The Great Wake-Up Week 1: Who do you appreciate?
Chris Baréz-Brown, our new columnist, invites you to join us for a year of adventure where we stop operating on autopilot and start living a life full of joy and curiosity. Week 1: I will tell one person per day what I love about them
By 
Psychologies
Our first Wake Up! experiment focuses on appreciating those we love.
We rarely get noticed for who we are – and that’s a crying shame. Over 100 years ago, philosopher William James discovered that ‘the deepest craving of human nature is the need to be appreciated’.
When we take time to appreciate the people in our lives, we create a more meaningful connection with them, helping them to feel good about who they are.
Every day for four consecutive days, tell one person what you love about them. By making that appreciation a part of our daily lives, we will programme our selective attention to spot it more often in anybody we interact with.
In time, we will therefore hardwire ourselves to have more good feelings than bad. Professor Robert A. Emmons, world-renowned expert on gratitude, has shown through extensive research that gratitude effectively increases happiness, confidence and wellbeing.
Share what you love about others and soon you’ll find that you’ll also love yourself more, too.
Watch the Week 1 Experiment video here
More inspiration:
READ Chris Baréz-Brown's introduction to The Great Wake Up! here
JOIN Chris Baréz-Brown for The Great Wake-Up! event in London on 6 January
FOLLOW The Great Wake Up! bloggers at lifelabs.psychologies.co.uk/channels/297-the-great-wake-up
Photograph: Corbis
