Gratitude
As you probably know, there has been a real turn in psychology toward a positive psychology. Much research has been devoted to the question of happiness. Bob Emmons, a psychologist at the University of California, is engaged in research on gratitude which he calls the “forgotten factor” in happiness research. His studies have found that individuals who keep gratitude journals report fewer physical symptoms, feel better about their lives, are more optimistic, and make more progress toward important personal goals. This is true in adults, individuals with chronic diseases, and children. If you would like to complete their gratitude measure and assess your own level of gratitude, follow this link: http://www.psy.miami.edu/faculty/mmccullough/gratitude/GQ-6-scoring-interp.pdf
What the work of Bob Emmons and his colleagues does is essentially change the focus of people's attention. The psychologist, William James, long ago observed that "my experience is what I agreed to attend to". Inherent in that statement is the notion that we can actively choose where to allocate our attention. There is new rehabilitation research occurring with the goal of developing treatments for improving focused attention. In the meantime, what we can do to develop our own strategies to focus on what is most meaningful, what is most gratifying, and what is the source of happiness. When we focus on people, events, and experiences for which we are grateful we are highlighting the positive aspects of life.
I have had many patients tell me that things just happen to them. It is often a long time before they believe that they can make choices for their own happiness. I would encourage anyone reading this to run your own gratitude experiment. Try for a few days to notice what happens each day that makes you grateful and see what happens to your mood. Call us and tell us about it.
Mark G. Kiefner, Ph.D.