Joyful Jubilant Learning article about Gratitude

Sharing THANKS! by Robert Emmons

It is my pleasure to share and review one of my favorite books published in the last twelve months, Thanks!: How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier (2007, Houghton Mifflin) by Robert Emmons. Emmons belongs to the growing number of scholars, researchers and practitioners who call themselves positive psychologists. He teaches at the University of California, Davis and specializes in the study of gratitude and its benefits. Here is Emmons’ take on how we can become more grateful and by extension, happier.




1. Keep a gratitude journal. This does not have to be an onerous task, but a place to keep regular notes to ourselves about the gratitude-inspiring events we experience every day--our child holding our her hand to us, a friend's phone call, a note from an appreciative colleague.

2. Remember the bad. Remember also the slights of a boss, the sarcasm of an acquaintance, then the good in the present shines by comparison.

3. Ask yourself these three questions;

a. What have I received from______?
b. What have I given to________?
c. What troubles and difficulty have I caused_________?

(Emmons has found that these questions help us to see the reciprocal quality of relationships, to see our deposits and withdrawals into others' emotional bank accounts, and the deposits we have received from others.)

4. Learn prayers of gratitude. All spiritual and religious traditions have mantras or prayers of gratitude. If you don't know one, make one up. I am grateful for the challenges and the pleasures in my life right now.

5. Come to your senses. Appreciate your feet and legs that carry you to your appointed tasks and enjoyments. Be grateful for the functioning of your body, rather than focusing on its imperfections.

6. Use visual reminders--pictures of your family, stones or flowers from favorite hikes, teachers, mentors and friends for whom you are grateful. Gratitude comes with awareness.

7. Make a vow to practice gratitude. Say it out loud to a group of people. For many of us, commitment and accountability come with a public declaration of intention.

8. Watch your language. Language determines the nature and content of our thought; what we say to ourselves shapes our belief in ourselves.

9. Go through the motions. "Act as if," as they say in Alcoholics Anonymous. Act happy to be happy.

10. Think outside the box. Be grateful for your enemies, for what they teach you about how you want to be. Often the best leaders site bad bosses as a way they learned to be effective. Bad parents and bad teachers can instill good parenting and teaching in their children and students.

The most important learning for me in thanks! was the new knowledge that our brains cannot effectively project both negative and positive emotion at the same time. My regular practice of gratitude will likely crowd out some of my envy, self-pity, and anger and will certainly increase my awareness of the beauty and goodness all around me. The practical tips offered by Emmons really expanded my repertoire for gratitude first, and then happiness.
~ by author, Sara Orem

I found this article and liked it to share the list of benefits of gratitude. I look forward to reading the book.