I came across some simple but profound research thanks to Jonathan Kaplan’s Urban Mindfulness Blog about the effectiveness of Gratitude.

We’ve all known that gratitude is powerful and it works, but there’s nothing like scientific evidence to please our rational minds. Thanks to our conditioning, the lack of evidence often sets us back much more than we can imagine. =)

So here’s how just one change in your life can make huge changes – counting your blessing through a simple gratitude journal. Here is a really simple article on how to get started.

Back in 2003, Emmons and McCullough [Don't scientists ever publish their first names?] conducted research that shows the following. This is a summary and for those who’re interested, a detailed pdf document can be found here. The study findings also reference many other related studies. Google is your best friend =)

Gratitude Interventions and Psychological and Physical Well-Being

Measuring the Effects

People were asked to report being grateful on a scale of 0 to 7. And they were compared on these parameters.

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). Gratitude does not require religious faith, but faith enhances the ability to be grateful.

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 others; and are more likely to share their possessions with others relative to less grateful persons.

All this by spending 5 minutes a day writing a gratitude journal! =O

Wishing you Lightness