Photography and Happiness

I have often said in many of my travel stories that while deciding what and which place to write about I go through my photo albums. Browsing my travel photos and also the random photography I do is one of my favourite pastimes and it relaxes me a lot. At the same time it has a therapeutic effect on me and makes to happy¹ to remember, recollect, reminisce my past travels and great moments. Even the thought of the circumstances when I took the photo is a great reminder of the good times.

Since I started mentioning about photos why not write something about the good effects photography can have on us. There has been lots of research on this topic and I would love to share a few in this short travel story. Along with that I am also sharing some photos from my archive adding a few lines as to why that particular photo is meaningful to me and what are my feelings when I look at it. 

We see the same sun from everywhere, but capturing the sun through the camera lens in different locations and different times creates a lovely collection of photographs. To me this photo of the local boat on River Bhagirathi shows hope for the next day as we end today.

So if we were to ask, why do we click photos?² You may think of various reasons starting from preserving the memories of a certain moment, just as a hobby, something you feel connected to, as a reminder of your presence in a certain place or time, to express your creativity or as a tool for storytelling and many others. Whatever the reason(s), taking photos does make us feel happy. When we look back at the captured moments at a later date, it transports us to that moment and creates a feeling which makes us realise that it is a good thing that we captured a particular moment to reflect upon past time in the future. 

The right facing birds in this painting reminds me to love every stage of our life till it is time to look left. This painting also acts as a reminder that life is fleeting, so live everyday as it comes and express gratitude to be alive and present in this world.

In a study³ conducted by Prof Michael F Steger and team published in Science Direct it states that students were asked to take photos of “things that make your life feel meaningful”. These students were then asked to view and describe these photographs a week later and it showed significant improvements in their levels of meaning of life, life satisfaction and positive effect.

We sometimes feel we cannot do certain things but it our will power which makes it possible to achieve the impossible. The feeling of achievement when I made it up to the Taktsang Monastery was the most thrilling, soul satisfying and blissful aspect of my Bhutan visit. This photo is a wonderful reminder of those feelings as I walked up the last few steps to finally enter the Monastery.

Results from another research⁴ during Covid-19 pandemic by the Department of Psychology and Institute of Psychology and Behaviour, Henan University, China showed that taking photos causes significant increases in Meaning in Life (MIL), Future Self-Continuity (FSC), and Positive Affect (PA) among participants and showed significant decrease in Negative Affect (NA).

Thanks to Google translate I knew what this means as soon as I saw this in one of my hotel rooms. Looking at this photo takes me back to that happy state when I fell asleep with this writing on the wall above my head as travelling is indeed a secret to my happiness.

The more I read such articles I feel that I already know these feelings and can understand the impact these moments can create. Who doesn’t get happy looking a memories of the past captured on our photos, iPads, physical albums or photo books. In whichever form you store your photos, they are like windows to the wonderful times of our past which we can cherish now and in the future. 

So do click more, feel and share the happiness.

References used above with all credits to original authors:

1. 7 reasons why photographs can boost your happiness
2. Why People Like to Take Pictures
3. A pilot study using photography to enhance meaning in life by Prof Michael F Steger
4. Photographic intervention effect on positive and negative affects during COVID-19

Hope you enjoyed this short travel story. Please do leave your feedback and use the link below to share with your friends and family. 

Tweet