Train Your Mind to Be Happier: Here’s What Science Says About Boosting Positivity!
More and more studies in positive psychology suggest that it can be trained, cultivated, and, above all, practiced. What specialists propose is a shift in the way of understanding: it is not enough to reduce discomfort, it is also necessary to enhance the ability to experience joy.
Sensitivity to reward: a skill that is cultivated
The so-called sensitivity to reward is the key concept behind this trend. It refers to the ability to notice and value pleasant moments, from enjoying a meal to the feeling of accomplishment when completing a task. Alicia Meuret, a psychologist, explains that clinical psychology has focused for decades on mitigating suffering, but it is equally necessary to strengthen the perception of the positive.
Meuret argues that conditions like anhedonia, common in depression and anxiety, where the difficulty lies not in avoiding pain, but in the inability to feel pleasure. The proposal, then, is not to deny negative emotions, but to balance them with the conscious construction of moments of joy.
Scientific evidence supporting the approach
Recent research supports this idea. Studies revealed that patients with depression or anxiety who participated in therapies focused on increasing positive emotions showed greater improvement than those who received only traditional therapies focused on reducing symptoms.
Another study tested a simple technique with 85 students: receiving daily reminders to plan and savor pleasant experiences. In just one week, participants reported a noticeable increase in their optimism. The conclusion is clear: training the mind in the pursuit of daily pleasure generates measurable changes in well-being.
Exercises to savor the positive
Savoring the positive is as accessible as it is powerful: planning a gratifying activity every day—reading, walking, talking to a friend—and then mentally reliving the happiest moment. This process, known as savoring, is not just a memory: it involves re-experiencing the emotion, paying attention to physical sensations, and verbalizing the experience in the present moment.
Other strategies include expanding the vocabulary to accurately describe positive sensations and sharing those moments with other people, which, as Charlie Taylor from the University of California, San Diego points out, strengthens both individual happiness and social bonds. Even in adverse situations, learning to recognize positive aspects becomes a resilience resource.
A change of perspective for daily life. Many people, especially those living with anxiety, may feel that enjoying is risky, as if pleasure weakens their state of alertness. However, specialists insist that the first step towards well-being is to act “as if we were already happy,” allowing that attitude to have a real effect.
The author’s own experience demonstrates this: even in the midst of sadness over the loss of a friend, she was able to find relief by savoring bright moments on a trip with her family. Savoring is not a luxury for enjoying more, but a scientific and practical tool for living with greater emotional balance.
