# Chasing Happiness: Why Success Never Feels Like Enough

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/inside-mental-health-432530/chasing-happiness-why-success-never-feels-like-enough
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/inside-mental-health-432530/chasing-happiness-why-success-never-feels-like-enough.md
Podcast: [Inside Mental Health](https://stenobird.com/podcast/inside-mental-health-432530)
Published: 2025-12-04T10:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://psychcentral.com/blog/podcast-chasing-happiness-why-success-never-feels-like-enough/
Audio file: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/RVOHE2813767805.mp3?updated=1764083595
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/inside-mental-health-432530/episodes/chasing-happiness-why-success-never-feels-like-enough
Duration seconds: 2205

## Resource

Why does happiness always feel one step away? In this episode, we welcome back positive psychology expert Jodi Wellman to explore why so many of us keep “moving the goalposts” on our own success, and learn why accomplishments that once thrilled us eventually feel ordinary. Jodi breaks down why we convince ourselves that one more thing — a new job, a relationship, a move, a big purchase — will finally deliver lasting happiness. Using Gabe’s own podcasting journey as a case study, the conversation exposes a mental trap familiar to anyone who’s ever felt like their wins “don’t count” for long. But this episode isn’t just about naming the problem — it’s about fixing it. Jodi offers practical, research-backed strategies to help you savor your accomplishments, find a healthier balance between ambition and contentment, and stop letting your inner critic erase your progress. Listener takeaways why humans believe they’re always “one thing away” from feeling fulfilled what the hedonic treadmill is and how it sabotages our happiness how to balance ambition with genuine joy so you can grow without feeling miserable If you’ve ever wondered, “Why don’t I feel successful?” this is the episode that can finally help you understand. “We like to dupe ourselves. It's just one of the features of our psychology. It all comes down to this idea called the hedonic treadmill. We think, and we go for it. We'll buy the pill, we'll make the move, we'll take the job, we'll buy the car, we'll do a thing. And usually it's external stuff, but sometimes it's internal, like, I will become the person that I've been meant to be and that will make me happy. But then, because we adapt so well, this is this hedonic adaptation, hedonic treadmill, we adapt so reliably, damn it. And we end up, over time, some o…

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## Transcript

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