Gratitude and Happiness; Research shows that appreciation increases happiness

Getting past the fact that gratitude defies easy classification we do know the positive effect that gratitude can have on social relations as a whole.

[Gratitude] encourages pro-social behavior in both the party giving and the party receiving thanks. It is related to the behavior of performing an act of thanksgiving and to the cognition of believing that one has experienced good fortune as a result of something or someone outside oneself. Children are taught from an early age to say thank you. It is one of the few social psychology concepts that has a related national holiday (Thanksgiving). Thanking God and acknowledging one’s blessings are central to many religious rites and ceremonies.

But what about the deeper psychological affect that it has on the giver? Can being grateful leader to more happiness? Yes, according to Positive Psychologists and this 2001 research project:

The gratitude-outlook groups exhibited heightened well-being across several, though not all, of the outcome measures across the 3 studies, relative to the comparison groups. The effect on positive affect appeared to be the most robust finding. Results suggest that a conscious focus on blessings may have emotional and interpersonal benefits.

Even stronger was this meta-study of ten studies on the subject:

A quantitative analysis of the effect of gratitude on positive affect confirms conventional wisdom. Specifically, there appears to be a significant, consistent, and sizeable effect of gratitude on positive affect.

The role of gratitude on happiness is intuitively compelling for several reasons. First it is a highly-prized human disposition in numerous religions including Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, and Hindu thought. Second, it is a happiness factor that is so much in our control. By in large we can choose to be appreciative or we can choose to not do so. While we are no doubt born with differences in our genetic gratitude dispositions, it is still one of the more manageable factors of one's personality.

In short, if you want to increase your happiness start by being more grateful for what you have.

In his book "Happier", Dr. Ben-Shahar notes that those who keep "gratitude journals" (that is writing down at least five things for which they are grateful in turn enjoyed higher levels of emotional well-being.

Please note that LifeTwo will be featuring excerpts and lessons from "Happier" in our week of happiness with the stated goal of helping you improve your happiness. The week will also feature an interview with "Happier" author Dr. Ben-Shahar. (Link for more information about this series).