My grandpa, Pops, would always try to make whoever he was interacting with smile. He would often seize an innocuous opportunity to grab my grandmother’s hand, or sing the barbershop tune befitting the moment. If my grandfather took the time to appreciate those interactions—as I suspect he did—he was unknowingly looking for “glimmers.” What are glimmers? If you haven’t heard of the mindfulness term taking over social media, here’s a brief one-liner: Glimmers are small moments that spark positive emotions like joy, gratitude, and peace. Basically, they are the opposite of a trigger.
The idea has gone viral: There are seemingly millions of videos on TikTok about “glimmers” (although there’s another competing glimmer term surrounding makeup). On social media, therapists, influencers, and regular ol’ people extoll the virtue of the practice. Some posts, like this “little guide to glimmers,” got hundreds of thousands of views. Podcast host and TikTokker Madi B. Webb declared 2024 “the year of glimmers,” while author Candy Parker has published a “Daily Glimmers Journal” book and created a supplementary TikTok account @DailyGlimmerJour .
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Parker says glimmers “can change your life.” So what’s the deal with glimmers, and how can you make finding them second nature? Ahead, some tips.
What are glimmers?
Glimmers are small, memorable experiences that happen throughout the day. They can be truly ordinary—and give us that slight boost of happiness.
A glimmer can be anything: sharing a smile with a stranger, the feeling of warmth under a blanket, the sun shining on your face. What’s important is that you take the time to bask in those moments. For a glimmer to shine, you have to pay attention to it.
“Instead of letting them pass you by—the way that we tend to because of our negativity bias, or because we’re busy—it’s simply trying to stay with it for 10 or 15 seconds, allowing it to seep into your body, into your heart, into your brain, and really fully experiencing it,” says Stephanie Harrison, a former University of Pennsylvania instructor in the psychology of happiness, and the author of New Happy.
There are other names for this concept. Harrison refers to “savoring” or “positivity resonance,” which are both well studied phenomena shown to increase feelings of happiness and wellbeing. However, glimmers may be catching on because the packaging is so effective. It’s useful to have a compelling single word term for a larger idea. Who doesn’t love the word “glimmer”?
What are the benefits of glimmers?
Looking for glimmers can fill your day with good vibes, injecting happiness into the mundane. It can also help regulate your nervous system, says Harrison. Taking a mindful moment could help you transition from a cortisol-filled state of fight or flight.
But the effects of glimmers are also cumulative, which means there are long-term benefits, too.
“It helps by building your capacity for positive emotions, especially if you’re recovering from trauma or navigating difficult experiences,” Harrison says. Noticing one glimmer can help you notice the next one, and the next one. When it comes to your mood, all boats rise together.
So while glimmers are all about living in the moment, it’s a practice that can impact your life as a whole. It’s a short-term investment that pays dividends for long-term happiness.
How do you train yourself to look for glimmers?
If you’re not someone accustomed to looking for the positive, finding moments of joy to savor might not come so easily.
“It’s a conscious choice to look for the good or what’s going right, and that can be really tough, especially if you’re dealing with a lot of challenges or facing pain from your past,” Harrison says. If you happen to notice that the weather is nice, allow that thought to wash over you and bloom into appreciation of your surroundings.
Furthermore, even though glimmering is a phenomenon that’s risen to prominence on social media, you don’t have to share those glimmers online. Don’t let posting about your glimmer rob you of its effects.
Beyond starting small and simple, Harrison has a few other tricks she likes to employ. One is thinking about what her future self would tell her in that moment. What would her future self point out that’s great about her life?
Another idea is paying it forward. Like my grandpa Pops, Harrison says that trying to make others happy will come back to you. She recommends asking yourself how you can infuse everyday interactions with compassion and love, even for strangers. You might just notice that you’ll leave those moments glimmering.
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