Is Savoring the New Mindfulness?
Beautiful places, kind people, and great food aren't just nice things to experience—they're key to good mental health.
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The practice of lingering in a positive moment has a name: savoring. “It happens when we notice something pleasant, feel good about how good we are feeling, and then try to prolong those feelings,” explains Maggie Pitts, an associate professor of communication who studies savoring at the University of Arizona. Research has found that this psychological exercise is pretty powerful: it can lead to better mental health and relationships, among many other benefits. But what is it, exactly? Most of us probably associate the experience with a perfectly cooked steak or a crisp wine, but savoring transcends taste buds. “We can savor anything that’s positive or meaningful to us,” says Pitts. That includes sensory experiences like the smell of pine during a forest hike, accomplishments like running your first marathon, and even events in the past or the future, like a cherished or upcoming vacation. In her research, Pitts focuses on social experiences, such as intimate conversations with friends.
Like mindfulness, savoring is another way to exercise being present, but it takes things a step further. “Mindfulness asks you to observe the present moment without judging it and then let go of it,” explains Fred Bryant, a psychology professor at Loyola University who pioneered the field of research. “Whereas with savoring, you observe a specific type of moment, a positive one, and then you try to cling onto it and not let it go.”