For some people, the loss of excitement happens gradually. A favorite show no longer feels special, and hobbies can begin to feel like obligations.
- Six habits can create more opportunities for positive experiences.
- 1. They start before motivation arrives
- 2. They notice the little things
- 3. They put their phones out of reach
- 4. They stop demanding that leisure be productive
- 5. They share enjoyable moments with someone else
- 6. They make room for play
- When a lack of enjoyment lasts
Psychology research suggests that rebuilding enjoyment may involve small changes in daily behavior rather than waiting for motivation to return.
Six habits can create more opportunities for positive experiences.
1. They start before motivation arrives
When something stops feeling enjoyable, it is tempting to wait until the desire to do it returns. Behavioral activation takes the opposite approach. The action comes first, and motivation may follow.
A 2026 study involving 152 people waiting for low mood treatment through the U.K.’s NHS Talking Therapies found that participants who began behavioral activation reported greater improvement in their ability to experience pleasure during the first three weeks. Researchers noted that the early assessment group was small and that the finding needs further study.
The practical takeaway is simple: A walk, hobby or outing does not have to feel exciting before it begins.
2. They notice the little things
Enjoyment is not always a major event. It can be the first sip of coffee, a favorite song in the car or the feeling of stepping outside after being indoors.
Psychologists call intentionally noticing positive moments savoring. A 2026 review of 20 randomized controlled trials involving 4,805 participants found that savoring exercises were associated with moderate improvements in positive emotional states.
Simply pausing to recognize that something feels good can make a pleasant moment more noticeable.
3. They put their phones out of reach
Even enjoyable experiences can lose some impact when attention is divided. Creating physical distance from phones may help.
In a field experiment involving more than 300 people sharing meals with friends or family, researchers found that participants who had phones on the table felt more distracted and reported less enjoyment of the meal.
Leaving a phone in another room, a bag or another spot out of reach can make it easier to focus on what is happening in front of you.
4. They stop demanding that leisure be productive
Free time can become difficult when every hour feels as though it should accomplish something. A hobby may need to build a skill, while a quiet afternoon can seem like time that should have been spent elsewhere.
Research involving four studies and 1,310 participants found that people who viewed leisure as wasteful tended to enjoy those activities less and reported more stress and low mood.
Allowing an activity to exist simply because it is enjoyable can change the experience. Rest does not need to produce a measurable result to have value.
5. They share enjoyable moments with someone else
An ordinary activity can feel different when another person is experiencing it alongside you. That might mean watching a movie together, taking a walk or simply reading in the same room.
A Yale study found that participants who tasted chocolate at the same time as another person rated the experience differently than when the other person was nearby but doing something else. The study was small, involving 23 participants, but it suggested that shared experiences can influence how people perceive an activity.
The activity does not have to change. Company can add another layer.
6. They make room for play
Playfulness can be simple. It might mean making up a silly voice for a pet, taking a different route home, cooking without a recipe or turning an ordinary task into a small challenge.
A randomized study of 533 adults found that several one week exercises focused on playfulness were associated with higher well being and fewer symptoms linked to low mood. Some effects were still reported up to three months later. The researchers noted limitations, including self reported information and a participant group made up largely of women from German speaking countries.
The idea is that playfulness may be practiced rather than fixed.
When a lack of enjoyment lasts
Small habits can help some people reconnect with everyday pleasures, but a persistent loss of enjoyment can sometimes point to a deeper concern. If the feeling continues for weeks or comes with major changes in sleep, appetite, energy or daily functioning, talking with a doctor or therapist may be worthwhile.
The goal is not to force happiness. It is to create more opportunities for positive experiences to return.
Sometimes that begins with something ordinary: taking the walk anyway, putting the phone away, sharing a meal, enjoying an unproductive afternoon or doing something playful simply because you can.
