Chocolate

In our busy and often stressful society, encountering small, unexpected pleasures, such as finding a forgotten bar of chocolate in our bag, can help improve our general well-being and happiness. In this psychological article, we examine the cognitive processes that lead to these kinds of surprises and discuss ways in which we can promote these processes in today's society.

Forgotten as a source of pleasure

The phenomenon of forgetting something pleasurable, such as a bar of chocolate, and then later discovering it again at an unexpected time can be attributed to the workings of our memory. Our memory is selective and not always reliable, which means that we sometimes forget or fail to store information (Schacter, 1999). When we are later confronted with an unexpected memory, such as finding a forgotten bar of chocolate, it can lead to a sense of surprise and pleasure.

Promoting positive surprises

To make these joyful moments more common, we can adopt strategies aimed at promoting positive surprises in our daily lives. Here are some recommendations:

1. Create an environment for forgetting: To encourage small treat forgetting, consider deliberately storing items in places where you might forget them, such as a side pocket in your bag, or an unusual drawer in your home. Storing these items in less obvious places makes it more likely that you will forget them later and come across them at an unexpected time.
2. Practice mindfulness: Mindfulness can help focus our attention on the present, making us less likely to worry about the future or dwell on the past. By regularly practicing mindfulness, we can become more aware of the small, positive surprises that occur in our daily lives (Kabat-Zinn, 1994).
3. Cultivate a positive expectation bias: Our expectations influence our perception of reality. By consciously striving for a positive expectation bias, we can open ourselves to perceiving unexpected positive events and surprises in our lives (Sharot, 2011).
4. Share positive surprises with others: Sharing positive surprises with friends and family can contribute not only to our own happiness, but also to that of others. By regularly creating small surprises for others, such as hiding a love note in their lunch box or leaving a small gift on their desk, we can foster a culture of mutual appreciation and joy (Reis et al., 2010).
5. Plan unexpected rewards: By consciously planning irregular rewards, such as buying a bar of chocolate or other small gift for yourself sporadically, we can increase the chance that we will encounter a pleasant surprise later on. Make sure these rewards are unpredictable and random so that they provide a greater sense of surprise and joy.

Conclusion

Experiencing positive surprises, such as finding a forgotten bar of chocolate, can significantly increase our happiness and well-being. By creating an environment conducive to forgetting, practicing mindfulness, cultivating a positive expectation bias, sharing positive surprises with others, and planning unexpected rewards, we can make these joyful moments more common in our daily lives. to live. In this way, we can foster a society in which people are more open to positive surprises and better able to enjoy the small but meaningful moments of happiness.

References

Kabat-Zinn, J. (1994). Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life. New York: Hyperion.

Reis, HT, Smith, SM, Carmichael, CL, Caprariello, PA, Tsai, FF, Rodrigues, A., & Maniaci, MR (2010). Are you happy for me? How sharing positive events with others provides personal and interpersonal benefits. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 99(2), 311-329.

Schacter, D. L. (1999). The Seven Sins of Memory: Insights from Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience. American Psychologist, 54(3), 182-203.

Sharot, T. (2011). The Optimism Bias: A Tour of the Irrationally Positive Brain. New York: Pantheon Books.