Thanksgiving…the benefits of Gratitude!

 Journal your gratitudes. Those who kept gratitude journals on a weekly basis:

1. ·         exercised more regularly
2. ·         reported fewer physical symptoms
3. ·         felt better about their lives as a whole
4. ·         were more optimistic about the upcoming week
5. ·        were more likely to have made progress toward important personal goals (academic, interpersonal and health-based)

Other Gratitude Notes

1. Most people report being grateful (an average rating of nearly 6 on a 7 point scale).

2. Well-Being:  Grateful people report higher levels of:
   •  positive emotions
   • life satisfaction
   • vitality,
   • optimism
   • 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.  

3. Prosociality: People with a strong disposition toward gratitude have the capacity to be empathic and to take the perspective of others, as well as be more generous.

4. 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.

 5.  Materialism:  Grateful individuals:

• ·          place less importance on material goods
• ·         are less likely to judge their own and others success in terms of possessions accumulated
• ·         are less envious of  others
• ·         are more likely to share their possessions with others relative to less grateful persons.   

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