The challenge – It’s hard to be regularly grateful.
The science – Being grateful builds strong social relationships and is related to our wellbeing.
The solution – Focus on, nurture, and invest in personal relationships by being more thankful.
When was the last time you said ‘thank you’ to someone and really meant it? Today? Earlier this week perhaps? Last month? When was the last time you said ‘thank you’ out of habit, and then reflected silently that that ‘thank you’ seemed fake? How did that make you feel? Two very different experiences no doubt…
Being thankful and grateful is not about being forced to write that thank you card to aunt Mildred for those lovely keen-length brown woollen socks for you birthday in the heat of summer. However, as we become adults we get out of the habit of thanking people formally or regularly. This is a shame as the research evidence suggest that more grateful people are more energetic, determined, helpful, attentive, joyful and optimistic, and report higher life satisfaction than people less grateful. More grateful people are also less anxious, depressed, envious, lonely and materialistic.
Gratitude is both a character strength and an emotion, and one of the ways that gratitude works is by helping you reframe your experience in a more positive way, and also to focus on the way in which other people assist you. You can become more grateful, or develop an attitude of gratitude, in a myriad of ways, for example:
So why is this important to know? Well, gratitude builds social relationships which are critical for promoting wellbeing. People’s wellbeing improves when they have richer social networks and connect with others including friends, relatives, colleagues and neighbours. So it may pay to focus on others as “other people matter”, not just in themselves, but in relation to your wellbeing and your ambitions and goals. Invest in building and acknowledging (i.e., being thankful for) good relationships.
For more information:
Emmons, R. A. (2007). THANKS! How the new science of gratitude can make you happier. Boston, MA: Houghton-Mifflin.
The science – Being grateful builds strong social relationships and is related to our wellbeing.
The solution – Focus on, nurture, and invest in personal relationships by being more thankful.
When was the last time you said ‘thank you’ to someone and really meant it? Today? Earlier this week perhaps? Last month? When was the last time you said ‘thank you’ out of habit, and then reflected silently that that ‘thank you’ seemed fake? How did that make you feel? Two very different experiences no doubt…
Being thankful and grateful is not about being forced to write that thank you card to aunt Mildred for those lovely keen-length brown woollen socks for you birthday in the heat of summer. However, as we become adults we get out of the habit of thanking people formally or regularly. This is a shame as the research evidence suggest that more grateful people are more energetic, determined, helpful, attentive, joyful and optimistic, and report higher life satisfaction than people less grateful. More grateful people are also less anxious, depressed, envious, lonely and materialistic.
Gratitude is both a character strength and an emotion, and one of the ways that gratitude works is by helping you reframe your experience in a more positive way, and also to focus on the way in which other people assist you. You can become more grateful, or develop an attitude of gratitude, in a myriad of ways, for example:
- Write a thank you letter as a way of acknowledging and appreciating what other people have done for you.
- Keep a general gratitude journal and write down the things that you are grateful for.
- Write down “three good things” that went well for you each day. These can be significant things or small things, but focus on your or others role in making these good things happen.
- What went well? At the end of the day, write down ‘what went well’. This is a great way to start the process of putting positive things first. It works by simply focusing you on the things that worked, what you can learn from them, and what you can do again next time.
So why is this important to know? Well, gratitude builds social relationships which are critical for promoting wellbeing. People’s wellbeing improves when they have richer social networks and connect with others including friends, relatives, colleagues and neighbours. So it may pay to focus on others as “other people matter”, not just in themselves, but in relation to your wellbeing and your ambitions and goals. Invest in building and acknowledging (i.e., being thankful for) good relationships.
For more information:
Emmons, R. A. (2007). THANKS! How the new science of gratitude can make you happier. Boston, MA: Houghton-Mifflin.
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