How the 3 Types of Savoring Can Make You Happier
A deep-dive into the psychological concept of savoring, and how our thoughts and actions can help us appreciate life more
Savoring is a central concept in positive psychology, as it focuses on maximizing positive emotions to enhance wellbeing. At its core, it is about deeply appreciating the good in life, and soaking in the positive emotions that accompany these experiences.
When we understand the power of savoring, we are better placed to intentionally think and act in ways that can prolong and enhance the good feelings that are available to us in our everyday experiences.
The beautiful thing about savoring is that it isn’t just about appreciating what is in the present moment, but it can also be invoked when we look back (and reminisce) or when we plan our future (and move into anticipation).
Below, we dive deeper into the three forms of savoring and how we can easily be more conscious of them in our daily lives.
The Brief
Not enough time to dive deep? You can get the cliff notes version via “The Brief” at the start of each deep-dive post.
Savoring is defined as attending, appreciating, and enhancing positive experiences that occur in one’s life (Bryant and Veroff (2007)).
By intentionally and mindfully appreciating the positive experiences in our lives, we can fully engage with them and extend the enjoyment they offer.
There are 3-types of savoring: Reminiscing (Past/Reflective), Present Moment (Present), and Anticipation (Future).
Savoring is an important process that helps us access and invoke happy emotions and enhance our wellbeing (Jose, Lim, and Bryant (2012)).
Understanding the 3-Types of Savoring
Positive emotions can be elicited not simply by appreciating the present moment but also by taking the time to re-engage with pleasant memories from our past, and getting excited about what is ahead of us in the future. The three types of savoring are:
Reminiscing: Reflective savoring, and involves appreciating positive memories and accomplishments after they have occurred.
Present Moment: Being aware and engaged with the present moment, and being able to fully enjoy an experience as it unfolds.
Anticipation: Looking forward to positive experiences that you anticipate will be part of your future.
Reminiscing (Reflective)
When we look back into our memory bank, we can relive moments of joy, and feel all of those wonderful emotions all over again. It’s the “glory days” effect, as I sometimes like to think of it! (cue Bruce Springsteen’s Glory Days, as a theme song for this).
We can connect with happy memories whenever we make the space and time to do so. Certain situations, such as connecting with old friends, lead to this reflective orientation occurring naturally, but we can reminisce by ourselves in other ways too.
Present Moment
We’ve heard a lot about the benefits of mindfulness as a mechanism to enhance wellbeing over the last few years. One of the most powerful ways it can be applied is in present-moment savoring. By choosing to be mindful in a given moment, we can enhance our ability to appreciate the positive elements of what is available to us.
Ways to be more mindful, and move into savoring the present moment can include:
Bring your awareness fully to the present moment by focusing on what is in front of you and what you are experiencing.
Concentrate on your senses. What are you experiencing and perceiving through your senses?
Look for what you can appreciate in the moment. Like a treasure hunt for good feelings, you can look around you and find things that you can really appreciate and be grateful for in your present experience.
Anticipation
Anticipatory savoring is about finding pleasure and enjoyment from looking forward to experiences that will be in our future. One of the very best ways to get excited about the future is to plan positive events and create things to look forward to in life. By being able to anticipate a good thing in the future, we extend the amount of good feelings we can take from an experience.
If you grew up celebrating Christmas, you can think back to how exciting December was when you were a small child as you anticipated the arrival of Santa. Getting excited about any precious holiday is an excellent example of what anticipatory savoring looks and feels like.
A Lifetime Full of Memories . . .
But how does this actually show up in the real world? Let me illustrate.
I had the privilege of spending time with my Mum towards the end of her life and vowed that I would make a lifetime's worth of memories that I could cherish as I aged. Her body was debilitated by Parkinson’s disease in her later years, but her mind was sharp, and there was nothing that brought her greater joy than retelling and reliving the funniest and most joyful moments of her life.
This is what the power of savoring the past can offer us. Our joy doesn’t have to pass in the moment of the experience, but can be invoked and relived anytime we recall and share precious moments long gone.
