What are the benefits of using Five Daily Gratitudes?
As
UC Davis psychologist Robert Emmons has demonstrated in his research,
“The evidence that cultivating gratefulness is good for you is
overwhelming. Gratitude is quality that we should aspire to as a part
and parcel of personal growth…Specifically, we have shown that
gratitude is positively related to such critical outcomes as life
satisfaction, vitality, happiness, self-esteem, optimism, hope,
empathy, and willingness to provide emotional and tangible support for
other people, whereas being ungrateful is related to anxiety,
depression, envy, materialism, and loneliness.
"Collectively, such
studies present credible evidence that feeling grateful generates a
ripple effect through every area of our lives, potentially satisfying
our deepest yearnings – our desire for happiness, our pursuit of better
relationships, and our ceaseless quest for inner peace, wholeness, and
contentment. Gratitude is more, through than a tool for
self-improvement. Gratitude is a way of life."
You can learn more about the science of gratitude in Emmon's' great book Thanks!: How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier
Why do I have to write out my Five Daily Gratitudes?
Again,
as UC Davis psychologist Robert Emmons has demonstrated in his
research, "The important thing is to establish the daily habit of
paying attention to gratitude-inspiring events; a daily regimen is what
is required. The act of writing them down translates your thoughts into
words. Psychological research has shown that translating thoughts into
concrete language – words, whether oral or written – had advantages
over just thinking the thoughts. Writing helps to organize thoughts and
facilitate integrating, and also helps you accept your own experiences
and put them in context. In essence, it allows you to see the meaning
of events going on around you and create meaning in your own life."
What is Positive Psychology?
In
an article from the American Psychological Association, “Positive
psychology is the other side. It is the scientific pursuit of optimal
human functioning and the building of a field focusing on human
strength and virtue. It builds on the bench science and research
methods that shed light on the "dark side" of human functioning, and it
opens the door to understanding prevention and health promotion. Dr.
(Martin) Seligman (1998) noted, ‘We have discovered that there is a set
of human strengths that are the most likely buffers against mental
illness: courage, optimism, interpersonal skill, work ethic, hope,
honesty and perseverance. Much of the task of prevention will be to
create a science of human strength whose mission will be to foster
these virtues in young people.’
You can learn more about the
benefits of positive psychology by reading Dr. Martin Seligman’s great
book Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment
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