Who is they?

“I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” -G.K. Chesterton

They -

- felt 25% happier than the others

- were more optimistic about the future

- reported fewer health complications and fewer symptoms of physical illness

- spent nearly 1.5 hours more per week exercising

Are you wondering who they might be?

“They” are some of the participants in a 10-week study (Emmons, R. A., & McCullough, M. E. (2003). Counting blessings versus burdens: An experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 377-389. PDF) randomly assigned to one of three tasks. At the end of each week, the participants were asked to describe either

1) five things they were grateful for that had occurred in the past week, or

2) five daily hassles from the past week, or

3) five events or circumstances that affected them in the last week without accentuating the positive or negative aspects.

"They” - those with the positive outcomes listed above - were group #1 who recorded the things they were grateful for.

In a second similar study, participants were divided into the same three groups, but asked to reflect and record daily for two weeks. The results were similar with the exception of no effect on physical symptoms or health behaviors (possibly due to the short nature of study?) but with the self-reported effect of increased helping of others in comparison with the hassles participants.

This fascinates me. The simple act of recounting and recording that for which we are grateful has significant benefit! It seems simple: but remembering to count our blessings is not always easy. We need to choose to do so. We need to choose to lean into recognizing (this is gift!), and receiving (I’ll accept and appreciate this gift!). G.K. Chesterton (1874-1936) is cited as a model of this recognition of gift; he wisely wrote

“the test of all happiness is gratitude...around every corner is another gift waiting to surprise us, and it will surprise us if we can achieve control over our natural tendencies to make comparisons, to take things for granted, and to feel entitled.”

In addition to a gentle reminder to remember that we have been gifted with much (especially many of us in the US), I also want to invite us to do more than remember: to increase in helping, allowing our gratitude to move us in sharing our gifts. My daughter Rebekah recently wrote a blog post that both discomforts and inspires me. In her challenge I am challenged; she describes a Guatemalan family who finds happiness in the midst of extreme little, and then encourages us to let them teach us gratitude, AND to not let our justification of “but they’re happy” stop us from seeing their great need and giving out of our great abundance. She says,

“In really seeing the miracle in their ability to live with less and choose happiness I was challenged, and hope others would feel the same, to do more to serve, live with less and still be 'happy'. Their ability to have perspective and find joy doesn't negate my responsibility to ALSO live with deep perspective, as if their happiness somehow justifies their daily injustices.”

“To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live gratitude is to touch Heaven.” – Johannes A. Gaertner

For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, if it is received with gratitude. – I Timothy 4:4