The fact that you call it an escalator means you acknowledge that these relationships are headed upwards in a positive direction, even if they're sticking to th

The fact that you call it an escalator means you acknowledge that these relationships are headed upwards in a positive direction, even if they're sticking to the status quo. A hedonic treadmill would be something like a couple feeling bored in their relationship, and opening the relationship up out the fear of missing out. They feel the spark of chasing something new and feeling desired and chased, but the new partners don't build anything deeper than what existed with the original partner. Thus the couple is no better off than before, hence time spent walking in place.