A serving of gratitude may save the day

by Tom Gallagher on Nov. 22, 2011

New York Times columnist John Tierney writes today on the life-changing effects of gratitude. It's a good read.

"The most psychologically correct holiday of the year is upon us.

"Cultivating an 'attitude of gratitude' has been linked to better health, sounder sleep, less anxiety and depression, higher long-term satisfaction with life and kinder behavior toward others, including romantic partners. A new study shows that feeling grateful makes people less likely to turn aggressive when provoked, which helps explain why so many brothers-in-law survive Thanksgiving without serious injury."

It would be interesting to

Submitted by Star (not verified) on Nov. 29, 2011.

It would be interesting to learn about the factors that promote gratitude. My guess is that those who are happiest tend to have the highest capacity for gratitude. The gratitude shines forth as an expression of their natural good-naturedness, and tends to reinforce it. Those who are more anxious or melancholic most likely tend to have to work harder to feel or express gratitude. Their difficulty finding things to be grateful for probably only reinforces their misery.
While it is helpful to routinize gratitude into our lives, as these researchers suggest, and I think that being reminded of its helpfulness is useful for many, we have to respect the fact that for some gratitude may be very difficult or impossible. Admonishing people, "don't worry, be happy" has had relatively little power to help people who are constitutionally inclined to have nervous ailments. Similarly, telling people, "be more grateful" will be useful for those who are able to draw upon their inner resources of gratitude, but it may not be possible for the most miserable and unhappy to do so, even if it "makes sense" to do so.

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