Experiencing more gratitude is linked to greater happiness and fewer psychological problems.
People can train themselves to be more grateful in just 15 minutes per day, research finds.
Experiencing more gratitude is linked to greater happiness and fewer psychological problems.
People who worked on their gratitude over six weeks enjoyed a long-term boost to their well-being, researchers found.
Other studies have linked gratitude to more satisfaction, motivation, better social ties and improved relationships.
Typical activities to increase gratitude include keeping a gratitude journal, expressing gratitude to others and reflecting on the positive effects of adversity.
- To get started, try these 5 easy gratitude exercises.
- Find out more about the benefits of gratitude and develop a gratitude plan.
Professor Ernst Bohlmeijer, the study’s first author, said:
“Training gratitude is not a trick to be happy quickly.
It is developing a new attitude to life.
Life becomes less self-evident and that makes people more flexible.”
The study included 217 people, one-third of whom did the gratitude exercises for six weeks.
The exercises included focusing on feeling appreciative, expressing gratitude to others, keeping a gratitude journal and writing positively about their own lives.
People in the study did these exercises for 15 minutes per day.
The results showed that one-third of participants felt higher well-being and this was maintained over six months after the intervention.
In the comparison groups only around half as many people felt higher well-being.
While gratitude involves focusing on what is good in life, it does not mean ignoring life’s challenges, said Professor Bohlmeijer:
“It is important to say that the idea is not to ignore negative experiences.
Acknowledging difficulties and psychological distress, while also appreciating the good things in life, is possible.
In fact, that’s the essence of psychological resilience.”
The study was published in the Journal of Happiness Studies (Bohlmeijer et al., 2020).