One of my clients recently chuckled with me about how it is often the most painful family vacations, with all the hiccups and thwarted plans, that make for the best memories. I agree. I’m sure my family will be talking about the time we had to take a detour via Houston to get an emergency passport for the rest of our lives! (And that passport stuff up is on me! PSA, check your passport expiry dates when you book any intentional travel, not on the day you intend to leave).
While it was painful in the moment, I can look back now and chuckle. We now have the benefit of knowing that it all turned out okay! We made it to New Zealand only a couple of days late. We were also able to drive around our old neighborhoods and look back at the homes we lived in when the boys were just little tykes.
But perhaps the biggest highlight was being able to stop in at our favorite Tex-Mex restaurant in Houston - Lupe Tortilla - en route to the airport. To remember, I have a precious photo of my boys with our favorite server, Sosa, and a couple more of them lapping up their gigantic kiddy pina coladas. It was an exciting moment for our kids as Sosa remembered them from when they were tiny little bubbas and we were frequent visitors.
While it was stressful at the time, looking back, I cherish all of the positive memories that came from this detour. The “memory bank” was certainly topped up with a bunch of new stories and moments that will last a lifetime and, I’m sure, bring many more laughs in our future.
My boys at Lupe Tortilla, reconnecting with our favorite server.
Can you think back to a trip, holiday, or family vacation and recall some entertaining memories?
To extend that joy, pick up the phone to call a loved one who shared that experience with you and have a laugh together. “I was just thinking about . . .”
Tools:
Tools for Reminiscing
Some ways to invoke a sense of positive reminiscing may include:
Photos: Look through old photos of trips and family events or on your iPhone “For You” tab. Thanks Apple for making it easy to jump into a memory bank of images!
Music: Play music that is related to special times and memories in your life. There is a reason we all like the music from our youth!
Connection: Connect with old friends or family and share stories from long ago together. Maybe it is a long lunch, a morning coffee, or simply some messages back and forth.
Tools for Present Moment Savoring
This is one of my favorite tools to enhance the experience of positive accomplishments and successes in the present moment, and I encourage all of my clients to create one.
Celebration Ritual: A celebration ritual is simply something that you always do to mark a special milestone or achievement. It is an action that highlights that something is “special” and should be celebrated. The very act of celebrating a win or achievement extends the positive emotions that can be gained from it. These are always personal, and there is no right or wrong way to celebrate, yet examples of celebration rituals could include:
Going to a favorite restaurant or having a dinner out
Ordering your favorite takeout for a special meal at home (for one client, it is sushi dinner at home)
Popping a bottle of bubbly and toasting to success (or having a special non-alcoholic cocktail that is out of the ordinary)
Indulging in donuts (another one of my client’s rituals!)
Taking yourself for a self-care treat such as a massage or spa day
Tools for Anticipatory Savoring
I encourage all of my clients to plan out vacations, breaks, or trips well in advance. I used to roll my eyes at people who planned their lives a year in advance! Now I can appreciate the added wellbeing that can come from having something to be excited about in the future.
Plan Your Vacations or Special Events in Advance: As a friend once said to me, you always want to have your next vacation planned so you have something you can look forward to. I have noticed the powerful impact that having a vacation booked has on the wellbeing of my hardworking clients. I don’t believe it is ever too early to plan. And yes, you should actually plan that trip to New Zealand rather than simply leave it on your bucket list.
Feelings that uplift and invigorate our spirits can be found in the experiences of our everyday lives. When we are aware of the concept of savoring the feel-good emotions in our lives, we can extend and enhance them and experience even more of their benefits. By practicing reflective, present moment, and anticipatory savoring, we can soak in even more of the joy that is available to us.
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Kate Snowise trained as an Industrial & Organizational Psychologist in New Zealand, before moving to the US ten years ago, where she has since established herself as an Executive Coach, Speaker, and Facilitator. She is dedicated to guiding leaders to deepen their self-awareness, grow into their potential, and have a positive impact on those around them. Recognized as a top Executive Coach by the Coach Federation and Culture Amp, she has also been listed among the Top 15 Coaches in St Paul, MN by Influence Digest. Kate’s thoughts and insights have graced prestigious platforms including FastCompany, Forbes, MindBodyGreen, and Huffington Post.
To learn more about Kate, connect with her on LinkedIn or reach out www.thrive.how.