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May 2, 2008

Practicing gratitude everyday

Filed under: Articles, Science — Tags: Dos @ 2:53 am

Gratitude is the feeling of thankfulness and appreciation. When was the last time you felt this way?

Do you know that having this attitude makes a person happier?

According to the the book of Sonja Lyubomirsky titled The How of Happiness, consistently grateful people

“…tend to be more helpful and empathetic, more spiritual and religious, more forgiving, and less materialistic…[and] less likely to be depressed, anxious, lonely, envious, or neurotic.”

Gratitude is also shown to boost happiness. There were eight reasons for this:

1. promotes the savoring of positive life experiences;
2. bolsters self-worth and self-esteem;
3. helps people cope with stress and trauma;
4. encourages moral behavior;
5. can help build social bonds, strengthen existing relationships and nurture new ones;
6. tends to inhibit comparisons with others;
7. incompatible with negative emotions and may diminish or deter feeling such as anger, bitterness or greed
8. helps prevent hedonistic adaptation.

source

Isn’t it nice to feel happier just by saying thanks? It’s free and makes us feel good.

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Canal Club Menu: Happiness is… sushi on patios.
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Centenarian: Still rockin’ the house with happiness!
Amelie: The happiness in helping others
Dalai Lama: good action, constructive action, & compassion

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