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Breaking the Cycle: How to Overcome the Hedonic Adaptation Treadmill and Drive Lasting Change in Higher Education
- Genevieve Jomantas
- Feb 9
- 5 min read
By Genevieve Jomantas M.Ed, M.S.
Why do people get excited about change but struggle to follow through?
In higher education, we introduce new initiatives all the time—improving accessibility, integrating AI, and redesigning online learning experiences. Faculty and administrators see the value in these changes, but over time, excitement fades, and people return to old habits. This is not just resistance to change. It is a psychological phenomenon called Hedonic Adaptation—the tendency to adjust to new circumstances and revert to familiar behaviors quickly. Understanding this concept is key to ensuring that the positive changes we implement in higher education do not lose momentum.
Want to learn more about hedonic adaption? Click on my Nearpod activity
As a leader in educational technology, my role is more prominent than being a subject matter expert on technology itself. It is about understanding human behavior, relationships, and the psychology of change. Helping higher education evolve is not as simple as introducing the latest technology. That is precisely what educational technology is not.
A leader in educational technology, or any field aiming for genuine and effective change, must be adept at navigating personality types, building trust, and managing campus politics. Change in higher education often fails not because new tools are ineffective but because institutions resist adopting new ways of thinking. The true challenge is human, not technical. This perspective aligns with Brian Rosenberg’s book, Whatever It Is, I’m Against It: Resistance to Change in Higher Education. Rosenberg discusses how universities are structurally designed to resist change. Faculty governance, institutional traditions, and deeply ingrained processes make higher education slow to evolve, even when change is necessary (Rosenberg, 2023).
This is where Hedonic Adaptation becomes a significant barrier. Even when institutions acknowledge the benefits of innovation, they default back to old practices because the effort to sustain change feels overwhelming. But if we let that cycle continue, nothing improves. We have to be ready to challenge this at every turn. Just as institutions resist change, so do our brains. Even when we take steps toward progress, we are wired to revert. That is why leadership in this space requires more than just expertise in technology or instructional design—it requires a deep understanding of psychology, motivation, and the social forces that shape higher education.
What is Hedonic Adaptation?
Hedonic Adaptation is the idea that no matter what happens—whether good or bad—we tend to return to a baseline level of behavior and satisfaction (Verywell Mind, 2023).
Think about starting a new diet. At first, you are motivated. You cook fresh meals, cut out unhealthy snacks, and feel great. But as time passes, the excitement wears off, and one stressful day later, you find yourself ordering pizza instead of making a salad.
This is not about willpower. It is how our brains work. Once something becomes routine, we stop appreciating the change and drift back to what is comfortable.
In higher education, this happens all the time.
A faculty member attends a workshop on making courses more inclusive. They leave feeling motivated to add alt text to images, use proper heading structures, and provide captions for videos. But as time passes and other priorities take over, they revert to old habits. Not because they do not care about accessibility but because the extra steps feel overwhelming.
The same thing happens with AI adoption. Faculty recognize the benefits of AI in learning, but without structured support, many use AI once or twice and then stop integrating it meaningfully. Without ongoing guidance, uncertainty creeps in, and they return to traditional teaching methods. If we do not build systems to counteract this tendency, meaningful progress in higher education will always stall.
How to Overcome Hedonic Adaptation in Higher Ed
One of the institutions' most significant mistakes is assuming that change happens because of a policy, tool, or initiative. That is not how it works. We need strategies that account for the natural tendency to revert to the old ways to sustain progress.
1. Break Change Into Small, Manageable Steps
Instead of expecting faculty to overhaul their teaching approach completely overnight, we need to introduce change gradually.
For example, with accessibility training:
Start by focusing only on adding alt text to images for the first month.
The next step could be incorporating proper heading structures into documents.
Later, introduce tools for captioning videos and improving readability.
By breaking the process into steps, faculty integrate changes into their workflow without feeling overwhelmed.
2. Use Data and Reporting to Show Progress
People must see their efforts making an impact, or they will lose motivation. I recently attended a demo with Anthology, and one of the most compelling features was its reporting capabilities. These kinds of tools provide visibility into progress, allowing compliance specialists like myself to track faculty engagement with new policies and initiatives.
By using key performance indicators (KPIs) and structured reporting in learning management systems like D2L, institutions can:
Track real progress in accessibility adoption rather than relying on assumptions.
Show faculty how their efforts are improving student success.
Identify gaps and provide targeted support instead of generic follow-ups.
If people can see measurable results, they are more likely to stay engaged. Otherwise, progress feels invisible, and motivation disappears.
3. Reinforce Learning With Follow-Ups
One-time workshops are not enough to create lasting change. Faculty need:
Regular check-ins with quick reminders.
Short refresher sessions to reinforce key concepts.
A space to share challenges and best practices with colleagues.
We cannot expect long-term behavior change if we treat training as a single event. The institutions that succeed treat training as a continuous process.
4. Celebrate Small Wins
Since Hedonic Adaptation makes people feel like their efforts are no longer significant, we need to highlight progress actively:
Recognize faculty who have implemented changes in their courses.
Share success stories in newsletters or department meetings.
Provide student feedback and data that shows the impact of accessibility improvements.
When faculty see that their efforts make a real difference, they will be more likely to continue building on their progress.
Final Thoughts: Making Change Sustainable in Higher Education
Hedonic Adaptation explains why people initially get excited about change but fall back into old habits over time (Verywell Mind, 2023).In higher education, this affects everything from accessibility initiatives to AI adoption, online course development, and faculty training. The key to sustaining progress is to break change into small steps, track measurable results, reinforce learning with ongoing support, and celebrate milestones.
Progress isn’t just about titles; it’s about what we do. Authentic leadership goes beyond having authority—creating the right atmosphere for change. If we wait for someone to tell us it’s okay to make a difference, we might lose our drive. We can’t afford to pause progress or let institutional problems linger unaddressed. We all have the power to make a real difference in higher education, not because of our job titles but because we choose to take responsibility and lead change.
I’m excited to work on practical strategies that turn challenges into opportunities. Together, we can ensure that advancements in accessibility, AI adoption, and online learning move from talk to real, lasting achievements. Stay tuned!
References
Rosenberg, B. (2023). Whatever It Is, I'm Against It: Resistance to Change in Higher Education. Harvard Education Press.
Verywell Mind. (2023). Hedonic Adaptation: Why you get used to good things. Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/hedonic-adaptation-4156926
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