then i started reading about gratitude after we moved out here to terra (where a major artistic theme is actually the "gratitude statue" that the matriarch here makes. one waits in the center of both labyrinths here on the grounds. my dd is loving on one she calls "my friend" in my sig, btw.) anyway i found out there's a whole body of research on gratitude and it's really amazing and delightful. it's just as you'd hope. being grateful makes you happier and healthier.
http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/labs/emmons/
Gratitude Interventions and Psychological and Physical Well-Being
* In an experimental comparison, those who kept gratitude journals on a weekly basis exercised more regularly, reported fewer physical symptoms, felt better about their lives as a whole, and were more optimistic about the upcoming week compared to those who recorded hassles or neutral life events (Emmons & McCullough, 2003).
* A related benefit was observed in the realm of personal goal attainment: Participants who kept gratitude lists were more likely to have made progress toward important personal goals (academic, interpersonal and health-based) over a two-month period compared to subjects in the other experimental conditions.
* A daily gratitude intervention (self-guided exercises) with young adults resulted in higher reported levels of the positive states of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, attentiveness and energy compared to a focus on hassles or a downward social comparison (ways in which participants thought they were better off than others). There was no difference in levels of unpleasant emotions reported in the three groups.
* Participants in the daily gratitude condition were more likely to report having helped someone with a personal problem or having offered emotional support to another, relative to the hassles or social comparison condition.
* In a sample of adults with neuromuscular disease, a 21-day gratitude intervention resulted in greater amounts of high energy positive moods, a greater sense of feeling connected to others, more optimistic ratings of one’s life, and better sleep duration and sleep quality, relative to a control group.
[B] Measuring the Grateful Disposition[/B]
* Well-Being: Grateful people report higher levels of positive emotions, life satisfaction, vitality, optimism and lower levels of depression and stress. The disposition toward gratitude appears to enhance pleasant feeling states more than it diminishes unpleasant emotions. Grateful people do not deny or ignore the negative aspects of life.
* Prosociality: People with a strong disposition toward gratitude have the capacity to be empathic and to take the perspective of others. They are rated as more generous and more helpful by people in their social networks (McCullough, Emmons, & Tsang, 2002).
* Spirituality: Those who regularly attend religious services and engage in religious activities such as prayer reading religious material score are more likely to be grateful. Grateful people are more likely to acknowledge a belief in the interconnectedness of all life and a commitment to and responsibility to others (McCullough et. al., 2002).
* Materialism: Grateful individuals place less importance on material goods; they are less likely to judge their own and others success in terms of possessions accumulated; they are less envious of wealthy persons; and are more likely to share their possessions with others relative to less grateful persons.
i used to journal. my life has moved on in a big way since i sat on a porch swing with a nursing baby and my just sharpened #2 eberhard-faber and my notebook. now i have a blog and so do a bunch of my friends online, and i thought it would be nice to journal/blog daily on a snippet of gratitude from our lives for 30 days. i hope to get myself a habit started in that time. :joy:
sometimes the things i am grateful for are easy to spot. tonight dh made me a delicious meal and i don't know what exactly but he's got a handmade dessert in the freezer. we're having a low-tech, no-cost valentine's day, and i'm just happy as can be about it. but many days i'm stressed, mad, hurt, bored, or overwhelmed. it's those days i especially want to find gratitude in. and now i have to.
anyway...if you wanna join me, please do! id love to read others' thoughts on this matter--and i'd love to hear what others are grateful for.
