Are little treats feeling less exciting? Here’s how to harness small joys

Americans say they’re more dissatisfied with life than ever before.

Anhedonia, a loss of enjoyment in usually pleasurable things, and hypernormalization, the experience of daily life amid disconcerting societal change, can lower one’s wellbeing. Even “little treats” – accessible delights like a walk, a piece of cake, a streaming binge – can stop feeling good in this context.

“Part of the issue of living in such a stressed-out world is some conglomeration of burnout and compassion fatigue and doomscrolling, but also, not doing anything about it,” says Michael Steger, founder and director of the Center for Meaning and Purpose at Colorado State University.

But joy is crucial for resilience and forward motion. “Being able to actually feel the pleasures of being alive … and having agency over what we’re doing is actually a path of our liberation and a sign of our liberation,” activist Adrienne Maree Brown said in July.

For those experiencing depression or prolonged stress, clinical care from a qualified counsellor or psychotherapist can be invaluable. However, it is possible to bolster one’s baseline capacity for pleasure, priming the brain to more easily access motivation and happiness. Little treats will not fix everything, but here’s what experts say about appreciating them anew.

Anticipate the treat

Your walk or pastry may be as objectively good as ever, but can feel dull if your brain isn’t lighting up in anticipation. That has everything to do with dopamine, experts say.

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that mediates “the pursuit of pleasure – the hope that something good may happen”, says Dr Anne-Noël Samaha, an expert in the neurobiology of rewards and motivation at the University of Montreal. When people feel anhedonic, she says, it’s because they’ve lost the drive to pursue pleasurable things.

“Research suggests anticipation can produce more dopamine activity than the reward itself,” psychiatrist Dr Sanil Rege says. When that motivational spark is low, even activities we used to enjoy can feel unrewarding. “The brain isn’t registering them in the same way,” he says, “and the cycle that normally turns small pleasures into ongoing sources of motivation breaks down.”

Create a ritual

Because the brain is built to anticipate and predict, the way to boost pleasure isn’t bigger rewards or willing yourself to enjoy things more, but creating routine.

If your go-to treat isn’t “hitting” anymore, “monotony, steady, repeated action, is actually the clue here. Over time, it builds a foundation that makes those bigger bursts of enjoyment possible again,” says Rege. It’s the accuracy of our brain’s prediction, “not the size of the treat”, that ultimately restores pleasure, he says.

For example, it can be tempting to grab a pastry on a whim. But Rege suggests starting a Saturday morning ritual at your favorite bakery instead. All week you know it’s coming, which builds anticipation. “By the time Saturday arrives, it’s not just about the pastry – it’s about the ritual, the familiarity, and the little story you’ve built around it,” says Rege. Anticipation activates dopamine long before your treat arrives. “Your brain isn’t only enjoying the croissant. It’s enjoying the expectation, the confirmation,” he says.

Don’t go it alone

You may be catching on that the treat itself is just one part of accessing enjoyment. Another way to boost pleasure is to make it social. “Just buying stuff is not going to cut it,” says Samaha. “What we need is to stay connected with other people.” Making a standing date with a friend to grab coffee or knock an errand off your to-do list can amplify the emotional payoff.

Research backs this up. “Anything social … makes people happier than an activity done alone,” says Dr Sonja Lyubomirsky, a distinguished professor of psychology at the University of California whose work focuses on happiness. In fact, treating someone else might do more for your mood than treating yourself.

Learn to savor sparks of joy

In an emotional rut, pleasures can seem weak and fleeting. When that happens, Steger recommends a practice called “savoring”, which is similar to mindfulness. When you’re enjoying something, invite your attention to rest on the moment, he says. Then, expand that joy by examining it. What were you thinking, or was your mind clear? Did your mood subtly shift or did it improve significantly? What were you paying attention to – the quality of the light, birdsong, the grass beneath your feet?

This helps you to understand your inner workings of pleasure, Steger explains – which is important even if your mood only improves a little.

Notice when you’re using treats as band-aids

It’s possible to maladaptively seek out treats to avoid or cope with bigger problems.

Take social anxiety, says Steger. If you’re feeling anxious about an event and decide to skip it, that can feel good in the moment. But over time such decisions can reinforce the idea that you’re “never going to have a nice social life”, he says.

Rather than use treats to quell bad feelings, see them as rewards for solving problems and improving your life. For instance: “If I finish this task, I’ll give myself a treat. If I make that phone call that I have been avoiding, I’ll give myself a treat,” says Lyubomirsky.

Effort can make a treat more satisfying, according to research. “There have been some studies in rats showing that they will prefer rewards that they had to work for over rewards that they get for free … One theory is that effort is a reward in itself,” says Samaha.

Reminisce about the past – and narrate the present

If the present feels muted, try thinking about the past.

“We’re starting to see a science of nostalgia build,” says Steger. Reflecting on your past; your relationships, accomplishments and growth; and difficult things you’ve already surmounted, can give you the sense that you’re “in the middle of an interesting story and a good life”, he says. This can strengthen your sense of belonging and resilience.

Conversely, try thinking about the present as something you’ll reflect on in future. “Five or 10 years from now, a future you is going to try to find things to feel nostalgic for. You don’t want them to skip over this whole phase of your life, do you?” says Steger. The idea isn’t to force joy into bleak moments, but to start noticing what might later feel meaningful.