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‘Microdosing Anticipation’ Can Help You Make It Through a Year Without Plans
A couple months ago, we got new next-door neighbors, and our family of four quickly merged with their family of four to form a sort-of quarantine pod. (I know, the courtship was quick—friends and family have told us we’re moving too fast, but what can I say? It just feels right.)
Since then, everyone in my house has become noticeably happier. I believe it’s partly because our new neighbor-friends like to plan things. We now have actual events on our calendar: Potluck Mondays, Game Night Wednesdays, and Pickleball Sundays (none of us know how the game works, but we just got matching paddles). Suddenly, the days feel less like an endless slog of time and more like … days. It’s so nice!
Elemental senior writer Dana Smith explains that looking forward to things isn’t just fun, but also good for our brains. Anticipating an event, she writes, “results in an even greater mood boost than reflecting back after it has occurred.” Since we can’t plan the way we used to, a lot of us haven’t been experiencing what scientists call the “positive anticipation circuit” that can increase our well-being. But there’s a way to re-activate it: By “microdosing anticipation.”
“If the pandemic forced you to cancel your trip to Hawaii (or your wedding), that doesn’t mean there’s nothing left…
