{"id":60368,"date":"2025-12-01T11:44:37","date_gmt":"2025-12-01T16:44:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ccl.org\/?post_type=articles&p=49440"},"modified":"2025-12-03T15:35:48","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T20:35:48","slug":"maximize-joy-savor-the-holidays","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/www.ccl.org\/articles\/leading-effectively-articles\/maximize-joy-savor-the-holidays\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Maximize Joy & Savor the Holidays"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u2019Tis the season to be jolly!<\/p>\n

At least, that\u2019s what they say. But for many of us, the holiday season can feel more like the season of stress, long lines, and countdowns. Whether we\u2019re worried about meeting deadlines or in-laws, many of us muddle through the holidays and return to work wondering where the time went.<\/p>\n

While some of the events to come over the next few weeks are inevitable, there\u2019s a helpful technique you can use to help maximize your joy this holiday season \u2014 it\u2019s called savoring<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Savoring<\/em> is the scientific term for deliberately enhancing and prolonging your positive moods, experiences, and emotions.<\/strong><\/p>\n

You\u2019ve probably done it before. Perhaps you closed your eyes to help you appreciate a moving symphony performance or stared in awe at your infant\u2019s smile, trying to make sure you remembered every aspect of that moment. It\u2019s important to note that savoring is not<\/em> a mood or emotion itself, but rather a way of approaching positive emotions. For instance, you could savor feeling awe, interest, delight, love, pride, amusement, or contentment.<\/p>\n

Why Savoring Is Linked to Happiness<\/h2>\n

Consciously savoring the good things in life is important because neuroscience research suggests<\/a> that our brains have a negativity bias. Negative things tend to stand out in our minds, while positive things tend to be easily dismissed or forgotten.<\/strong> This makes sense from an evolutionary standpoint, given that remembering mistakes and bad experiences (like eating a poisonous fruit or being attacked by a wildcat) was important for survival.<\/p>\n

But now, constantly ruminating over what went wrong probably does more harm than good. According to our former board member and positivity expert Barbara Fredrickson, people who see more positive than negative things in their lives tend to be more happy and successful, as well as more resilient leaders<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Considering this, it\u2019s perhaps not surprising that savoring <\/em>\u2014 or being good at taking in good things \u2014 is linked to increased happiness, more life satisfaction, and lower levels of depression, and it even enables leaders to support employee wellbeing<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In fact, some research suggests<\/a> that savoring may be the secret behind why money doesn\u2019t often buy happiness: As people become wealthier, they stop savoring the little things, so while their wealth increases, their savoring doesn\u2019t, and neither does their happiness.<\/p>\n

Savoring is also uniquely tied to stress.<\/strong> People who are struggling with rumination, stress, and burnout<\/a> tend to have a harder time savoring things. But when stress is lifted, savoring seems to automatically kick in. Think of how good it feels to enjoy a quiet morning after meeting a big deadline, or to arrive back in a quiet hotel room after a long, rough day of travel.<\/p>\n

Neuroscience research shows that sustained activation of a region of your brain called the ventral striatum<\/em> is related to both savoring and lower levels of cortisol (a stress hormone), suggesting the possibility that one might help suppress the other.<\/p>\n

How Leaders Can Find Joy & Maximize Holidays<\/h2>\n

Ready to try this positivity booster yourself? Science suggests that these 4 savoring strategies can help you savor joy over the holidays and the last days of the year, or really, in any season:<\/p>\n

\"Infographic:<\/a><\/p>\n

4 Savoring Strategies<\/h3>\n

1. Bask in happy moments.<\/h4>\n

Be present in the moment.<\/strong> Unlike a mindfulness practice<\/a>, which emphasizes detached observation, savoring involves actively seeking out and soaking in<\/strong> the positive emotions using your 5 senses.<\/p>\n

This comes more easily when you set your intentions ahead of time regarding where<\/em>, when<\/em>, and what <\/em><\/strong>you\u2019re going to savor. For instance, if you plan to savor your family holiday dinner, you might notice special smells of your favorite foods, the sound of laughter with your relatives, enabling you to feel more grateful for your time together and less perturbed by a snide comment or a dry turkey.<\/p>\n