Happiness Strategy - Gratitude

We now know that we have the ability to influence 40% of our happiness equation by what we do and think in our daily lives. This is great news, considering the impacts of happiness: higher levels of energy, better immune systems, stronger engagement with work and other people, and increased self-confidence and self-esteem.

Person-Fit Strategies

University of California professor, Sonja Lyubomirsky, has contributed much to the study of happiness through her classic book, The How of Happiness. The book was a culmination of all of the happiness research at the time and explored well-documented strategies for enhancing one’s happiness, with an emphasis on the importance of individual fit. In other words, the road to increased happiness is not a “one-size-fits-all” prescription. When one chooses activities that are a good fit for their strengths and lifestyle, they will be more likely to persist at that activity and experience its rewards.

Happiness Strategy #1: Express Gratitude—Why?

Robert Emmons, Professor of Psychology at UC Davis, has dedicated his career to the study of the impact of gratitude (the condition of being thankful) on both and psychological and physical well-being.

Optimism. In his research, he found that those who kept gratitude journals on a weekly basis exercised more regularly, reported fewer physical symptoms, felt better about their lives as a whole, and were more optimistic about the upcoming week compared to those who recorded hassles or neutral life events.

Goal Attainment. A related benefit was observed in the area of personal goal attainment: Participants who kept gratitude lists were more likely to have made progress toward important personal goals (academic, interpersonal and health-based) over a two-month period compared to subjects in the other experimental conditions.

Clearer Thinking. A daily gratitude practice with young adults resulted in higher reported levels of the positive states of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, attentiveness and energy compared to a focus on hassles or a downward social comparison (ways in which participants thought they were better off than others).

Better Teamwork. Participants expressing gratitude daily were more likely to report having helped someone with a personal problem or having offered emotional support to another, relative to the hassles or social comparison condition.

Improved Health. For example, in a sample of adults with neuromuscular disease, a 21-day gratitude intervention resulted in greater amounts of high energy positive moods, a greater sense of feeling connected to others, and more optimistic ratings of one’s life.

Try It Out: Expressing Gratitude

The path to increased happiness, by way of gratitude, must be self-determined. Here are a few research-based suggestions:

Keep a gratitude journal. Each night write down the 3-5 things for which you are grateful. And, next to each, record the source/outcome of those good things.

Shift from ungrateful to grateful. Acknowledge one ungrateful thought each day (e.g. It takes too long to drive to work) and substitute it for a grateful one (e.g. I have a reliable car that gets me to work).

Say it. Expressing gratitude is particularly effective when done directly. If there is someone to whom you owe a particular debt of gratitude, express your appreciation in concrete terms. Write that person a letter and, if possible, visit and read the letter out loud in person.

Look inside. At the end of each day, consider the reciprocal quality of relationships by asking yourself three questions: What have I received? What have I given? What troubles have I caused?