Anticipate good experiences in advance — and savor them afterward

A good experience provides happiness three times: in anticipation, during, and in memory.

Why it works

Prospective and retrospective enjoyment are distinct from in-the-moment experience but both reliably add to overall wellbeing. Planning something to look forward to extends the temporal footprint of a positive event without requiring additional time; savoring in memory does the same. This is a cost-efficient way to increase felt time richness.

How to do it

1. Schedule something to look forward to at least once a week — it does not need to be elaborate.
2. In the days before the event, allow yourself to anticipate it briefly and deliberately.
3. After a good experience, take five minutes to write or reflect on what you valued about it.
4. Revisit positive memories occasionally rather than only cataloging problems to solve.

Evidence

Anticipation and savoring are well-supported components of positive emotion regulation. Positive prospective thinking produces positive affect before the event; retrospective savoring extends the benefit afterward. (observational)

Most savoring research is self-report and correlational; some studies suggest that over-anticipation can raise expectations to a level that produces disappointment. Moderate, not intense, anticipation is the target.

Sources

• Bryant & Veroff (2007), Savoring: A New Model of Positive Experience

Common mistake

Living entirely in problem-solving mode so that even good experiences are immediately assessed for what could be better, which eliminates both the savoring and the memory value.