Lucas, R. E., Clark, A. E., Georgellis, Y., &Diener, E. (2003). Reexamining adaptation and the set point model of happiness: Reactions to changes in marital status.
According to adaptation theory, individuals react to events but quickly adapt back to baseline levels of subjective well-being. To test this idea, the authors used data from a 15-year longitudinal study of over 24,000 individuals to examine the effects of marital transitions on life satisfaction. On average, individuals reacted to events and then adapted back toward baseline levels. However, there were substantial individual differences in ...