that people with depression may remember unhappy times as even worse than they actually were. All of this lends support to a popular theory of depression — known as the “competitive memory theory” — which holds that every person has access to both positive and negative thoughts and “self-representations,” but that people with depression tend to gravitate toward the negative ones.
Askelund says people undergoing cognitive behavioral therapy for depression are often taught techniques designed to counteract negative self-related thoughts. Recalling positive memories may be one such technique. “Recalling specific positive memories seems to be a skill that can be trained,” he says.
His views are backed up by research on how people spend time and money. “We know from a large body of research that people derive more happiness from experiential purchases — travel, meals out, concerts — than they do from clothing or electronic goods or material possessions,” says Amit Kumar, an assistant professor of marketing and psychology at the University of Texas at Austin.