SAVOR YOUR WAY TO ALL-YEAR HAPPY!

Research shows the simple act of savoring-consciously, intentionally focusing on positive emotions-can stop chronic worry in its tracks, staving off depression and increasing joy every day

- BY KRISTINA MASTROCOLA

WE OFTEN spin the worry wheel for a surprising reason: to avoid a sudden, unexpected shift in emotions. In other words, excessive worry can feel preferable to feeling something even worse.

“When we’re chronically braced for negative events, like a boxer in high guard, we experience less of a change if bad things do happen,” says Lucas S. LaFreniere, Ph.D., assistant professor at Skidmore College. This is called “contrast avoidance,” an aversion to getting “ambushed” emotionally. And it’s perfectly natural, as our brain seeks to use worry as a coping mechanism.

Trouble is, contrast avoidance also makes it hard to shift into joy. To outsmart this defense mechanism and help us become more emotionally flexible, LaFreniere suggests savoring, or “consciously attending to positive emotions.”