Comments on: Practicing Gratitude Can Increase Happiness by 25%

By: LaSara FireFox

LaSara FireFox — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 21:01:00 +0000

Great article! The study is a wonderful step towards truly understanding how gratitude improves our quality of life.

Here's a fun and easy way to integrate gratitude practice into your life, and introduce it to your family and friends: http://www.gratitudegames.com.

peace, and gratitude!
-LaSara
http://www.lasarafirefox.com

By: Don Frederiksen

Don Frederiksen — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 02:07:00 +0000

In my blogging on leadership at http://www.leadquietly.com, I reference the power of thanks and gratitude as a vehicle for building community. A related catch phrase that I use comes from Tom Peters, "Thanks begets thanks."

This research validates the role that thanks and gratitude can play in the work place and it is so amazing that these benefits can be achieved so easily.

Thanks for highlighting this study.

Don

By: ab

ab — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 17:22:00 +0000

Assuming that the results would remain consistent with those described here, it would be more interesting to see were the same individuals subjected to gratitude, hassels and control conditions, in succession or at random, sugessting that happiness is an entity under an individual's contol irrespective of environmental conditions.

By: funspirit

funspirit — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 17:58:00 +0000

I don't think this article wants us to stop trying to be happier. I have used gratitude techniques with much success to increase my baseline happiness.

I laugh more often and don't stay upset as long as before. It does take time - it won't happen in a month.

It doesn't matter to me if people are selfish (wanting to feel good about themselves) when they help others - because the people they help still appreciate it. Who cares why they do it - only that they do.

By: Jeremy (PsyBlog author)

Jeremy (PsyBlog author) — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 06:57:00 +0000

Anon, the outcome of research is not necessarily obvious just because it fits in with your belief system.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 12:58:00 +0000

duh. Any Bible-believing person knows that the more gratitude and thankfulness a person holds inside and expresses outwardly increases their happiness. It is a matter of perspective. It's your "choice".

By: phillipa richardson

phillipa richardson — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 11:18:00 +0000

i think this article sums up life as a whole and then says stop tyring so hard. becuase the whole purpose of life is a constant search for happiness that we never fullfill because once we reach a certian level of happiness, we alwys feel there are further levels of haapiness to be achieved that we cant reach, a glass cieling effect. humans are completely selfish animals and any behaviour is driven by a desire to do so, for our self happiness. even such thing as altruistic favours for others are subconciously just to satisfy us and make us feel good. to summaries we should stop stiving to achieve societies hegemonic ideologies of happiness (good job, lots of money, a partner) and realise that, as this article pionts out, we all have a set biological level of happiness that will remian consistant throughout our ;ives, no matter what we do. i suppose that explains why famous actors or singers still have depression problems . . .