How to Turn the Dial Up on Your Happiness

"Thinking back on your day so far, how would you rate it? If it's early enough in the morning, you may not have enough "data" to judge. However, as the hours pass by, you might accumulate a set of experiences whose emotional value can range from "best ever" to "as bad as bad can be." At the least, some will rate only a "meh" on a happiness scale."

"Amplification as a Way to Combat Depression In a newly published study, Universitat JaumeI (Spain)'s Desirée Colombo and colleagues (2025) proposed that amplification could be an effective method for helping people with depressive symptoms experience greater happiness on a daily basis. It's well known that one of the features of depression is its impact on a person's ability to focus on the positive in their everyday lives. When they remember their experiences, they think not about what went right but what went wrong."

"Worse, they might take one of those "meh" moments and squeeze as much negativity out of it as possible. The idea behind the Colombo et al. study was to see if they could help people with depressive symptoms turn their mood around through amplification of positive affect. Amplifying strategies "aim to generate, intensify, and prolong positive emotional experiences" but dampening strategies involve "the tendency to respond to positive"

Enhancing recall and reliving pleasant moments increases momentary happiness and can soften the impact of negative or neutral experiences. Depression commonly reduces attention to positive everyday events, prompting recollection of negatives and magnification of indifferent moments. Amplifying strategies aim to generate, intensify, and prolong positive emotional experiences by directing attention toward feelings of happiness during daily activities. Regularly noticing and savoring positive affect can raise mood, increase daily fulfillment, and counteract tendencies to dampen positive responses. Practicing amplification involves deliberately recalling, relishing, and prolonging pleasurable moments to boost well-being.

Read at Psychology Today