Savouring has an after-the-fact version: going back into a good moment deliberately, instead of waiting for it to surface on its own.
The evidence is the same as for the mental photograph. In a month-long diary study of young adults, savouring was what turned a good event into a better day. Evidence: decent A one-week pilot with older adults, no control group, found gains in the ones who kept it up. Evidence: worth trying Both tested savouring broadly, not this exact two-minute version, and neither on midlife men. Evidence: worth trying
Pick a specific one, not "the holiday". The room, the light, the thing somebody said. Two minutes, then stop, before it turns into a comparison with today.
Weekly, not daily. The point isn't living in the past. It's that a moment you never go back to is one you didn't really keep.
Same theme: Holding a good moment
Holding a good moment
Ask how the day actually felt, once
Pick one ordinary stretch today, the commute, the kids' bedtime, an hour with mates. Afterwards, score how it felt while it was happening. Then score the day as you'd answer if asked. Compare. Once, not a log.
5 minEvidence: worth trying
Holding a good moment
End it on the high note
Put the best bit last. The film after the chores, the walk after dinner, the warm line at the end of a hard talk. Not in the middle.
no timeEvidence: worth trying
Holding a good moment
Say it, then write it
Once a week, tell someone what they did for you. Then write the same thing down. One line, dated.
5 minEvidence: decent