30-Second Mood Improving Habit

In a BBC Future article, health correspondent Melissa Hogenboom tries out four very short wellbeing practices and reports on the evidence behind them.

She opens by noting that modern self-care often demands a lot: dawn meditation, cold-water swims. Her argument, borrowed from Eli Susman’s book Micropractice, is that some useful practices take as little as 30 seconds.

Laughter yoga

Hogenboom begins with a video call with Natalie Van der Wal of Delft University of Technology, who is laughing uncontrollably.

The practice means laughing without a joke. Hogenboom’s fake giggles felt awkward at first, then stopped being fake.
She reports feeling more jovial and surprisingly calm afterwards. Van der Wal says friendships tend to form more easily among participants.
The evidence: Van der Wal’s meta-analysis found non-humorous laughter roughly twice as effective as humour-based laughter at reducing depression and anxiety.
The method she describes: three deep breaths with hands on the belly, then fake laughing, starting with “hi hi hi, ha ha ha” if needed. Finish with a breath and a thought of gratitude.

Micro yoga

Hogenboom then turns to Susman, who guides her through a stretch designed for individuals who spend extended periods sitting at screens.

One study found stretching for 15 to 30 seconds every 15 minutes improved productivity by about 15%.
Other research suggests stretching paired with deep breaths and mindfulness works better for psychological distress. Mindful stretching breaks have also been linked to lower burnout and fewer medical errors.
Hogenboom includes a caution: all stretching carries risk, and it is worth seeking medical advice before starting anything new.
The method: interlace fingers behind the back, extend the arms down and lift the chest on the inhale, soften on the exhale, hold for two or three breaths.

Slow breaths

Hogenboom notes there is abundant evidence that mindful breathing calms the nervous system.

Slow deep breaths activate the parasympathetic nervous system, the body’s rest-and-digest state, which dampens the fight-or-flight response.
She cites research led by Amit Kumar at the University of Naples Federico II, which found three slow deep breaths boosted alpha waves, linked to calm focus, and theta waves, linked to deep relaxation.
Kumar suggests using it whenever needed, before a meeting or when the mind races, and says doing it regularly helps stop stress accumulating. He also notes that people under greater stress may want more than 30 seconds.
The method: sit comfortably, eyes closed, three slow breaths of roughly 10 seconds each, exhaling longer than inhaling.

Self-compassionate touch

Hogenboom concludes with the shortest practice session of the four, based on Susman’s own research.

Participants placed their hands over heart and belly while directing kind thoughts to themselves. Those who did it for just 20 seconds showed significantly less cortisol than a control group.
A follow-up study published the same week found that practicing more often was linked to greater self-compassion six months later.
The method: one or both hands gently over the chest or upper arms, a breath, attention on the warmth and pressure, kind thoughts.

Hogenboom is adamant that none of this is a program to complete. Van der Wal advises trying them out and seeing what works best, as the effective dose varies from person to person. Instead of adding another task to your day, consider incorporating a practice into something you already do, like a walk or washing up. Hogenboom personally recommends laughter yoga, although she admits that her belly still hasn’t fully recovered.

Acknowledgement: This summary was generated using AI writing tools as part of my AI exploration process. For more information, check out the original article listed below.