Savoring: The Art Of Savoring Life

We tend to let many moments pass without actually savoring them, without giving ourselves the pleasure of connecting with the present and what it can bring us. The savoring technique , introduced by psychologists Fred Bryant and Joseph Veroff, suggests that we be aware of this. And also to understand something essential: if we focus on the positive from day to day, our well-being will intensify.

It may seem like a no-brainer to us. We can even interpret it as yet another theory of positive psychology, like the  flow of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi or the flourishing concept . However, there is something transcendent and decisive in this idea: factors such as stress or anxiety completely disable us to see, enjoy and feel the beauty of life, as well as the magical simplicity of those things that arise at every moment and before those that our gaze is increasingly blind.

That is the evidence. People go through our daily lives with a blindfold and a filter in mind. We have developed an amazing ability to see problems where there are none, to anticipate concerns for which there is no cause yet.

We nourish ourselves with haste and with it we feed unhappiness. What is the point of such an existence? Obviously none. You have to change your focus and learn to savor, to filter the present moment from a more deliberate and conscious perspective.

Savoring (savoring) life, what does this technique consist of?

In the field of psychology there is a concept that is as interesting as it is useful: we refer to reminiscence. This concept was coined by Dr. Robert Butler, who demonstrated the idea that when we are able to remember meaningful, placid and happy moments from the past, we improve the quality of the present. This is frequently seen for example in older people with cognitive impairment.

Getting them to evoke certain moments in your life is therapeutic. Moreover , sometimes, even we ourselves see that effect, it is enough to smell a fragrance to recall small fragments of yesterday, those that still awaken us smiles. All this, all these processes are directly related to the concept of savoring. Let’s understand why.

Savor the moment to create meaningful and solid memories

Fred Bryant, a social psychologist at Loyola University in Chicago, introduced the term savoring to the field of positive psychology years ago. He did it through an investigation in which he was able to prove several things.

• People can use certain happy moments of yesterday to alleviate our sadness or discomfort of the present. These reminiscences, which are accompanied by positive emotions, improve performance and the state of people with dementia.
• Likewise, if we are able to accumulate moments endowed with calm and well-being, they will in turn revert to our mood and even to our resistance to stress . It is like exercising a psychological muscle capable of improving attention, attitude, motivation and emotions.
• However, something like this can only be achieved if we know how to apply what Dr. Bryant defines as savoring . In other words, pleasant moments must be maximized so that they have an impact on our memory. And this is undoubtedly what we most often fail at.

Savoring , the ability to emotionally intensify our experiences

Quoidbach, Berry, Hansenne and Mikolajczak (2010) also investigated the concept of knowing how to savor the present as a therapeutic tool. Something they point out is that, in a way, it is a way of capitalizing on the present.

It is being able to appreciate on a day-to-day basis what is positive and gratifying due to its simplicity or its significance and to store it in memory for future moments. In a way, it is like gaining in cognitive reserve and also in emotional health.

However, yes, we must be able to correctly apply the art of savoring . It consists of the following:

• Anticipation and identification. We must be aware that we are about to enjoy something rewarding. If we are going to hug our partner, our son, if we are going to take a trip, if we are about to have a coffee with a good friendship or we are going to take a walk on the beach, we must anticipate and think that all of these are good times. Moments that deserve to be remembered.

• Be present. When we experience these situations, we must focus on the here now. We must be receptive to each sensation, each emotion felt, pay attention to the small details that surround that scene … It is like collecting fragments full of light to put them in a trunk, in our memory chest.
• Savor the moment by thinking about the future. Savoring is enjoying the moment, being fully aware of everything we are experiencing, but taking into account that all this will be recorded in our brain for future moments.

A valuable technique to defuse the negativity bias

The mind has a unique tendency: it tends to focus more on the negative than the positive. This is for a reason, we are programmed to anticipate risks, respond and stay safe. In short, to our brain does not care to be happy or not, basically what you want to survive.

Now, just because he does this does not mean that we cannot change his approach, reprogram him. It is by no means a matter of neglecting our concerns or the dangers that surround us. The idea is not to become obsessed and to be able to train our mind to learn to be happy, to appreciate meaningful and rewarding moments.

In this way, something that positive psychology and the concept of savoring is showing us is that if we are able to savor the placid and positive moments of our daily lives, we will reduce anxiety and stress. It is like re-educating the mental focus to place it more towards positive stimuli than towards worries.

Something like this takes time, it is true, but the effects are cathartic. It is therefore worth putting it into practice.