Religious leaders and philosophers have long opined about the importance of giving thanks, sometimes linking gratitude to virtue. More recently, psychologists have begun to understand gratitude as a critical factor in achieving happiness, a sense of well being, and even robust health.

Gratitude is the emotion you feel when you contemplate gifts or benefits received, or contemplate things that you appreciate. Researchers Michael McCollough and Robert Emmons say that exercises intended to produce feelings of gratitude can result in increased alertness, enthusiasm, determination, optimism and energy.

Furthermore, in the McCollough/Emmons studies, people who practiced gratitude experienced less depression and stress, and they were more likely than the control group to exercise, to help others, and to make progress toward personal goals. And, these researchers say, gratitude fosters positive emotions that can boost your immune system.

In his wonderful book What Happy People Know, Dan Baker describes how feeling gratitude can cause your brain to undergo change. When you are actively engaged in appreciation, certain threatening messages and anxious instincts are cut off from your brain’s neocortex, “where they can fester, replicate themselves, and turn your stream of thoughts into a river of dread.”

In other words, your brain cannot be in a state of appreciation and a state of fear at the same time. By focusing on things for which you are grateful, by cultivating gratitude, you can quiet your anxiety and awaken confidence and positive energy. Gratitude can simultaneously calm and empower you.

Beyond the gratitude we may feel to God or good luck or the Universe, we can transform relationships by feeling and expressing gratitude. People can be deeply affected by heartfelt thanks from others, as well as by the gratitude they experience themselves.

If you would like to explore the power of gratitude, consider these techniques:

Below is a brief book review, as well as a link that will allow you to buy the book directly from Amazon.com. For reviews of other helpful books, along with Amazon links, go to the books page of Bev’s website. If you buy a book this way it will contribute to the cost of distributing Bev’s Tips, and be much appreciated.

Authentic Happiness, by Martin E. P. Seligman, Ph.D.

As a leading expert in “Positive Psychology,” Seligman has demonstrated that happiness can be cultivated by nurturing traits we already possess, like kindness, humor and optimism. By methodically calling on these positive traits, he says, we can mitigate the effects of misfortune and bring positive energy to the crucial realms of life, like our health, relationships and careers.

According to Seligman, insufficient appreciation of the good events in your past and overemphasis on the bad ones are the two culprits that undermine serenity, and satisfaction. Gratitude and forgiveness are the two most direct paths to managing negative feelings about the past and achieving contentment.

He writes that “gratitude amplifies the savoring and appreciation of the good events gone by, and rewriting history by forgiveness loosens the power of the bad events to embitter.”

Nations as well as individuals can become mired in negative thoughts about the past, Seligman says. “Leaders who incessantly remind their followers of a long history of outrages… produce a vengeful, violent populace.”

To foster feelings of gratitude, he suggests that you set aside five free minutes at night, preferably right before brushing your teeth and heading to bed. Each night, take a clean sheet of paper, think about all that has happened to you during the day, and write down, on separate lines, up to five things you are grateful for.

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