What is Gratitude, Really?

Image by aussiegall via Flickr

Gratitude is more than feeling of thankfulness or appreciation for gifts or favors. It’s a complex feeling of “self-reflection, the ability to admit that one is dependent...and the humility to realize one’s own limitations.” -- Dr. Robert Emmons, professor of psychology at the University of California-Davis and an authority in gratitude research.

In a study of undergraduates, one group listed five things for which they were grateful, the second listed five annoying things, and the third listed five things that occurred. The students also completed questionnaires about their physical and mental health before, during and after the study.  

The results were telling! The group that listed things for which they were grateful felt better about their lives, had fewer health concerns, and exercised more than the other groups.

Other studies reveal that negative words, even silent, negative thoughts, darken a mood while positive ones, expressions of thanks, encouragement and appreciation lighten a mood. 

I find, for myself, that gratitude and worry are mutually exclusive.  When I pause to appreciate, I set worries aside – almost as if I were physically turning my head away. Worries and gratitude don’t “go together!”

This thinking may be on the mark: “Being grateful also forces people to overcome… ”negativity bias” the innate tendency to dwell on problems, annoyances and injustices rather than upbeat events. Focusing on blessings can help ward off depression and build resilience in times of stress, grief or disasters,” according to Dr. Emmons. 

Lou and I are grateful to G-d for giving us a life of pleasure and the opportunity to enjoy the radiance of the Divine Presence. Professionally Goodcopy has been blessed with a talented staff, expertise which we developed together, sophisticated equipment and an establishment that has enabled us to have forty-two years (and counting!) of experience with valued customers. 

Related articles

• Why gratitude isn't for wimps (holykaw.alltop.com)
• Christine Carter, PhD: Are Your Teenagers More Entitled Than Grateful? (huffingtonpost.com)
• How Feelings of Gratitude Breed Happiness and Well-Being (healthland.time.com)

Gratitude: A Whale of a Story

Image via Wikipedia

A December, 2005 front page story of the San Francisco Chronicle, reported on a female humpback whale that had become entangled in a spider web of crab traps and lines.

Just east of the Farallon Islands (outside the Golden Gate), on the humpbacks' usual migratory route, a fisherman spotted a 45- to 50-foot female humpback, estimated to weigh 50 tons.

She was weighted down by hundreds of pounds of traps that caused her to struggle to stay afloat. She also had hundreds of yards of line rope wrapped around her body, her tail, her torso, a line tugging in her mouth.

The fisherman radioed an environmental group for help. Within a few hours, the rescue team arrived and determined that she was so snarled, the only way to save her was to dive in and untangle her.

They worked for hours with curved knives and eventually freed her. This daring rescue was believed to be the first successful attempt on the West Coast to free an entangled humpback.

When she was free, the divers say she swam in what seemed like joyous circles.She then came back to each and every diver, one at a time, and nudged them, pushed them gently around as she were thanking them. Some said it was the most incredibly beautiful experience of their lives.

The man who cut the rope out of her mouth said her eyes were following him the whole time, and he will never be the same.

We at Goodcopy hope that you and your family are privileged to be surrounded by people who will help you get untangled from the things that are binding you and that you always know the joy of giving and receiving gratitude.

Encouraging Gratitude in the Season of Giving and Receiving!

Gifts are truly lovely things, and there is pleasure in giving and receiving. However, in this season of shopping, there's also a place to acknowledge the valuable gifts we already have! Isn't that what Chanukah (evening of December 1^st) and Christmas (December 25^th) should be, appreciation of what we have?!

From the recent Wall Street Journal article by Melinda Beck, gratitude is good for your happiness and good for your health.

“In an upcoming paper in the Journal of Happiness Studies, Dr. Froh and colleagues surveyed 1,035 high school students and found that the most grateful had more friends and higher GPA’s while the most materialistic had lower grades, higher levels of envy and less satisfaction with life. “One of the best cures for materialism is to make somebody grateful for what they have,” says Dr. Froh.

It’s worth it: Children who are grateful have better grades, set higher personal goals, exhibit greater satisfaction with their lives, tend to be less materialistic, and are more likely to “give back.” Those are tremendous benefits from a single characteristic!!!  

Here are some approaches to encourage gratitude in kids:

• A gratitude journal with one to three specific good things that happened during the day

• Think and speak positively; negativity in thoughts and words promotes negative attitudes

• Pause during the day and pay attention to your environment, views, sounds, smells, etc.

• Swap gratitude lists with a friend as appreciation, not as bragging

• Speak positively; negativity in thoughts and words breeds more negativity

• Visit, call, or write a letter with thanks to someone who has helped you

• Keep good memories of vacations, excursions, special events with pictures and postcards and notes

• Count your blessings not sheep at the end of the day (see another entry for all the lyrics!)

For the record, gratitude is good for adults as well: Adults with gratitude are more optimistic, have more social satisfaction, sleep better, exercise more, and have less depression, envy, and fewer physical complaints. Wow! I hope I didn’t put my gratitude away on Thanksgiving with all the platters and bowls and china!