In this series, we’ll hear from Ann C. Reeves about aspects of Positive Psychology. This month, she continues with the “E” of the Positive Psychology acronym, PERMA-V.

Positive Psychology (PP) is the scientific study of optimal human functioning and its research encompassing neurobehavioral, cognitive behavioral and physiological science. The acronym used in PP is PERMA-V.

E stands for Engagement, another gateway to achieve wholeness and deep contentment. 

To engage is to become involved or engrossed in something, and it suggests a deep connection to whatever one is doing, on a continuum of enjoyment and relaxation to the point of being so absorbed that time no longer exists. Components of engagement are self-regulation, mindfulness, a sense of flow, making choices and decisions, savoring and identifying and utilizing one’s strengths.

On the extreme end of the enjoyment spectrum is the phenomenon called flow, where we are so engaged in an activity that we lose all sense of self and time. Research suggests that regular engagement in flow predicts heightened life satisfaction, achievement, health and creativity. The ability to connect to a sense of flow requires components of self-regulation. The task or activity must be challenging, demand skill and require concentration.

Usually people experiencing flow have a clear goal in mind—getting the perfect
photograph in the darkroom, completing a complex design on a piece of woodwork, writing a poem or working on a complicated science project. When we are in flow, our sense of self vanishes, time stops, emotions are neutral and even pain is diminished. We are all familiar with witnessing an athlete who is totally in the flow zone, throwing the “hail, Mary” pass only to collapse in agony with an injury that occurred much earlier. That is the phenomenon of flow.

The capacity to self-regulate emotions, time and priorities creates deeper opportunities to engage. The opposite states of distraction, disorganization and procrastination make it difficult to feel we are accomplishing anything, much less engaging in a pleasurable activity.

With adequate sleep, we wake up every morning with a pool of energy, which becomes depleted during the day. It is difficult to feel engaged when our responsibilities and distractions are closing in on us, leaving us in a state of exhaustion. Labelled ego depletion, this condition may result from trying to please others, making decisions, ruminating, planning or completing multiple tasks. The condition of ego depletion reflects a limited pool of mental resources that have been used up, making it more difficult to harness our willpower. Emotional reactivity also tends to be higher. Managing chronic pain likewise is depleting. Learning how to self-regulate is key to lessening ego depletion.

Mindfulness is the calm energy of being awake and present in each moment and is an important component of self-regulation. Really being present with oneself is difficult in our current technological world. Research has demonstrated the positive mental and physical effects of reducing our use of technologies, and especially screen time. Visual media stimulates the reward systems in our brain—the same system triggered by sugar, sex and drugs, causing addiction.

A positive step toward self-regulation might be taking advantage of the many avenues now easily available for learning how to be more mindful. Mindful meditation, mindful eating and mindful planning are all useful changes that one can undertake. 

Savoring is another way to become and remain engaged, purposefully stretching out the moments of a pleasurable experience and focusing on as many senses as we can, while going deeper into our enjoyment into appreciation and gratitude. Reminiscing about times when we laughed hard or experienced deep positive emotions has been shown to increase positive emotions. Gathering photographs or holding sentimental objects can stimulate memories.

Making choices is a great freedom, but research demonstrates that too many choices leads to decision fatigue, ego depletion and paralysis when trying to make the right choice. “Maximizers” are people who need to look at every possible choice, taking a long time and using more energy to make decisions. They are less confident in decision making, ruminate more and have lower optimism and satisfaction with life. “Satisficers”, on the other hand, limit their choice pool, settling for “good” rather than “the perfect” choice. They experience less stress and are happier with their decisions than Maximizers, without obsessing about them. Making an effort to limit our choices and, sometimes, honoring our intuitive rather than reflective decision making processes, will lessen stress and strengthen the ability to engage.

It has been said that most people go through their lives using no more than a small fraction of the potential gifts within them. Within the PP movement, there are online measures one can complete for free which ask many questions, resulting in a list of one’s top strengths, such as integrity, curiosity, prudence, open mindedness, leadership and humility. To complete the questionnaire, visit AuthenticHappiness.com, click on Questionnaires and select VIA Survey of Character Strengths. Comparing our top five strengths with our last five strengths is helpful in solidifying priorities, preferences and character strengths as we go about making choices and decisions, all contributing to a deeper sense of engagement in life. 

Ann C. Reeves, Psy.D is a Licensed Psychologist in Wilton. Connect at 203-451-6208, [email protected] or AnnReevesPsychology.com. See ad, page 8.

See the next article in this PERMA-V series, focusing on the R for Relationships in the April issue.