: Hi username_2, thank you for your answer. It would be great though if you could add some references to back up your answer. These do not only allow people to verify the validity of your answer, but also allow people to read upon the subject more. Please have a look at the answer above, where quotes from scientific papers are used, or have a look at the [tour](https://cogsci.stackexchange.com/tour).  

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