The key to happiness is to give yourself permission to experience it…to simply be your happy self. Instead of allowing ourselves to be happy, we get busy seeking it out, judging that we have to first deserve or earn the right to be happy and so, we often end up looking for happiness in all the wrong places.
For some reason, it seems, we’ve come to believe that happiness is tied to major life events – weddings, graduations, careers, raises, money, large purchases – fancy cars, expensive homes and material success.
In a recent Harvard University study, “A “Present” for the Future – The Unexpected Value of Rediscovery”, Zhang, et al., 2014 reveal that creating records of the present generates unexpected benefits by allowing future rediscoveries.
In Study 1, scientists used a time-capsule paradigm to show that individuals underestimate the extent to which rediscovering experiences from the past will be curiosity provoking and interesting in the future.
In Studies 2 and 3, they found that people are particularly likely to underestimate the pleasure of rediscovering ordinary, mundane experiences, as opposed to extraordinary experiences.
Study 4 demonstrated that underestimating the pleasure of rediscovery leads to time-inconsistent choices: Individuals forgo opportunities to document the present but then prefer rediscovering those moments in the future to engaging in an alternative fun activity.
Researchers concluded “underestimating the value of rediscovery is linked to people’s erroneous faith in their memory of everyday events. By documenting the present, people provide themselves with the opportunity to rediscover mundane moments that may otherwise have been forgotten.”
The case is well made for Happiness as Mindful Presence.
Reflective practice; the case studies that form such a crucial component of the healer’s personal development; and the encouragement to enjoy being present to and appreciate the small everyday things that happen in your life – mindful living at its best ~ enjoy!
About Julia von Flotow
