Sharing this blog post by: Mark Roberts, Patheos.com
Now, I know this sounds like pop psychobabble. But, in fact, serious
research suggests that expressing gratitude for your blessings will, indeed,
help you to be both happier and healthier.
Among the studies that demonstrate this connection, one is described
in an article from the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
In “Counting
Blessings Versus Burdens: An Experimental Investigation of Gratitude and Subjective
Well-Being in Daily Life,” Robert A. Emmons of the University
of California, Davis, and Michael E. McCullough of the University of Miami,
report on their research. I’ll try to summarize their methodology and findings
here.
Emmons and McCullough did three separate studies with groups of 201,
166, and 65 people. In all three groups, some participants kept a journal entry
of their blessings. Other participants were to keep a record of their “hassles”
or of merely “neutral” events. All participants were required to record aspects
of their well-being, including “moods, coping behaviors, health behaviors,
physical symptoms, and overall life appraisals.” What were Emmons and
McCullough seeking to discover?
Here’s their statement of purpose for the study. In the spirit of
understanding the link between gratitude and happiness, the purpose of this
research is to experimentally investigate the effects of a “grateful outlook”
on psychological and physical well being. More specifically, we address whether
relative to focusing on complaints or on neutral life events, a focus on
“counting one’s blessings” leads to enhanced psychological and physical
functioning.
So, what did the researchers find? In their own words. There do appear
to exist benefits to regularly focusing on one’s blessings. The advantages are
most pronounced when compared with a focus on hassles or complaints, yet are
still apparent in comparison with simply reflecting the major events in one’s
life, on ways in which one believes one is better off than comparison with
others, or with a control group. In Study 1, we found that a weekly
benefit listing was associated with more positive and optimistic appraisals of
one’s life, more time spent exercising, and fewer reported physical symptoms.
In Study 2, self-guided daily gratitude exercises were associated with higher
levels of positive affect. People led to focus on their blessings
were also more likely to report having helped someone with a personal problem
or offered emotional support to another, suggesting prosocial motivation as a
consequence of the gratitude induction . . . . We found that random
assignment to the gratitude condition resulted in greater levels of
positive affect, more sleep, better sleep quality, and greater optimism and a
sense of connectedness to others. In Study 3, we even found that the
gratitude intervention led to reductions in negative affect [for those suffering
with neuromuscular disease] . . . [emphasis added].
In a nutshell, Emmons and McCullough found that people who considered
their blessings and expressed gratitude were happier and healthier. They tended
to be more active in helping others. And they also slept better. People
suffering from illness experienced a lessening of negative affect.
You may be inclined to say that this study simply confirmed common
sense and common experience. I agree. I’m not especially surprised by any of
this. But I am impressed that when people take time to think about and record
their blessings, their lives improve demonstrably and tangibly.
So here’s a reason to take time to feel thankful and to express your
gratitude: you’ll have a better life.
Now, as a Christian, I believe there are other reasons to thank God,
beginning with the fact that God deserves our gratitude. Then, of course,
there’s the fact that Scripture calls us to be thankful. Then, there’s the
positive impact of gratitude upon others. But, if you’re inclined to wonder
about whether thanksgiving can make a difference in your own life, now you
know. It will make your life better.
“But,” you may want to object, “I’m going through a particularly
difficult time right now. How can I be thankful when . . .?” You fill in the
blank with whatever ailment or challenge or pain is haunting you right
now. Is it possible to thank God when life is hard?http://www.patheos.com/blogs/markdroberts/series/season-of-thanksgiving/
From our family to yours on Thanksgiving Day
Giving Thanks for All Things
Ephesians 5:20 “giving
thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ.”
Woodland Windows and Doors,
Inc.
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