A List of Simple Pleasures: 100 Small Things That Brighten Your Day

You put on a jumper straight out of the dryer, and for about thirty seconds, everything in the world is fine.

That’s a simple pleasure, and if you’re like me, you’ve had a few of those today without noticing them.

Simple pleasures are the small, usually free moments that make an ordinary day feel good: warm socks, a quiet street, a joke that lands.

They don’t need planning, money, or a special occasion, only a bit of attention.

I’ve been keeping a running list for years, and it’s my favourite thing to reread on a grey day.

Here are a hundred of them, plus my own, and a few ways to notice more.

Why Simple Pleasures Matter

Big happy events are lovely, but they’re rare, and most of life happens on ordinary Tuesdays.

Psychologists who study savouring, the habit of noticing and stretching out good moments, have found that how we attend to positive experiences matters as much as how many we have, and Fred Bryant and Joseph Veroff wrote a whole book on it called Savoring.

A well-known exercise from positive psychology is to write down three good things that happened each day, and in a 2005 study people who did this for one week were still happier six months later.

Simple pleasures are exactly the sort of thing that ends up on that list.

The List of Simple Pleasures

Mornings

• Waking up before the alarm and realising you can stay in bed a bit longer.
• The first sip of tea or coffee while it’s still hot.
• Sunlight on the kitchen floor.
• A quiet house before anyone else is up.
• Clean sheets on the first morning after changing them.
• Opening the window to cold, fresh air.
• A good stretch that makes your back click.
• Finding exactly the outfit you wanted, clean and ready.
• Leaving the house on time without rushing.
• A bus that arrives just as you reach the stop.

Food and drink

• The smell of bread baking.
• A ripe peach eaten over the sink.
• Hot soup on a cold day.
• Toast with a lot of butter.
• A cold glass of water when you’re really thirsty.
• The first strawberries of the year.
• Leftovers that taste better the next day.
• A meal someone else cooked for you.
• Licking the spoon.
• Hot chocolate after being outside in the cold.
• Finding the last biscuit you forgot you’d hidden.
• A cup of tea made exactly right by someone who knows how you take it.

At home

• Warm clothes straight out of the dryer.
• Getting into bed after a long day.
• A freshly cleaned kitchen counter.
• Rain on the window when you don’t have to go out.
• A candle on a dark evening.
• Putting on fresh pyjamas.
• A blanket on the sofa.
• A tidy drawer.
• Plants that have grown a new leaf.
• Taking off uncomfortable shoes.
• A long, hot shower.
• The quiet after the washing machine finishes.

Outdoors

• The smell of rain on warm pavement.
• Crunching through dry leaves.
• The first warm day of spring.
• Sun on your face in winter.
• A sunset you weren’t expecting.
• A dog that wants to say hello.
• Snow that hasn’t been walked on yet.
• A bench in the right spot.
• Birdsong early in the morning.
• The sea, any sea, any weather.
• A walk with no destination.
• A breeze on a hot day.

The senses

• A song you love coming on at random.
• The smell of a new book.
• Silence after a noisy day.
• Cold pillow on a hot night.
• The sound of a kettle about to boil.
• Soft socks.
• Freshly cut grass.
• The weight of a cat settling on your lap.
• The first line written on a fresh page.
• A really good yawn.

People

• A message from an old friend out of the blue.
• Laughing until you can’t breathe.
• A stranger holding the door.
• Being remembered by name in a café.
• A long hug.
• An inside joke.
• Hearing someone you love laugh in another room.
• A handwritten note.
• Someone saving you a seat.
• A conversation that goes on later than you planned.

Time on your own

• A free afternoon with nothing planned.
• Reading in bed on a weekend morning.
• A bath with a book.
• Cancelled plans you secretly didn’t want.
• Getting lost in a hobby.
• Sitting in a café watching people go by.
• A long walk with a podcast, or without one.
• Writing in a journal.
• Doing a puzzle with a cup of tea.
• A nap you didn’t feel guilty about.

