I have argued that various relaxation practices work because, at one level or another, they cultivate or jump-start the positive emotion of contentment (Fredrickson, 2000). Contentment is a mindful emotion that elicits cognitive changes more than outwardly visible physical changes. It calls forth the urge to savor the present moment and integrate those momentary experiences into an enriched appreciation of one’s place in the world (Fredrickson, 1998, 2000). Relaxation practices induce one or more key components of contentment and, in doing so, create the conditions for experiencing this positive emotion. For instance, imagery exercises focus on situation, like nature scenes or personal successes, known to be frequent precursors to contentment. Similarly, progressive muscle relaxation creates a dynamic tension-release sequence that mimics intense laughter, which is known to give way to relaxed contentment. Finally, meditation exercises cultivate states of mindfulness, or full awareness of the present moment, that strongly resemble the modes of thinking characteristic of contentment. By cultivating key components of contentment (e.g., imagining situations or eliciting muscle configurations or mental states), various relaxation practices increase the probability that the full, multicomponent experience of contentment will emerge. As such, relaxation techniques may work to treat problems triggered by negative emotions because they capitalize on the undoing effects of positive emotions (Fredrickson, 2000). This prediction could be tested by assessing the degree of contentment elicited by relaxation techniques and examining whether experiences of contentment in fact mediate the positive association between relaxation practice and improved health and well-being. If relaxation techniques indeed reliably produce contentment, then the broaden-and-build theory would suggest that these techniques could be valuable not only for treating problems rooted in negative emotions but also for spurring psychological development and optimizing health and well-being.