Remembering positive autobiographical memories in daily life: An ecological momentary assessment study

Recalling positive autobiographical memories (AMs) in everyday life holds great promise for contributing to individual well-being. Few studies have examined these naturally occurring AMs. In a study of 70 community-recruited individuals, we used ecological momentary assessment to analyze the content, characteristics, and contextual factors of AMs and to examine how AM vividness relates to happiness after recollection. Text data were analyzed using the BERTopic Python library, and quantitative data were investigated using descriptive statistics and mixed effects models. Participants documented 722 AMs which were categorized into eight topics: ‘Friends, partner, family’ (54.5%), ‘Work, studies’ (6.6%), ‘Family & social events’ (2.9%), ‘Being in the nature, pets’ (4.5%), ‘Outdoor activities and sports’ (23, 2.5%), ‘Exam success’ (29, 3.2%), ‘Success in sports - self or as a fan’ (2.6%), ‘School days, studies’ (1.7%). Many AMs were vivid, visually rich, and associated with strong positive emotions. Most occurred spontaneously, although some participants identified triggers. Some also shared and enjoyed these memories. Linear mixed effects models showed that vividness was positively associated with immediate happiness, both individually and in the group. These findings suggest that positive AMs could inform strategies for enhancing everyday emotional well-being and support interventions that integrate AMs into daily routines.