Video games provide this lesson relatively cheaply. The next level is tantalizing but the high of winning lasts...5 minutes? 1 day? The intensity of what you describe is not felt in this example, but going through that cycle 20 times is instructive.
Another way to look at it: In life/happiness, optimize for the area under the curve, not for a single high point.
Another way to look at it: In life/happiness, optimize for the area under the curve, not for a single high point.