Can Savoring Small Moments Lead to Greater Happiness in Life?

How does it make you feel when you look at old photos of people that you love? Or a photo of a fun vacation destination from a few years ago? Do you feel like you are reliving the experience? Do you feel the love in your heart for the people in the photos?

If you are like most women, looking at old pictures or remembering fun experiences brings you joy, but you don't do it very often because life gets in the way. Most of us forget to stop, to take the time to really bask in good feelings and experiences, and even to be fully engaged when we experience them.

This is too bad because the benefits of savoring are countless.

Savoring is the practice of intentionally focusing our attention on a positive experience (internal or external). We can savor in the moment, we can savor the past by remembering the experience (reminiscence,) and we can savor future experiences (anticipation). The practice of savoring helps us focus our attention and be fully present and immersed in the experience. It activates our senses in a way that we are able to "take it all in" and "not miss a bit." The practice of savoring impacts our thoughts, our perceptions, our feelings, and even our behaviors.

Evolutionary, emotions like fear and anger put our bodies in a 'fight-or-flight' mode in order to save our lives. They activate our sympathetic nervous system and we are unable to notice anything that is not related to the immediate danger. Positive emotions, on the contrary, allow for a full experience, and they put us in a state referred to as ‘broaden and build’, in which our responses and possibilities are unlimited. The practice of savoring brings us to this state of broaden and build. It induces positive emotions by extending our positive experience, and it reminds us what we can be grateful for. Research shows that practicing savoring has many benefits to our well-being: It increases our life satisfaction level, it helps to offset unpleasant emotions, and when done with other people it helps to strengthen relationships.

How do you practice savoring?

You can savor the past by looking at a picture or at a video clip. Take your time. Try to remember as many details as possible; the setting, the event, the people who were there with you, your thoughts and feelings. You will benefit even more if you write everything down. You can also savor the moment by experiencing something mindfully and intentionally. Notice where you are, reflect on who you are with, pay attention to sounds, smells, sights, tastes. And lastly, you can savor the future by anticipating something that you are looking forward to. Think of the exact experience that you are looking forward to; what makes it special? Who will you be with? Where will it be? Do you have to prepare for it in some way? What will it look like? feel like?

The research behind this practice:

Bryant, F.B., & Veroff, J. (2007). Savoring: A New Model of Positive Experience (1st ed.). Psychology Press. For more on the Broaden and Build model:

Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. American Psychologist, 56(3), 218–226.