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Last time I looked, Google had some 250,000 entries for 'gratitude attitude'. There will surely
be more by the time you read this page. If you skim through a few entries, you'll see pieces by
ministers, rabbis, life coaches, business consultants, psychologists, and ordinary Joe Bloggers.
They will all tell you that being grateful is a good thing.
Is it?
What research reveals about the impact of gratitude
Robert Emmons of the University of California and Michael McCullough of the University of Miami are
engaged in a joint long term research project on gratitude. They aim to establish the nature of gratitude,
its causes, and its potential consequences for human health and well-being. They've already published some
interesting results. (1)
First result: gratitude improves well-being
Seven hundred people were involved in one of their first studies. They were divided into three groups.
One practised daily gratitude, while the others undertook different 'control' exercises which did not
involve gratitude. The 'gratitude' group were significantly more alert, enthusiastic, optimistic and
energetic than the groups who were not practising gratitude. They felt better about themselves and
their lives.
Second result: gratitude improves mental and physical health
A particularly interesting finding was that the 'gratitude group' - who kept a daily record of things
they felt grateful for during the study - had better immune system function and were less likely to be
affected by physical illness. They exercised more regularly than members of the other groups, and were
less likely to become depressed.
Third result: gratitude helps you get on in life
The study monitored not only how people felt, but also what they were doing while participating in the
study. Those who were practising daily gratitude made more progress towards personal goals than those
who were not. Academic studies apply strict statistical rules to determine whether findings are
'significant'. So for such a finding to be reported, something measurably distinctive must be going on.
But what have you got to be grateful for, exactly?
It can be surprisingly difficult to determine where to 'aim' your gratitude. Contemporary western culture
gives the impression that we are all 'entitled' to the good things of life. At the same time, the 'good things'
are implicitly and explicitly defined as material wealth, and happiness is equated with more stuff. Now, delayed gratification is no longer widely encouraged or valued.
The combined effect of these cultural pressures is to make us feel resentful and frustrated rather than
grateful. If we don't get what we want (which of course we are 'entitled' to), we feel cheated and hard
done by. What's to be grateful for? We lose sight of the significance of the small pleasures of life,
and especially those which are not directly tangible, or which don't have a 'market price'.
So how can you rediscover the attitude of gratitude?
Even if the cultural bias is against you, or you feel that your own life doesn't seem to offer you much
to be glad about, it is possible to ignite - and maintain - a gratitude attitude which will transform
your life. Partly it's about recapturing the attitude of very small children (and you were once a very
small child). Small children find the most mundane aspects of the world thrilling and enchanting. You
can remember how to do that too.
Using hypnosis to reawaken your sense of gratitude to be alive
When you have forgotten your birthright, the most powerful and effective way to remember and revive it is
to use the power of your unconscious mind. Our unconscious minds hold many treasured memories which have
been obscured during the course of our lives. Hypnosis can bring them back to light and make them available
to you again.
The Gratitude Attitude is an audio hypnosis session which focuses specifically on using deep relaxation and
hypnotic recall to help you recover something which you once knew how to do perfectly well - be grateful for
everything.
As you listen to The Gratitude Attitude, you will be amazed at how powerfully and vividly long-forgotten
memories of delightful experiences come back to you. They will remind you that, whatever the circumstances
of your life, you do indeed have much to be grateful for. You will learn how to build up this attitude of
gratitude into a powerful resource for your life.
Download The Gratitude Attitude and discover how to be glad all over again.
Note
(1) Emmons, R.A., & McCullough, M.E. (2003). 'Counting blessings versus burdens: Experimental studies of
gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life', Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 377-389.
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