Stop and savour one good moment for 30 seconds

Why good moments slip by

Your attention is quick to catch problems and slow to linger on pleasures. A good moment that gets no attention tends to fade almost as soon as it arrives. Psychologists call the skill of noticing a good experience and deliberately staying with it savouring. It is less about having more good things happen and more about getting the full value of the ones you already have. The whole habit fits in a few words: one good moment, held a little longer.

How savouring works

Savouring can take a few forms. You can be fully present, taking in the sight, sound or taste in front of you. You can let it show, with a smile or a slow breath. You can share it by telling someone, or replay it later in your mind. Researchers think these small acts stretch how long a good feeling lasts, though that idea is still being studied.

The opposite habit has a name too: dampening. That is when you pick holes in a good moment, tell yourself it won't last, or move straight on to the next worry. Most people do a bit of both without noticing. A short daily pause gives the savouring side a regular turn.

What the research found

In a daily diary study, a group of young adults recorded their good events, how much they savoured them and how happy they felt, every day for a month. On days when they savoured more, good events were linked to more happiness. On days when they savoured less, the same kinds of events made less difference. A separate study comparing eight ways of handling good feelings found that being present and sharing good news with others were linked to higher happiness, while dampening was linked to lower well-being.

A small trial with college students tested whether savouring can be taught. Students who practised savouring strategies over a short period reported fewer depressive symptoms and less negative mood than a comparison group. The expected rise in positive mood was less clear. These studies were small, mostly with students, and lasted weeks, so the long-term effect for adults in general isn't known yet. Expect a modest, gradual shift in how your days feel, not a new personality.

A common question is whether once a day is enough. None of these studies tested a single short pause on its own; people savoured whenever good moments came up. One deliberate moment a day is a starting point that trains you to notice others. More is fine, but you can't savour everything, and forcing it misses the point.

Making it stick

Good moments arrive at random, so tie the pause to something that happens every day, like sitting down to lunch. Before the first bite, put your phone face down and look for one thing worth staying with: the food, the light, a message from a friend. On a bad day, one good moment, held a little longer, can be as small as warm water on cold hands or the first sip of tea. One moment a day comes to about 365 savoured moments a year, each one easy to miss without the pause.

After a few weeks, you may notice you have become someone who stops when something is good. If your mood stays low for two weeks or more, or you can't find anything that feels good, talk to a doctor or a mental health professional instead of relying on this habit. Which part of tomorrow is most likely to hand you a good moment worth stopping for?

References

• Jose, P. E., et al. (2012). Does savoring increase happiness? A daily diary study. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 7(3), 176-187. doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2012.671345
• Quoidbach, J., et al. (2010). Positive emotion regulation and well-being: Comparing the impact of eight savoring and dampening strategies. Personality and Individual Differences, 49(5), 368-373. doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2010.03.048
• Hurley, D. B., & Kwon, P. (2012). Results of a study to increase savoring the moment: Differential impact on positive and negative outcomes. Journal of Happiness Studies, 13(4), 579-588. doi.org/10.1007/s10902-011-9280-8