Gratitude
Gratitude to me means showing appreciation, being thankful and returning kindness; it is a feeling of thankfulness and appreciation for the gifts or favors received. Gratitude means taking time to remember the good things that have happened to you in the past, whether it is an event, a person, a good thought you had. Gratitude also implies a feeling of joy.
Many of us express gratitude by saying “thank you” to someone who has helped us or given us a gift. From a scientific perspective, however, gratitude is not just an action: it is also a positive emotion that serves a biological purpose. Positive psychology defines gratitude in a way where scientists can measure its effects, and thus argue that gratitude is more than feeling thankful: it is a deeper appreciation for someone (or something) that produces longer lasting positivity.
Gratitude is different from other caring emotions such as empathy and compassion because it’s learned. That’s good news, as there are many ways to teach it and model it for your kids. Taking the time to appreciate what you have is one of the keys to cultivating gratitude. Creating a “grateful environment” at home can help kids carry gratitude into the online world as well.
Gratitude can’t be faked, and that’s one of the reasons why it is one of the emotions that elicits most trust. Think for a minute about a work relationship where a boss tells his employee, “I’m really thankful for the work that you put into that report. It was the most detailed report I’ve seen this month, and it gave me the perfect data to present to our client.”
Gratitude also produces greater effort in those who sense it. Someone says, “Thanks, that was awesome! You totally rocked that deadline!” That kind of grateful language is encouraging, because it’s a reward for effort. When we’re rewarded for our effort in such a way, we want to give even more effort.
“I am thankful for the life I have lived so far. Every challenge that came my way was a test of my endurance and desire.” That’s something I often say to myself whenever a situation pops up and I am stressing about.
While there is evidence that gratitude activities may work better for some people than others, research suggests that there are exercises you can do — like gratitude journaling or gratitude letters — that will build your gratitude muscle. A 2017 analysis of 38 gratitude studies concluded that “gratitude interventions can have positive benefits for people in terms of their well-being, happiness, life satisfaction, grateful mood, grateful disposition, and positive affect, and they can result in decreases in depressive symptoms.”
Gratitude might feel harder, or maybe just less natural, for some of us. The good news is that research suggests we may be able to actually train ourselves to become more grateful — and that’s something we can all be grateful for.
