Which life events are said to affect happiness more than lottery winnings or becoming paraplegic?

• A. Divorce and getting fired
• B. Marriage
• C. Getting promoted
• D. Moving to a new city

Answer: (A)

The question hinges on how people adapt to big life changes and which events produce lasting shifts in happiness. Research on hedonic adaptation shows that extreme positives like winning a lottery or extremes like a serious disability often cause only a short-term dip or rise in mood, with people gradually returning to their baseline level of happiness. In contrast, events that disrupt multiple facets of life—such as divorce and losing a job—tend to create ongoing consequences: changes in finances, social networks, daily routines, and personal identity. Those extended effects tend to produce longer-lasting decreases in well-being, more so than lottery wins or a major disability.

So, divorce and getting fired are the events that tend to affect happiness more in the long run than lottery winnings or becoming paraplegic. Getting promoted or moving to a new city can influence happiness as well, but they don’t typically produce the same level of persistent impact documented in this line of research.