[archydeb]

I think the popularity of this notion comes from the fact that it's one of the few effects upon happiness that doesn't wash out over time. People adapt to changes in circumstance remarkably quickly, adjusting their expectations to the new normal and ceasing to derive any pleasure from it (the "hedonic treadmill"). A long commute seems particularly hard to adjust to, and thus the negative utility of a long commute often outlasts the positive utility of e.g. the higher salary you attain by the commute.

Source: https://www.uzh.ch/cmsssl/suz/dam/jcr:ffffffff-866d-1ee0-000...

Edit: typo