The rate of depression and anxiety continues to rise in modern society negatively affecting individuals' psychological well being and social functioning. Most research on depression treatment has focused on mitigating negative emotion in order to decrease sadness. Dr. Stilton has instead focused on the other angle to this, increasing positive emotions. This side of depression treatment not only offers the ability to treat these negative emotions but to help mitigate them before they occur. Primary research has identified a process known as savoring. The notion behind this is that savoring positive moments improves the ability to take in, comprehend, and encode positive experiences. This could be as complex an experience as taking a few moments after your wedding day to examine the love and support around you to as simple as appreciating the sounds of the birds as you wake up in the morning.
A new study by Fred Bryant et Al. titled “Gratitude as a Mediator of the Effects of Savoring on Positive Adjustment to Aging'' delves further into one mechanism of savoring and its potential use in older adults. Older adults are highly susceptible to feelings of loneliness and depression and therefore it is important to examine ways to support healthy aging. This study took individuals over the age of 65 and asked them to either reflect on their morning routine or reflect on life lessons each day. They saw that reflecting, a key component of savoring, life-lessons enhanced participant well-being and their opinions on aging. Specifically the researchers identified the mechanism which connected the savoring behavior and positive psychological well-being was the feeling of gratitude. The reinterpretation of participants' lives allowed them to discover deeper meanings. Furthermore by savoring life’s moments these adults were able to find gratitude for smaller aspects of life that were previously looked over.
The classical ways of treating depression utilizes the equation that a negative plus a negative will somehow equal a positive. This new concept of savoring contradicts this, utilizing positivity as a way to overcome the negative. Positive self reflection through reexamining one's past can help give individuals perspective and reveal hidden good. This study was able to show how gratitude can be an avenue that supports healthy and positive psychological well being in aging and older adults.
Bryant, Fred B., et al. “Gratitude as a mediator of the effects of savoring on positive adjustment to aging.” The International Journal of Aging and Human Development, vol. 92, no. 3, 5 May 2020, pp. 275–300, https://doi.org/10.1177/0091415020919999.
Silton, Rebecca L., et al. “Regulating positive emotions: Implications for promoting well-being in individuals with depression.” Emotion, vol. 20, no. 1, Feb. 2020, pp. 93–97, https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0000675.
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