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Baby Happiness

“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” - Thornton Wilder

Recent empirical research in psychology has found that a person’s level of happiness is remarkably stable overtime. Whether you win the lottery or are recovering from a serious illness -- after about three to six months, you return to your usual or “set-point” level of happiness.

However, cutting-edge research by Dr. Robert Emmons, editor of the Journal of Positive Psychology and researcher at the University of California, Davis, now shows that it is possible to significantly raise one’s happiness “set-point.” One key to doing this is to be thankful or grateful on a regular basis.

The New Science of Gratitude
In his latest book, “thanks!”, about this research, Dr. Emmons describes gratitude as both the acknowledgment of goodness in one’s life and the recognition that the source of the goodness lies at least partially outside of one’s self -- for example, being thankful to others, to animals, to nature, or to God.

What his new research shows is that people who regularly practice grateful thinking can increase their “set point” for happiness by as much as 25% -- and that this new level of happiness can be sustained. People who practice gratefulness feel more optimistic about the future, feel better about their lives and are more physically active than those who do not.

Dr. Emmons worked with three experimental groups of college students for 10 weeks. The first group was asked to write down five things they were grateful for in the past week for each of the 10 weeks. The second group was asked to write down five daily hassles they experienced from the past week. The third group were asked to simply listed five events that had occurred over the past week. Participants kept daily journals to track their moods, physical health and general attitudes.

This research showed that the first group -- those that were writing down things they were grateful for -- were more optimistic about life and the future, had fewer physical symptoms and did almost 1.5 hours more of exercise a week than the other two groups. In addition, people who kept gratitude lists were more likely to have made progress toward important personal goals. The evidence also showed that those who practiced daily gratitude reported higher levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, attentiveness and energy compared to those that focused on hassles.

Practicing Gratitude
Here are some possible ways to practice gratitude in your daily life:

1. Keep a gratitude journal and each Sunday evening write three to five things you are grateful for in the past week, from the mundane to the magnificent.
2. Three blessings: each day take time to write down a trio of things that went well and why.
3. Make a gratitude visit -- write a letter to someone to whom you own a debt of gratitude and then visit that person to read them the letter of appreciation.
4. Practice meditation to increase compassion and gratitude. (Consider trying one of Deepak Chopra’s gratitude meditations that can be found on YouTube.)
5. Practice progressive muscle relaxation, as it can produce increased feelings of love and thankfulness.
6. Imagining being forgiven by someone you have hurt, as the gift of forgiveness can increase feelings of gratitude.

Help! It Feels Fake
People may want to practice gratitude but feel a bit self conscious or slightly silly about doing one of these exercises. The best advice here is to “fake it until you make it” because the benefits can be significant. For example, Dr. Emmons’ book “thanks!” points out that keeping a gratitude journal for as little as three weeks can result in better sleep and more energy.

These exercises can be done with skepticism, but not with cynicism says one psychology professor who tried them with his students. In other words, they require a certain amount of openness and thoughtfulness. You can be grateful for just about anything you have received, however. For example, you could feel grateful to nature for a beautiful view, grateful for the generosity of a friend or grateful for the opportunity of being alive.