The ObservatoryThe hunt for micro-joy
Small sources of joy are there all the time, but slip past unnoticed. You train the ability to catch them.
How it works
- What is already thereWrite
- Catch it in the momentBreathe
- Where do they tend to be?List
- Three things at the end of the dayChooseWrite
Over an ordinary day a lot of small bright spots pass by: the first sip of coffee, a laugh, sunlight on a wall. The problem is rarely a shortage. It is that we don't notice them.
Exercise in 4 steps, about 9 minutes. Doing it is part of Premium, which you try free for 7 days with no card. With Premium your answers are saved so you can pick up where you left off and look back at what you wrote.
Try PremiumThe rest of the text and the exercise are part of Premium. You try everything for 7 days with no card, and can cancel whenever you like. Sign in if you already have an account.
Why does it work?
Deliberately noticing and lingering in small positive experiences is called savoring. In diary and intervention studies, savoring has been linked to higher positive affect and life satisfaction (Jose et al. 2012; review in Smith & Bryant 2017). The effects are small to moderate and require repetition.
Account, your first assessment with the hexagon and one new measurement every quarter are free. The rest is part of Premium: SEK 99 a month or SEK 699 a year, VAT included.
Read more
Two minutes: imagine the good thing away
Imagine that something you are glad about never happened, and notice what happens when it is still there
Exercise12 minThe awe walk
A short walk where the gaze is turned outward — toward the vast and the astonishing.
Exercise6 min3 good things
Write down three things from the day that went well, and consider what made them possible. The brain is trained to notice what works.