Snap Happy

We have a love/hate relationship with selfies. While it’s fun to capture and share activities, events and memories of ourselves and others, spending too much time snapping photos can potentially keep us from being truly present in daily life. The good news? Researchers have found that a healthy dose of self-photography is a simple and effective way to give yourself a jolt of joy.

According to a recent study by The University of California, Irvine, scientists discovered that smartphone picture taking and sharing can lead to increased positive feelings. Three groups of people were assigned to either take a smiling selfie, an image of something that made them happy, or a picture of something that they thought would make someone else happy (and send the image to that person) every day for 4 weeks.

The result? All three categories experienced an uptick in their happiness levels! The selfie takers reported becoming more confident with their smiling photos, those taking pictures of things that made them happy reported feeling more appreciative (of the little things), and those sending photos to others reported that a greater connection to family and friends reduced stress.

Technique of the Week: Get that cell phone camera clicking! You don’t have to post or share your pics—just take them and enjoy!