Unit 3: Gratitude

Throughout this course you are introduced to some of the ways you can boost your happiness and wellbeing, and that of your children, using six key themes that have been shown to improve wellbeing through the way we think about the past, present and future potential.

The second of these six themes is illustrated in the diagram below.

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A diagram with three boxes across the top saying past, present and potential. Below these boxes are six circles, grouped in pairs. Below the box saying past, the two circles say character srengths and gratitide. Below present, the circles say savouring and kindness. Below potential, the circles say hope ans meaning. All of the boxes and circles are greyed out except for past and gratitude.

For this second theme, you are shown some practical activities that you can try at home. The benefits of these have all been supported scientifically and can be attempted by yourself during the course. They can also be adapted to work with children of all ages within the home. Being a good role model to our children is also a great way to help enhance their wellbeing.

At its most basic, gratitude means to recall the positive things in our lives and to express appreciation for these.

Over the last two decades there have been numerous studies and research conducted into the nature and benefits of gratitude. These studies have produced a very convincing case for the positive effects of gratitude in many aspects of life.

The following video is an example of a gratitude experiment.

There are many additional benefits of gratitude.

Research has shown that people who have a grateful temperament tend to experience more positive emotions, are happier and healthier and experience less anxiety and depression.

The diagram below highlights some of the additional benefits of gratitude.

These benefits can be particularly valuable when dealing with a stressful and unpredictable period of life, such as during the pandemic, as they can bolster your feelings of resilience and help you to cope despite adversity.

Some people find that being grateful comes more naturally to them and have what is known as an ‘attitude of gratitude’. These people see life as a gift and perhaps retain a sense of perspective when experiencing tough times, reminding themselves that other people may be in a worse situation to them to help them to appreciate what they have.

Sometimes a time of high stress in life, such as a serious illness, can also help you to feel more gratitude– when you see the good in others and are appreciative of their care.

A survey conducted on 511 adults during the pandemic found that despite all of the challenges individuals were facing, people still reported strong feelings of gratitude and that they expected their gratitude to grow in the future.

It can sometimes feel particularly challenging to feel gratitude. If you feel indebted to someone this can naturally prevent feelings of gratitude. You may also feel that you have been a victim of some extremely hard experiences in life that were no fault of your own.

In this situation it can be a challenge to shift your emotions from being a victim to a survivor, who can be appreciative of the more positive aspects of our lives.

The good news is that with some practice it is possible to increase your feelings of gratitude.

There are a number of exercises that you can carry out on your own and with your family that have been shown to cultivate your feelings of gratitude. These exercises are cumulative, that is the more that you do them the stronger their effect.

In order to make them a part of your life it is a good idea to try to make them a part of your day and turn them into a habit, like brushing your teeth.

This next activity is a good one if you enjoy being creative and making scrapbooks, as well as being a wonderful keepsake for your family to enjoy in years to come.

Writing down your feelings of appreciation for someone helps you to focus on more positive emotions whilst you are doing it as well as being a delightful surprise for the person receiving it, creating positive emotions in them too.

In this unit you have explored the many benefits of gratitude and how cultivating this character strength can enhance positive relationships and emotions.

In the next unit, you move on from the ‘past’ to study how positive psychology can work in the ‘present’ by examining how savouring can increase happiness.

Now go to Unit 4: Savouring, where you explore the third of our six principles.

References

Allen, S. (2018) The science of gratitude, John Templeton Foundation.

Huffman, J.C., Beale, E.E., Celano, C.M., Beach, S.R., Belcher, A.M., Moore, S.V., Suarez, L., Motiwala, S.R., Gandhi, P.U., Gaggin, H.K. and Januzzi, J.L. (2016) 'Effects of optimism and gratitude on physical activity, biomarkers, and readmissions after an acute coronary syndrome: the gratitude research in acute coronary events study', Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, 9(1), pp.55-63.

Huffman, J.C., DuBois, C.M., Healy, B.C., Boehm, J.K., Kashdan, T.B., Celano, C.M., Denninger, J.W. and Lyubomirsky, S. (2014) 'Feasibility and utility of positive psychology exercises for suicidal inpatients', General hospital psychiatry, 36(1), pp.88-94.

Mills, P.J., Redwine, L., Wilson, K., Pung, M.A., Chinh, K., Greenberg, B.H., Lunde, O., Maisel, A., Raisinghani, A., Wood, A. & Chopra, D. (2015) 'The role of gratitude in spiritual well-being in asymptomatic heart failure patients', Spirituality in clinical practice, 2(1), p.5.

Sheldon, K.M. & Lyubomirsky, S. (2006) 'How to increase and sustain positive emotion: The effects of expressing gratitude and visualizing best possible selves', The Journal of Positive Psychology, 1(2), pp.73-82.

Watkins, P. C., Emmons, R. A., Amador, T., & Fredrick, M. (2021). Growth of gratitude in times of trouble: Gratitude in the pandemic, a paper submitted for the virtual International Positive Psychology Association meeting, July 15–17, 2021. Quoted in Waters, L., Algoe, S.B., Dutton, J., Emmons, R., Fredrickson, B.L., Heaphy, E., Moskowitz, J.T., Neff, K., Niemiec, R., Pury C., & Steger, M. (2021) 'Positive psychology in a pandemic: buffering, bolstering, and building mental health', The Journal of Positive Psychology, DOI: 10.1080/17439760.2021.1871945.

Wong, Y.J., Owen, J., Gabana, N.T., Brown, J.W., McInnis, S., Toth, P. & Gilman, L. (2018) 'Does gratitude writing improve the mental health of psychotherapy clients? Evidence from a randomized controlled trial', Psychotherapy Research, 28(2), pp.192-202.

Wood, A.M., Maltby, J., Gillett, R., Linley, P.A. & Joseph, S. (2008) 'The role of gratitude in the development of social support, stress, and depression: Two longitudinal studies', Journal of Research in Personality, 42(4), pp.854-871.