It’s easy to lose awareness of the pleasures of day-to-day activities
You probably don’t need to look up the paintings of Pieter Breugel the Elder to call to mind his images of peasants dancing and feasting. They are among the most reproduced images in the world. These peasants lived in the 16th century when everyday life was tougher than it is now and they have something to teach us.
Australian research, published in the Frontiers in Psychology journal, found that encouraging people to recall and reflect on pleasurable moments reduced their levels of stress and further increased good feelings. Breugel’s peasants are, of course, having fun in a crowd – probably the whole parish is there. It’s a social network and networks have the capacity to change participants’ emotional states and behaviours. If the people you mix with are happy then you are likely to be happier. It’s social contagion, but in a good way.
What I’m describing here is an attitude of self-care. But it’s pleasant and easy. At the very least we can make a habit of noticing good feelings and experiences.
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