set point
the desired value in a servomechanism, such as the level at which a thermostat is set to maintain a reasonably constant temperature. By extension to physiological and behavioral systems, set point refers to the preferred level of functioning of an organism or of a system within an organism. When a set point is exceeded (i.e., when physiological responses become higher than the set point), compensatory events take place to reduce functioning; when a set point is not reached, compensatory processes take place to help the organism or system reach the set point. According to the set-point theory of happiness, individuals each have a particular set point, or baseline, of subjective well-being that is generally stable throughout life and that they are likely to return to despite life-changing events, whether positive (e.g., winning the lottery) or negative (e.g., sustaining a spinal cord injury). As applied to attachment theory, set point
refers to the physical proximity to a primary caregiver in conditions of threat; that is, threat leads the child to seek physical closeness to an attachment figure. This proximity becomes a set point for intimacy later in life and is sometimes used to explain why people vary in their levels of subjective well-being. See also hedonic treadmill.