Small wins

• Crossing the last thing off a list.
• Finding money in an old coat.
• Peeling the plastic off something new.
• Remembering a word that was on the tip of your tongue.
• Fixing something yourself.
• Fitting everything in one bag.
• An empty inbox, even for a moment.
• Parallel parking in one go.

Seasons

• The first day you don’t need a coat.
• Long summer evenings.
• The first cold, clear autumn morning.
• Pulling out the winter blankets.
• Fairy lights in December.
• Cherry trees in flower.
• A thunderstorm on a sticky night.
• The first fire of the year.

Free and almost free

• A library card.
• Watching clouds.
• Calling your grandparents.
• A picnic made from whatever’s in the fridge.
• Free museum days.
• A sunrise, if you’re up for it.
• Dancing in the kitchen.
• Giving something away to someone who needs it.

My Simple Pleasures

All hundred are real to me, but a few are more mine than the others.

Tea in my favourite cup, drunk before it goes cold, which happens less often than it should.

The first five minutes of stretching in the morning, when nothing is expected of me yet.

Packing a bag for a trip and realising everything fits.

A clear kitchen counter at the end of the night.

Rain when I’m already home, which is why I collected happy rain quotes.

A long dinner with friends where nobody checks their phone.

Getting rid of something I’ve been meaning to let go of for months.

Living with less has made most of these easier to notice, because there’s simply less in the way.

“My Simple Pleasures” Answers for Hinge

If you’re here because a dating profile asked about your simple pleasures, you’re in good company, because it’s been one of Hinge’s most successful prompts, and the best answers are specific and a little bit personal.

“Coffee” tells someone very little, but “the first coffee on a Saturday, drunk on the balcony in my dressing gown” tells them a lot.

A few you can adapt: “Warm towels and cold pillows,” “Finding a bench with a view and nowhere to be,” “Getting a song stuck in my head on purpose,” or “Sunday markets and pretending I’ll cook everything I buy.”

Pick something true, and it’ll start a conversation.

How to Brighten Your Day With Simple Pleasures

Notice them as they happen, and say it in your head: this is nice.

Slow down for the good ones, and let the hot shower or the first bite last a few seconds longer.

Write down three at the end of the day, which takes two minutes and works surprisingly well.

Plan one on purpose, like a walk at lunch or a book in the bath, especially on a day you’re dreading.

Share one, because telling a friend about the brilliant sunset doubles it.

And build a few into your days so they happen without effort, which is really what daily rituals are.

If you’d like to make slowing down a bigger part of your life, my slow living tips go hand in hand with this list.

And Remember

That warm jumper out of the dryer is waiting for you somewhere this week.

So is the song on the radio, the dog in the park, and the first sip of something hot.

You don’t need a better day to feel better, only a few seconds of noticing the good bits of this one.

Start your own list tonight, and add one thing to it every day.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are simple pleasures? Simple pleasures are small, everyday moments that make you feel good, like warm clothes from the dryer, the first sip of tea, a song you love on the radio, or a message from an old friend. They’re usually free and easy to miss.

What are some examples of simple pleasures in life? Clean sheets, rain on the window when you’re inside, a long hot shower, a walk with no destination, laughing with friends, a free afternoon, and crossing the last thing off your list.

How can I brighten my day? Notice small good moments as they happen, slow down to enjoy them, plan one simple pleasure on purpose, share good moments with someone, and write down three good things at the end of the day.

What should I write for “my simple pleasures” on Hinge? Be specific and personal. Instead of “coffee,” try “the first coffee on a Saturday on the balcony.” Specific answers give people something to ask you about.

Why do simple pleasures make us happier? Research on savouring suggests that paying attention to good moments, and stretching them out, increases how much we enjoy them. Writing down good things each day has also been linked to lasting increases in happiness.