It seems to me that much of our lives is devoted to the pursuit of happiness and often the path to happiness varies from culture to culture. As American’s we are exposed to the ‘secrets of happiness’ in the media of television, magazines and the internet. To me, it seems the common formula is money buys happiness. However, there are a number of counterpoint ‘sayings’ which state “money cannot buy happiness.” Despite well known sayings like this, it seems that most American’s don’t believe the old saying and believe that wealth does indeed buy happiness. The general feeling is that having more wealth brings less stress, more free time, freedom of choice, better quality of living and more opportunities for children. Wealth, in the eyes of most Americans, is in fact, the essential key to happiness.
It seems, however, that scientific studies of happiness have come to a much different conclusion. Dr. William Doverspike, former President of the Georgia Psychological Association, has written that a number of studies conclude happiness is linked closely to gratitude. “The efficacy of gratitude interventions has been studied in clinical samples (Duckworth, Steen, & Seligman, 2005), student populations (Sheldon & Lyubomirsky, 2006), and general adult populations (Seligman, Steen, & Peterson, 2005).” It seems that once a person becomes grateful for what they have in the way of family, relationships, job, possessions and health, they become happier. In contrast, those that are not content with what they have or are not grateful for what they have, are constantly seeking to buy or acquire bigger, better or more things.
Gratitude Exercises
The exercises below were taken directly from a short article written by Dr. Doverspike (to whom I’m extremely grateful).
Gratitude visit. In a placebo controlled empirical study, Seligman, Steen, and Peterson (2005) validated the gratitude visit as a way of increasing happiness. Compared to participants who were instructed to focus on a time in life when they were at their best and to reflect on their strengths, participants who engaged in a gratitude visit reported more happiness for one month after the intervention. Participants were given one week to write and then deliver a letter of gratitude in person to someone who had been especially kind to them but who had never been properly thanked. They were instructed to perform the exercise for only one week. The gratitude visit involves three basic steps: First, think of someone who has done something important and wonderful for you, yet who has not been properly thanked. Next, reflect on the benefits you received from this person, and write a letter expressing your gratitude for all he or she did for you. Finally, arrange to deliver the letter personally, and spend some time with this person talking about what you wrote.
Gratitude journal. Empirical studies have shown that those who kept gratitude journals felt better about their lives. Compared to those who recorded hassles or neutral life events, those who kept gratitude journals on a weekly basis exercised more regularly, reported fewer physical symptoms, felt better about their lives as a whole, and were more optimistic about the upcoming week (Emmons & McCullough, 2003). A related benefit was also observed in the realm of personal goal attainment: Compared to research participants in the other experimental conditions, participants who kept gratitude lists were more likely to have made progress toward important personal goals (academic, interpersonal and health-based) over a two-month period.
Suggested Exercises. Consider making a gratitude visit to someone who has been especially kind or helpful to you but who you have never properly thanked. Reflect on the benefits you received from this person, write a letter expressing your gratitude, and make arrangements to personally deliver the letter and discuss what you wrote. After making your gratitude visit, start keeping a daily gratitude journal of three things that go well each day. Reflect on three good things that happen each day as well as their possible causes, and write down these things in your gratitude journal at the end of each day. At the end of a month, review your journal, reflect on how you feel, and identify someone to whom you will make your next gratitude visit.
Large parts of this blog were taken directly from the following page: http://www.gapsychology.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=309
