Psychological Research: Gratitude
Positive Psychology in Practice from Studies on Happiness
Happiness and good health from a simple, free daily habit.
Positive Psychology researchers are confirming in study after study that regular demonstrations of gratitude will make you happier and healthier. Positive Psychology research focuses on the study of well-being, what makes people happier, fulfilled, and engaged in life. Researchers find that the simple act of gratitude, when regularly practiced, makes a significant improvement in people's lives.
What Is Gratitude?
In a recent interview by Senia Maymin carried in the International Positive Psychology Association Newsletter of April, 2008, Dr. Alex Wood, a postgraduate researcher in the Department of Psychology, University of Warwick, defines gratitude this way: "Gratitude is a life orientation towards noticing and appreciating the positive in the world. As such, gratitude is an integral part of well-being. Gratitude can be contrasted with a depressive bias - where depressed people focus on the negative in the self, world, and future. A grateful personality leads to well-being during everyday life."
Gratitude and Good Health
University of California Davis psychology professor Robert Emmons indicates that "Grateful people take better care of themselves and engage in more protective health behaviors like regular exercise, a healthy diet, (and) regular physical examinations." His research finds that grateful people tend to be more optimistic, a characteristic that boosts the immune system.
Begin the Day with Gratitude
David Pollay, in "A Daily Dose of Awe and Gratitude" (Positive Psychology News Daily, March 3, 2007) describes a process of beginning each day with a few moments spent in awe of something beautiful or fascinating, and feeling gratitude for the experience.
University of Virginia Psychologist Jonathan Haidt and Dacher Keltner, University of California-Berkeley Psychology professor, noted that "People consistently report that experiences of awe and elevation have profound outcomes, motivating self-improvement, personal change, altruistic intentions and actions, and the devotion to others and the larger community." (Character Strengths and Virtue, Christopher Peterson and Martin Seligman)
"He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has."~ Epictetus ~
Gratitude at Work
In "Taking Positive Psychology to Work: The Role of Gratitude," (Positive Psychology News Daily, NY (Kathryn Britton) - September 7, 2007) Britton describes six suggestions for improving happiness at work.
- Pay attention to good things
- Pay attention to bad things avoided
- Practice downward comparisons
- Establish gratitude times
- Be grateful for what you haven't lost
- Elicit gratitude around you
Happiness Interventions
Sonja Lyubomirsky, researcher and author of The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want, describes happiness as 50% determined by genetics, about 10% by things pursued in the name of happiness, with the remaining 40% determined by habits, behaviors, and thought patterns directly addressed with intentional action.
In a review of Lyubomirsky's book, Kathryn Britton (Positive Psychology News Daily, January 23, 2008) summarizes twelve specific activities for intentionally raising happiness.
- Express gratitude
- Cultivate optimism
- Avoid over thinking
- Practice acts of kindness
- Nurture social relationships
- Develop Strategies for Coping
- Learn to forgive
- Increase Flow experiences
- Savor life’s joys
- Commit to goals
- Practice religion and spirituality
- Take care of body through meditation, physical activity, and act like a happy person
Positive Psychology in Practice
Research findings such as these demonstrate the powerful contribution positive psychology can make to every-day life.
