ABSTRACT
In the past several decades, as positive psychology has grown in prominence and research on psychological well-being has flourished, it has become increasingly clear that people can exert a large degree of control over their own happiness. Savoring is undoubtedly a broad concept. It can be directed inwardly toward one's inner states of calm, of pride, of love, and more. Savoring is closely linked to many desirable outcomes, including higher rates of subjective well-being or happiness. Savoring has been also proposed as a mechanism through which positive affect broadens awareness, encourages exploration, and expands behavioral skills. A number of studies have identified some interesting individual differences in the ability to savor. Females report a greater tendency to savor, a difference that emerges around age ten and persists throughout the lifespan. Higher levels of trait mindfulness, extraversion, optimism, and affect intensity, and lower levels of neuroticism, guilt, and hopelessness, are associated with a greater perceived capacity to savor the moment.
