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What gets you out of bed in the morning? An alarm clock? A long to-do list? A hectic schedule? Or one thing to look forward to each day?
For years, research in positive psychology has shown us how positive experiences can improve our mental and physical health. We now know that regular exercise can reduce stress and relieve depression (Babyak et al, 2000), and that spending time with friends can improve our health and help us cope with stress (Seeman, 1006; Taylor, 2006). Music has been shown to reduce pain, facilitate healing, and increase creativity (Beck, Cesario, Yousefi, & Enamoto, 2000; Onieva-Zafra et al, 2013; Woodward, & Sikes, 2015). The beauty of nature can inspire us with awe, increase our altruism, and heal us in many ways (Kaplan, 1995; Mayer, Frantz, Bruehlman-Senecal, & Doliver, 2009; Piff et al, 2015), and Barbara Fredrickson’s research has shown how positive emotions can help us flourish. Feeling love, joy, love, awe, and elevation “broadens and builds” our personal social and psychological resources, positively affecting ourselves and those around us (Fredrickson, 2001; 2013).
Our attitude can make a major difference in our lives. In fact, research has revealed that even anticipating positive experiences can improve our health. Medical researcher Lee S. Berk and his colleagues at Loma Linda University have found that when healthy male subjects anticipated watching a favorite comedy video, they had 27 percent more beta-endorphins, 87 percent more human growth hormone, and a significant reduction in the stress hormone cortisol (Berk, 2006; Berk, Tan, & Berk, 2008). These people experienced relief from stress as well as positive emotional and physical results by simply anticipating watching humorous videos.
With all of the stress factors in the world, why not do yourself a favor by putting these research results into practice each morning—by thinking of one thing you can look forward to each day?
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This post is for informational purposes and should not substitute for psychotherapy with a qualified professional.
References
Babyak, M., Blumenthal, J.A., Herman, S., Khatri, P., Doraiswamy, M., Moore, K., Craighead, W.E., Baldewicz, T. T., & Krishnan, K. R. (2000). Exercise treatment for major depression: Maintenance of therapeutic benefit at 10 months. Psychosomatic Medicine 62, 633–638.
Beck, R. J., Cesario, T. C., Yousefi, A., & Enamoto, H. (2000). Choral singing, performance perception, and immune system changes in salivary immunoglobulin A and cortisol. Music Perception, 18, 87-106.
Berk, L. S. (2006, April 3). Just the expectation of mirthful laughter experience boosts endorphins 27 percent, HGH 87 percent. American Physiological Society. https://physorg.com/news/2006-04-mirthful-laughter-boosts-endorphins-percent.html.
Berk, L.S., Tan, S.A., & Berk, D. (2008). Cortisol and Catecholamine stress hormone decrease is associated with the behavior of perceptual anticipation of mirthful laughter. The FASEB Journal, 22(1 supplement).
Fredrickson, B. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology. American Psychologist, 56, 218-226.
Fredrickson, B. (2013). Love 2.0: How our supreme emotion affects everything we feel, think, do, and become. New York, NY: Hudson Street Press.
Kaplan, S. (1995). The restorative benefits of nature: Toward an integrated framework. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 15, 169-182.
Mayer, F.S., Frantz, C. M. P., Bruehlman-Senecal, E., & Doliver, K. (2009). Why is nature beneficial? The role of connectedness in nature. Environment and Behavior, 41, 607-643.
Onieva-Zafra, M. D., Castro-Sánchez, A. M., Matarán-Peñarrocha, G. A., & Moreno-Lorenzo, C. (2013). Effect of music as nursing intervention for people diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Pain Management Nursing, 14, e39-e46.
Piff, P. K., Dietze, P., Feinberg, M., Stancato, D. M, & Keltner, D. (2015). Awe, the small self, and prosocial behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 108, 883-899.
Seeman, T. E. (1996). Social ties and health: The benefits of social integration. Annals of Epidemiology, 6, 442-451.
Taylor, S. E. (2006). Tend and befriend: Biobehavioral bases of affiliation under stress. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 15, 273-277.
Woodward, J. & Sikes, P. L. (2015). The creative thinking ability of musicians and nonmusicians. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 4, 75-80.
