If you’ve ever been depressed, you might know what it’s like to feel disconnected from things that used to make you happy. Anhedonia, the inability to feel pleasure, is a hallmark symptom of depression. But according to Dattilo, lack of pleasure can also be a predictor of a depressed mood. Lapses in pleasure-seeking and feeling can actually impair the brain’s reward systems, like a muscle deteriorating in strength when you don’t use it. On the flip side, experiences of joy — even small, rehearsed ones — can keep those pathways strong.
I think of it as a joy workout: I don’t always feel like going to the gym, but I know over time, I’ll be healthier if I get off my butt and go. The same is true for infusing your life with things that bring happiness. Studies have shown that doing the feel-good thing before you actually want to — which psychologists call behavioral activation — can keep those reward circuits active and functional.
That doesn’t mean, of course, ignoring your pain or forcing gratitude when life feels unbearable. But if you catch yourself mentally veering toward negativity on autopilot, create a routine of rewarding yourself with things you can mindfully derive pleasure from. Buy the expensive wine or chocolate, even if it feels unnecessarily indulgent. Turn on the movie everybody’s been posting about when you’d rather hole up in bed. Call up the friend who makes you laugh without fail. What you nurture will, over time, become your nature — and if I have to pick, I’m going with joy.
网友评论