I the space of 3 posts you call yourself a special snowflake unlike any other in the world
Yep, that's my interpretation too. You're not different from everyone else, though I do wonder if, as another poster suggested, you might be suffering from mild depression. People with depression tend to think that their situation is different from that of other people, etc.
Early retirement, once achieved, will become the "new normal", thus it is not immune to the principle of hedonic adaptation no more than I'm immune to gravity.
That makes sense. The first weeks, months, whatever, you may think, "Wow, I love sleeping late every day!" Then it'll become the new normal. Doesn't mean you'll stop enjoying it, doesn't mean you won't still appreciate it -- just that the "new" will wear off of it.
I think hedonic adaptation helped me. I grew up poor and as I got richer and richer moving up the job ladder and like many buying newer and nicer things...... I found out my life wasn't really any better above a certain point
You're talking about the point of diminishing returns. I was also a poor kid, and when I got out into the working world and started earning money,
it seemed absolutely magical to me that I was always able to have food in the refrigerator and shoes without holes. I had "Enough". These things made me very, very happy!
Then I reached the point that I could have steaks and seafood in the refrigerator and several pairs of shoes without holes. I was still very, very happy! However, it's true that having "Enough Plus" didn't increase my happiness
as significantly as reaching "Enough" had.
If you don't have "Enough", you're not going to be satisfied, but once you reach "Enough", "Enough Plus" is fun but that satisfaction is somewhat fleeting.
I've been leaning towards a theory, that happiness is effectively the sum effect of the things you think about it.
So, if your mind dwells on negativity (for example negative consequences of work).. you will tend towards unhappiness.
I think it was Abraham Lincoln who said something to the effect of,
Most people are about as happy as they allow themselves to be.