Stop and smell the roses: ‘Savouring’ in a busy, multitasking, self- improving world
Mrs Jody Forbes, School Psychologist
As the sun sets on our annual Open Day, the Girls Grammar campus comes alive with twinkling fairly lights and vibrant House colours, while the aromas of barbeque sausages and chocolate brownies infuse an atmosphere of excitement, curiosity and pride. Open Day is the showcase of our School and gives us an opportunity to remind current, and educate future, grammar families about what is great about Girls Grammar. It offers an occasion to feel unashamed joy and wonder as we display our exceptional resources and highlight both student and teacher achievements and it also provides an opportunity for the Girls Grammar community to stop and smell the roses and savour all that is good about our School.
While the concepts of ‘savouring’ and ‘mindfulness’ have infiltrated the thinking and practice of many psychologists and even popular culture, these ideas actually have very deep historical roots. The advice to stop and smell the roses was first offered by the famous golfer, Walter Hagen (1956), and the notion of mindfulness originates from the millennia-old philosophy and practice of Buddhism. Perhaps not surprising to the Buddhists, psychologists have identified through their research that savouring is an important ingredient to happiness. Savouring can buffer against negative life circumstances and those routinely engaging in this practice have shown to be more satisfied in general with life, more optimistic, self confident, extroverted and less depressed, neurotic and hopeless (Bryant & Veroff, 2007; Lyubomirsky, 2007). Extending beyond the mere experience of positive emotions however, savouring requires one to become fully aware of positive feelings, appreciate them and make deliberate attempts to prolong the enjoyment. This requires time and an ability to be ‘present focused’, or mindful. It is unsurprising, given the frantic pace that life in a modern world presents us with, that savouring is something many of us need to be reminded, or even taught, to engage in. Although perhaps not savouring in the cognitive sense, a child does not need to be taught to stop and smell the roses. In fact, as parents, we can actually unwittingly discourage the practice at times through our constant pleas to Hurry up! Luxuriating in the slipperiness of a tub of bubble bath, being mesmerised by the way butter melts on a piece of toast or enthralled by the storytelling of a fairy tale is not always appreciated by busy mothers and fathers as they attempt to keep their families cycling through the routines of modern life! During adolescence, when the capacity for self reflection and higher-order abstract thinking develops, so too does the ability to savour. Given the benefits of engaging in the practice, savouring is an important habit our adolescents ought to be encouraged to practise and continue to do so throughout their lives.
Many of us are not always able to be present minded, but rather believe that what awaits us in the future is what matters most, therefore savouring requires effort. This may be partly a legacy of our evolutionary development which seems to have hard wired us to notice and prioritise the negative in order to ensure survival of the species. We need to recognise and respond to phenomena such as bumps in our bodies which may indicate illness; pain which may indicate injury, and threat which may indicate danger. Negative emotions clearly serve an important purpose. In actual fact, it is usually following an experience of negative emotion and its cessation that one is most readily able to savour, as in the case of fear or pain. However, while there has been much research into negative emotions, until recent decades, there was very little investigation into the value of positive emotions. In fact, Professor James Russell has argued that in regards to its value “pleasure is the most neglected topic in psychology” (Russell, 2003, p161). Fortunately, the purpose and value of positive emotions have been questioned recently by Professor Barbara Fredrickson. She investigated whether positive emotions hold any value other than feeling good. Her research resulted in the establishment of the “Broaden and Build Theory”, which demonstrated that cultivating positive emotions is not only critical in counteracting negative emotions, but it actually broadens thinking and builds personal resources for coping with future hardships (Fredrickson, 2003). Positive emotion enhances creativity, imagination, flexibility and being open to information and results in the development of new skills and resources such as physical health, social support networks, psychological resilience and problem-solving skills allowing people to flourish (Bryant & Veroff, 2007; Fredrickson, 2008; Tugade & Fredrickson, 2004). However, if paying attention to positive experiences and prolonging their effects, as one does when savouring, offers a valuable contribution to wellbeing, then why are we not all stopping to smell the roses?
The fast lane 21st century lifestyle consumed with business, multi-tasking, self improvement and technology can leave little room for savouring. Our students, juggling often with more vigour than a circus performer, are usually doing a multitude of academic, co-curricular and social activities and multi-tasking has seemingly become as essential as oxygen is for them to survive. Yet this lifestyle comes at what cost to our adolescents? Researchers have expressed concern about the implications of multi-tasking on our brains and suggest that when multi-tasking, one sacrifices understanding and learning and that in effect, by doing more we actually end up knowing less (Carr, 2009; Poldrack, 2006). Juggling multiple tasks at once can actually take longer to complete, and result in less productivity and creativity, than doing things sequentially (Carr, 2010; Klaus, 2004). Alarmingly, some researchers have suggested that the stress caused via multi-tasking can affect the brain and damage it in a way that inhibits the ability to acquire new skills and information (Klaus, 2004). Multi-tasking is an essential tool for today’s world and the problem is not that we do it, according to author Nicholas Carr, because we have always multi-tasked. Rather, Carr suggests that, owing to the advancements in technology, our relentless multi-tasking means that we devote very little time to concentration, contemplation, reflection, mindfulness, imagination, critical thinking and introspection, all of which enrich our intellect and culture (Carr, 2009). More than just enhancing positive experiences then, savouring is potentially a vital ingredient in protecting our intellect and creativity, and counteracting some of the concerning consequences of multi-tasking.
