Some days pass almost unnoticed, while others remain in our memory for the rest of our lives... What is your very first pleasant childhood memory? Do you remember your first kiss? Does your New Year have a smell? What memories come back to life when you hear this song? What taste brings you back to your parents' home? Nostalgia, considered a neurological disease close to paranoia back in the 17th century, is now recognized as a worthy object of scientific study. According to research from the University of Southampton (UK), there is growing evidence that nostalgia evokes positive emotions, increases self-esteem and helps you feel loved, helping to reduce feelings of loneliness and lack of meaning. Our life satisfaction and happiness depend in part on whether we create a positive story for our lives. When you turn around, do you see mistakes and blunders or happy moments? However, we must not forget - our brain is designed in such a way that unpleasant events are perceived by us more actively, as threatening our existence, and are remembered more easily - this is a general law of the psyche, very useful for survival. Although we now live in a relatively safe environment, we inherited the mechanism, and this is worth keeping in mind. What are happy memories made of, and what is needed to create them? As scientists from the Happiness Research Institute led by Mike Viking found out, happy memories, like a good cocktail, have 8 ingredients. Use the power the first time. Try something original and make your days extraordinary. When it comes to memories, novelty ensures longevity. Unusual and new experiences undergo more complex cognitive processing, leading to better encoding of those memories. Engage multiple senses. Use something other than sight. Memories may involve sounds, smells, touch, taste. Pay attention. Treat your happy moments like you would your loved one on a date! We see many things that we do not notice and do not remember later, so the true art of memory is the art of directing attention. Create meaningful moments. Make them memorable by being present in the moment. Without a doubt, some of the most meaningful and memorable moments for us are those moments that unite us with other people. However, connecting with nature, your body, and the world can also be important for happy memories. Use an “emotional marker.” Shake up your feelings! You can, for example, do what you are afraid of. Stepping out of your comfort zone can be the first step towards creating new memories. Celebrate the peaks and struggles. Milestones are memorable, but the challenges of achieving them are especially memorable. Tell stories to get around the forgetting curve. Share and retell stories: “Do you remember how we…”, keep happy memories. Capture memories in things. Write, take photographs, record audio and video, collect. Remember that the best part of memories is creating them! be happy!