Read the full article at The Telegraph.

“Temporal focus” – the attention we devote to thinking about the past, the present and the future – has become an important subject for researchers and clinical psychologists alike. Peter Felsman at the University of Michigan looked at the relationship between temporal focus and general outlook, and found individuals who focused mainly on the present had higher levels of life satisfaction. In clinical settings, Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy – that is, learning to focus fully and non-judgmentally on the present moment – has been shown to reduce relapse rates of individuals who’ve suffered recurrent bouts of depression.

Staying in the moment, it seems, helps create a sense of calm, encourages us to feel good about life generally, and reduces levels of anxiety and negative thinking.