Stopping to smell the proverbial roses is often mistaken for that other very familiar catchphrase, resting upon one’s laurels, which is simply not an option for many. With a drive towards future mindedness and individual success, many adolescent’s minds are often somewhere else instead of in the present moment. Psychologist Dr Karen Reivech has said that our culture is outcome orientated and therefore asking the question Are you satisfied? seems ridiculous to adolescents as they are always focused on more and excellence (Reivech, K, 2009). Accordingly, Dr Reivech challenges us to find one thing that we are not good at, but that we love, and make a commitment not to improve. For example, if you love singing but are unfortunate to be endowed with the singing voice of a drowned cat, her advice for you would be to give yourself permission to continue to engage in singing with no goal of self improvement but simply for the love of it (this advice may be best heeded however in the privacy of your own bathroom!). Dr Reivech further considers if the suffix of ‘er’, and our quest to be fitter, kinder, smarter or richer, is affecting our contentment. She asks is the quest for ‘er’ always in our best interest, and what are we sacrificing in feeling good in our quest for ‘er’? Isn’t cherishing what we are just as important as the ‘er’? In fact, psychologists suggest that contacting the ‘present moment’ allows for a richer experience and is, in fact, essential for self awareness, self regulation and self knowledge – all vital ingredients to the quest of becoming a better ‘you’ (Harris, 2009).Whilst the demarcation lines between contentment and apathy can be conjectured, it seems apparent that savouring the present moment and cultivating contentment are just as important as future planning and self improvement. With this in mind then, our Year 9 students have commenced this Term with the opportunity to reflect on What’s RIGHT with you?, as opposed to the more frequently asked question (usually in an impatient, frustrated tone) What’s wrong with you? Students have completed an online survey identifying their individual strengths and have been exploring their results and considering how they can use their strengths to assist them in daily pursuits, relationships and challenges.
Planning, considering the future and setting goals for improvement is an effective strategy for self development and success. However, it is important to pay just as much attention to the good as to the bad and to balance future thinking with occasions of ‘living in the moment’, noticing and enjoying what is in front of you and cherishing what you currently are and have. For that reason, I invite you to enjoy the present occasion of our Open Day, taste the fairy floss, marvel at our resources and be captivated by your enthusiastic and earnest conversations with our wonderful Grammar girls. Most of all, avail yourself of this opportunity to stop, smell the roses and engage in the rich and rewarding experience of ‘savouring’ in action.
References
Bryant, F.B.,&Veroff, J. (2007). Savoring: A new model of positive experience. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Carr, N. (2009, December 10). Hypermulitasking. Retrieved 28th June 2010 from http://www.roughtype.com/archives/2009/12/hypermultitaski.php
Carr, N. (2010, June 5). Does the internet make you dumber? Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 28th June 2010 from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704025304575284981644790098.html
Fredrickson, B. (2003). The value of positive emotions: the emerging science of positive psychology is coming to understand why it’s good to feel good. American Scientist. 91, 330-335.
Fredrickson, B (2008, January 14). Why be happy? Endeavors Magazine. 14: 2. Retrieved February 2009 from http://endeavors.unc.edu/win2008/fredrickson.php
Harris, R. (2009). ACT made simple. California: New Harbinger.
Hagan, W (1956) “You’re only here for a short visit. Don’t hurry, don’t worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way.” Retrieved June 28th 2010 from http://thinkexist.com/quotes/walter_hagen/
Klaus, M. (2004). The limits of multitasking. Scientific American Mind 14:5, 62-67.
Lyubomirsky,S. (2007). The how of happiness. London: Sphere.
Reivich, K. (2009, January 11- 16). Positive Education Conference. Geelong Grammar School: Geelong.
Poldrack, R. (2006, July 26). Multi-tasking adversely affects learning. Science Daily. Retrieved July 1 2010 from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060726083302.htm
Russell, J.A. (2003). Introduction: The return of pleasure. Cognition & Emotion, 17, 161-165. In Bryant, F.B.,&Veroff, J. (2007). Savoring: A New Model of Positive Experience. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Tugade, M. M., & Fredrickson, B. L. (2004). Resilient individuals use positive emotions to bounce back from negative emotional experiences. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 86, 320-333.