“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of
all the others.” Cicero (Roman statesman and philosopher).
According to Emmons & McCullough, gratitude is the forgotten
factor in their research on happiness (2003). In this research,
under the heading Measuring the Grateful Disposition, most people
who reported being grateful (average rating of nearly six on a
seven-point scale), also had a sense of:wellbeing, prosociality, spirituality and were less materialistic.
In my experience, keeping a log book helps clients to focus on positive experiences and I am pleased that this opinion is supported in the research findings: “In an experimental comparison, 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.”
Why not keep a gratitude log book? In troubled and uncertain times as we have in the world today it pays to focus on what you have... as opposed to what you have not.
Let me expand a little further on the four categories mentioned above:
Wellbeing: Grateful people report higher levels of positive
emotions, life satisfaction, vitality and optimism and lower levels
of depression and stress. The disposition towards gratitude
appears to enhance pleasant feelings more than it diminishes
unpleasant emotions. Grateful people do not deny or ignore the
negative aspects of life.
Prosociality: People with a strong disposition towards gratitude
have the capacity to be empathic and to take the perspective
of others. They are rated as more generous and more helpful by
people in their social networks.
Spirituality: Those who regularly attend religious services and
engage in religious activities such as prayer or reading religious
material are more likely to be grateful. Grateful people are more
likely to acknowledge a belief in the interconnectedness of all life
and a commitment and responsibility to others.
Materialism: Grateful individuals place less importance on
material goods; they are less likely to judge their own and others
success in terms of possessions accumulated; they are less
envious of wealthy persons; and are more likely to share their
possessions with others relative to less grateful persons.
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