Happy November! I thought I would write an article about expressing gratitude with the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday (Sorry I'm a month late, Canadians!)
It is well-known in positive psychological research that people who express gratitude regularly are happier in general than people who do not (Seligman, Emmons & McCullough, etc). Happiness affects longevity and quality of life. We can express gratitude about the past, the present, and the future. We can be appreciative of people who hold a positive influence in our lives, or advantages that we enjoy, or possessions that we have, or qualities that we possess as human beings. Try to make it a daily habit to give thanks for what you appreciate on a daily basis in your life.
We can express thanks in many different ways:
Thinking about it
Saying words of praise
Writing letters of gratitude
A simple phone call
Acts of kindness
Prayer, if you are spiritual or religious
Writing a gratitude journal
A "Savoring Walk" (Bryant and Veroff, 2007)
Once we get past feelings of entitlement, we can stop taking for granted the people and advantages in our lives. Taking people for granted can lead to some strong regrets and unfinished business if we lose those people. Stop for a moment and ask yourself, who and what do you value in your life the most?
Your friends?
Your family?
Your job or career?
Your education?
Opportunities you've had?
Your possessions?
Your pets?
Your potential?
There is some solid research on this subject, which I have linked below. Click here for another article that I wrote about a couples communication technique that begins with expressing gratitude.
Check out these research articles for more information on happiness.
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