4.1 What is savouring and how can it help you and your family?

So far, the first three units have looked at areas in positive psychology that can improve our wellbeing with an emphasis on how we think about the past.

In this fourth unit, we move you towards an emphasis on the present by introducing you to this next theme of savouring.

Savour the moments in life

In this video Michelle introduces you to savouring and discusses what this is and why positive psychologists are interested in helping individuals to feel more motivated to savour more of the little moments in life.

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MICHELLE:
In the first two units of this course, we looked at areas in positive psychology that can improve our wellbeing with an emphasis on how we think about the past. In this third unit, we're going to move towards an emphasis on the present by introducing you to this next theme of savouring.
So, for those of you who practise mindfulness, savouring each moment might be something that you feel you already do. However, according to Fred Bryant and Joseph Veroff, two important psychological researchers in the field of savouring, mindfulness and savouring are quite different.
Rather, the distinction with mindfulness is that when people savour, they might be mindful of their experience, but their attention doesn't totally remain open to incoming or internal stimuli. The process with savouring, however, involves a more restrictive focus on the stimuli and, in particular, on the stimuli associated with positive effect.
Mindfulness can also involve being mindful about negative experiences and negative emotions. In contrast, savouring is more about trying to enjoy, feel, and extend those positive emotions. In short, the emphasis on savouring is on the positive.
There are also two different types of savouring -- one where you can attend to the sensory pleasure and experience without thinking, as compared to a second, where thinking occurs and, in particular, where thinking allows for a deepening sense of savouring to occur.
Bryant and Veroff also suggest for deepening savouring to occur, we can do things like sharing your positive feelings with others, expressing gratitude, reducing negative thinking, and also reminding yourself of how quickly time flies by.
Barbara Fredrickson, who's another renowned positive psychological researcher who you'll hear about later, also talks about splitting savouring into three different categories of memories -- memories from the past, the present, and the future. However, as giving too much effort can actually decrease savouring, she also talks about adopting a very light touch to this process.
Relating this unit to the previous unit, savouring and gratitude are very closely related. And expressing gratitude can deepen savouring. A great way to enhance savouring is also to share savouring with loved ones, for example, by reflecting on our positive experiences and talking and enjoying them together. This is something people often do very naturally.
But when humans experiencing psychological distress come together, like we might have been more vulnerable to during pandemic, sharing positive experiences with others can sometimes be lost during that phase of isolation. In this unit, therefore, you will learn more about savouring, including the benefits it can bring to you and your family, as well as some really simple ways to help you feel motivated to savour those little moments in life to feel more present of the present.
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More of the little moments in life

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A graphic with several quotes in it. The trees that are slow to grow bear the best fruit. Molière. For we are all so busy, and have so many far-off projects to realize... that we can find no time for pleasure trips into the Land of Thought... Robert Louis Stevenson. We can make our minds so like still water... and so live for a moment with a clearer, perhaps even with a fiercer, life because of our quiet. William Butler Yeats. Stop the words now. Open the window in the center of your chest, and let the spirits fly in and out. Rumi. The best way to capture moments is to pay attention. This is how we cultivate mindfulness. Jon Kabat-Zinn. When we get too caught up in the busyness of the world, we lose connection with one another – and ourselves. Jack Kornfield.

Which of the quotes above do you most relate to and why?

Note your thoughts in the text box below.

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Many families have found in recent years that their lives feel very hectic and busy. Perhaps you may feel like this at times and find yourself feeling that you are spreading yourself too thinly over the day.

Modern technology has enabled the world to become more ‘instant’ and this can increase pressures on families to balance work, home and social life. This can lead to feeling that you are not achieving many things well and that you are missing out on living life fully as you don’t have time to ‘take it all in’.

Many families look forward to the weekend or a longed-for holiday to take the time to slow down, relax and savour time together. This process allows individuals to pause and feel more positive emotions in the present moment.

Researchers in the field of positive psychology have found that making an effort to consciously carry out savouring exercises can help individuals to create an increasing spiral of positive emotions and experience more of the richness of life. This can expand your thoughts and behaviours, promoting creativity, social connection and resilience.

Savouring is the name for a simple practice involving trying to enjoy, feel, appreciate and extend the positive emotions of your experience. It is common to use our five senses of sight, sound, smell, touch and taste to savour something that gives us pleasure. Many experiences in life can be savoured, from nature, art, sport, entertainment, reading, eating and creating.

Savouring a positive sensory experience

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An image depicting the silhouetted outlines of four children jumping in the air all at once. The backgound is a sunset.

Can you think of any examples where you have savoured a positive sensory experience?

As an example, you may enjoy the aroma and taste of a steaming hot cup of coffee in the morning as it makes you feel calm, comforted and ready to start your day.

Note one of your favourite moments of savouring in the text box below.

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The third of six themes

4.2 Benefits of savouring for families