Saying Thanks: The Importance of Gratitude
Janice Kaplan
Originally published in Good Housekeeping Magazine, February, 2014 and is available on their website. Image by Philip Friedman/Studio D.
Two little words can change your life. Research shows that gratitude is crucial for health and happiness- here's how to make it part of your life
Can saying thank you make you happier? In a new national survey of more than 2,000 adults conducted for the John Templeton Foundation, 64% of women said that they express gratitude because it makes them feel good. And it's a smart move. Academics studying the subject have found that feeling grateful and expressing it decreases stress, increases happiness, and generally makes people feel better about life.
In fact, the Templeton Foundation--which supports research on questions relating to human purpose--is investing almost $6 million to fund new research on the practice of gratitude, including its effects of health and child development.
Gratitude, it turns out, functions as "a psychological immune system that bulletproofs you in times of crisis," says Robert Emmons, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis, and author of the forthcoming Gratitude Works! A 21-Day Program for Creating Emotional Prosperity. It's hard to feel fortunate when you lose your job or home or you face a difficult illness, but an ability to refocus can get you through. "Our mind often latches on to what is wrong. There's no need to ignore the negative or say live is perfect," Emmons adds. "But once you have the skill of coping gratefully, you can find a new, redemptive frame of reference."
Related: 7 Habits of Happy, Healthy Women
Gratitude requires work and attention, Emmons acknowledges. "But now that we know its advantages," he says, "we have reasons to encourage it in ourselves." Want to try it yourself? Keep a gratitude journal. People who document what they're thankful for reap a host of health and emotional benefits. Get started with these tips from Emmons, adapted from UC Berkeley's Greater Good website:
1. Commit to Happiness: Journaling is more effective if you first make the conscious decision to become more fulfilled and more grateful, research suggests. "Motivation to become happier plays a role," Emmons explains.
2. Go for Depth Over Breadth: Elaborating in detail about a particular thing for which your grateful--e.g., how thankful you are for your husband's repair of that broken faucet--carries more benefits than listing many things.
3. Make it Personal: Focus on people you're grateful for, not things. And try subtraction, not just addition: Reflect on what your life would be without certain blessings rather than just tallying up the good stuff.
4. Savor Surprises: Record events that were unexpected or surprising, as these tend to elicit stronger levels of gratitude. For inspiration, search for "community gratitude journal" at greatergood.berkeley.edu.
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