The secret to making happy memories
“We didn’t realise we were making memories, we just knew we were having fun.”
Take a moment from whatever you are doing right now and think of a happy time in your life.
What were you doing? Where were you? Who were you with?
As you relive the experience in your mind, notice how it makes you feel.
A little bit happier, right?
Learning how to remember the good times is an essential part of our wellbeing, and research shows that people tend to be happier if they hold a positive, nostalgic view of the past.
Doing so helps you to survive the tough times by creating a balanced view of your life.
Indeed, our satisfaction with life owes a lot to our ability to craft a positive narrative of our time on earth. Do we look back on it as a series of mistakes and disappointments, or do we see moments of joy and happiness?
Happy memories also act as a resource of positive energy to draw upon and help reduce feelings of loneliness or meaninglessness.
So how do we make more of them?
The Happiness Research Institute in Denmark recently carried out The Happy Memory Study to find the key ingredients to creating great memories.
The eight factors they uncovered are as follows:
Harness The Power Of Firsts
Several studies show that we better remember the novel and the new. For example, one study by British researchers Gillian Cohen and Dorothy Faulkner found that 73% of vivid memories were first time experiences or unique events.
Make It Multi-Sensory
Our senses can trigger and retrieve memories. This is sometimes referred to as the ‘Proust phenomenon’. Use all your senses to your advantage by being aware of what you see, smell, hear and touch when you are happy.
Invest Attention
As Sherlock Holmes reminded Watson, there is a big difference between seeing and observing when remembering things. So pay close attention to your happy moments to give yourself the best chance of recalling them.
Create Meaningful Moments
If something isn’t meaningful, we tend not to remember it. Being present during life’s major milestones, like getting married or having a child, is critical to making these memories rich and detailed.
Use The Emotional Highlighter Pen
Particular emotional events are more deeply encoded in our memory - a survival mechanism to help us avoid the bad stuff and remember things that help. Do something that scares you but will help you to grow as a person.
Capture Peaks And Struggles
The journey is the destination. So make sure you connect with the struggles along the way. And try always to end an experience on a high note. This is to take advantage of something called the ‘Peak-End’ rule.
Use Stories To Stay Ahead Of The Forgetting Curve
Turning memories into stories and anecdotes help us to retrieve them more easily. Don’t forget to share your special moments regularly to keep them fresh!
Outsource Memory
Photos are the key to a vault of memories. Writing down experiences is another way to memorialise them. Build your own library of memories using a variety of objects.
Keep these tips in mind when you go about your life to give yourself the best chance of remembering the highlights.
Happy remembering!
If you enjoyed this post, then you might enjoy The Happy Course, made in collaboration with The Happiness Research Institute and the best-selling author Meik Wiking.
