This research has a lot of implications for learning and education. For example, if you are reading material that you want to remember later, it's much better to read through the material once, close it, and try to recall everything you can, rather than to read through it multiple times (which is the strategy most people prefer when studying).
Could a similar technique be used to improve our happiness? Can "testing" yourself on happy or good experiences improve your memory for these experiences and improve how you feel (by helping you gain a positive perspective on your life and realizing it's not all doom and gloom)?
I think something very much like this might be at work if you keep a gratitude journal. The basic premise of these journals is to regularly take some time to write down things that you are grateful for - whether that be life essentials like shelter and food, people you are close to, or experiences. Whatever positive things you have in your life. By recalling these positive things, your memory for them should get stronger. And if you ask yourself "what's good in my life, anyway?" after you've been practicing, you should have a much easier time recalling all the positive things you have going on. This idea fits with prior evidence that expressing gratitude can improve well-being.
I've been thinking about this issue because over the past few weeks, I've been trying out the "5 minute journal" app which is basically a mini gratitude journal where you answer a few questions at morning and at night. One morning question asks you to write down what three things you're grateful for, and one night question to write down three great things that happened during the day. I noticed that since I've been using the journal, I find myself more easily recalling all the small good things that have happened recently (things like "went to get a cup of coffee in the morning with my boyfriend before heading to work", which I might otherwise not really remember). Another consequence is that I'm noticing how nice things are as they are happening - since I've been recalling "things that are good", I'm also more on the lookout for "things that are good" throughout each day.
I like that the app reminds you to fill out morning and night questions since I probably would not be halfway as diligent without those reminders.
The one drawback is the night question, "What are things you would've changed about today"? The point is to get a re-do of the day and make any amends you would have wanted to make like, "I spoke up during the meeting," or "I didn't eat the second bowl of ice cream". I think the intended purpose is to get you to notice mistakes you've made that are changeable to prevent yourself repeating them in the future. However, the unintended consequences is that you remember the mistakes a *lot* better than you would if you didn't recall them every night. And since you remember mistakes better, this can lead to regret and guilt. Fortunately, there's a way to turn off certain questions, so I've turned off the mistake question and now only "test" myself on what positive things happened during the day. Because life is too short to dwell on things you could've done.
