Perhaps you feel a little sad about being single, especially as friends begin moving in with their partners, announcing weddings, or having children.Īt the same time, you might feel a profound glee upon waking up in a bed that’s all yours in a completely quiet house, with a day you can spend doing anything you please.Ī habit of appreciating small moments of pleasure and joy that bubble up without warning or planning often contribute more to lasting happiness than big days that only come around rarely. Taking time to appreciate the pleasures life brings, however small, can promote satisfaction even when things don’t turn out how you hoped. But research suggests this little phrase has some big benefits behind it.Ī 2012 study linked greater appreciation to increased life satisfaction even more so than personality traits, gratitude, and demographic factors, such as gender, age, and ethnicity. You may have heard the advice to “enjoy the little things” so often that the words have become almost meaningless. But you can still create pleasurable moments when you don’t have cash to spare. Everyone deserves little luxuries, like a nice meal out or a bouquet of flowers. The tips below offer ways to enjoy little things every day - and most of them cost nothing at all. The joyful moments you collect each day add up, instilling satisfaction and contentment even if bigger dreams never come to pass. Joy, on the other hand, describes a feeling that can be evoked in an instant.Make no mistake, you can absolutely achieve happiness on your own, but outside events and the actions of others still sometimes have an impact. Happiness describes a state of being that might depend (at least a little) on what happens around you.
The difference between joy and happiness lies at the heart of what it means to enjoy the little things: Turning your attention toward these moments and giving yourself the chance to enjoy them allows you to bring a little more joy to your everyday life. It’s normal to anticipate significant events, but putting all your energy toward these main attractions can make you skip past common (but equally important) parts of your day-to-day life. When you consider the things you most look forward to, you might find yourself listing important occasions: graduation, an exciting new job, a promotion, your yearly vacation, even a COVID-19 vaccine (the end of physical distancing would be a momentous occasion, indeed).