Research says gratitude brings health, happiness

Psychologist says giving thanks leads people to act in ‘more selfless ways’

By Matt Sedensky
Associated Press
Published: Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009 10:21 p.m. MST

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Bill Golden survived more than 20 years in the Army and another 30 in law enforcement. He fell sick with colon cancer, and at 86, he has an artificial hip and arthritis in his knees.

Golden still gives thanks, though, and researchers say that appreciative attitude can be good for you, too.

Academics have long theorized that expressions of thanks promote health and happiness and give optimism and energy to the downtrodden. Now, the study of gratitude has become a surprisingly burgeoning field, and research indicates being thankful might help people actually feel better. There’s a catch, however: You have to say thanks more than just once a year.

“If you don’t do it regularly, you’re not going to get the benefits,” said Sonja Lyubomirsky, a psychology professor at the University of California, Riverside. “It’s kind of like if you went to the gym once a year. What would be the good of that?”

In recent years, researchers have tried to measure the benefits of gratitude. In a National Science Foundation-funded study, Northeastern University psychologist David DeSteno had participants complete an arduous data entry task only to have it lost by computer malfunction. Then, a lab assistant, seemingly unconnected to the study and claiming to be in a hurry for their own experiment, restores the lost work.
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The participant is dismissed, and bumps into the lab assistant, who asks for help. DeSteno found those who had been helped by the assistant, and were grateful for it, were more likely to return the favor, and did so for longer than those in a group not helped.

“Gratitude leads people to act in virtuous or more selfless ways,” said DeSteno, whose research was published earlier this year in the journal Current Directions in Psychological Science. “And it builds social support, which we know is tied to both physical and psychological well being.”

Robert Emmons, a psychology professor at the University of California, Davis, said those who offer gratitude are less envious and resentful. They sleep longer, exercise more and report a drop in blood pressure, said Emmons, who wrote “Thanks! How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier.”

Brenda Shoshanna, a New York psychologist, agreed.

“You can’t be depressed and grateful at the same time,” said Shoshanna, the author of “365 Ways to Give Thanks: One for Every Day of the Year.” “It makes a person physically, mentally, in every way healthier.”

As for Golden, he doesn’t pay much attention to the academics. He simply acknowledges he’s “one lucky dude,” grateful for his two children, two grandchildren, and his 89-year-old girlfriend.

So on Thursday, he and his family will gather around the table, hold hands and say thank you.

Over time I have noticed a correlation between those that keep stuff that they do not need and people having problems with debt. What is a pack rat you may say? Well if you answer yes to the following questions you may be a pack rat.

Do you still have three toasters you have never used, from your wedding?

Do you have more than one lawn mower?

Do you park your car outside of the garage to make room for your stuff?

Do you buy stuff and never end up using it?

Do you have HSN and QVC boxes that have never been opened?

Do you pay insurance on a vehicle that you are not using?

Why do people keep stuff even when they do not use it? Some people have emotional attachments to stuff. It is like a security blanket. How can you overcome being a pack rat?

Sell, Sell, Sell

You can sell your unused stuff and de-clutter and organize your life through selling on eBay and craigslist, or by having a yard sale. And of course you can donate it and use that on your next year’s taxes.

Set rules and guidelines to overcome being a pack rat. If you have not used it in the last 6 months, get rid of it! Remember, in the end you cannot take any of it with you, it is all just stuff. Living a clutter free life can help you jump start you debt elimination plan. Make this your own personal stimulus package by generating extra cash with unused items!

For majority of Americans their retirement will depend largely on their stock investments. Many shy away from learning about the stock Market  because it is “too scary and complicated”. In this age of information there are plenty of opportunities to learn what you need to know in order to be an effective investor. There are websites that will help you with definitions and websites that will teach you investment basics. The last thing that we want for any of our students to do is blindly follow the advice of a financial professional. I believe that having the advice of competent professionals is important but at the end of the day it is your money and you have the final decision on what happens. Your investments are YOUR responsibility! Never fall into the trap of following the advice that I have heard from some advisers and that is “just trust me” I know what I am doing. That is great that they know what they are doing, but their job is to explain to you what they are doing so you too can participate in the decision making process. It is time to take a more active approach to investing.

There is a way to simplify your investment strategy and that is to invest in the whole market. Getting into something like an Index Fund can greatly reduce your expenses.

What is the big deal about expenses when it comes to investing? In a recent article, I was amazed to see that a two percent savings on investing expenses increased an investor’s return by about 60 percent over the life of the investment.

Investing like paying down your debts takes a consistent mindset. Slow and steady wins the race! Make sure you are well informed so you can make the calls with the help of professionals and not blindly follow what they recommend! Listen to this weeks call on the stock market to get started on learning the basics of stock market investing!

Three words that describe the truly wealthy in this country: Frugal, Frugal, Frugal!

If you would like to learn more about what is going on with the Dollar and the US economy, a great book to check out is Crash Proof 2.0.

Just more proof that it CAN be done!

Here is a great success update hot off the press!

Hi Adam,
Not the usual update I give you but it’s been anything but usual since last Thursday.
I previously reported that I had established an LLC for myself and am going to Trade in the Forex Market as my new income stream. I had also established a 2nd LLC with the plan that this would be my wife’s stream.
My wife works in marketing, and since January has been putting up to 80 hours a week, for the base pay of 40 hours - her only assistant was laid off at the same time. I have been trying to get her to get another job, quit, anything to free up her time so she can work what I call the ‘Prosper’ plan, because we’ve been doing everyone else’s plan for so long. She was working so much she didn’t even have time to look for a job!
So last Thursday, for all her efforts, she was fired! Two weeks severance.have a nice day! Not even a thank you for all her efforts.
If we had not been in Prosper for the last 6 months, this would have been pretty devastating. Of course it was a big shock to her, hard on the ego, very hurtful. She went through what probably most of us have been through for a day, but it only took one day before we saw all the opportunities.
She already had a product idea, just from thinking different from reading the assigned reading materials, already knows that she’s excellent at what she does and could certainly sell her services to the ‘competition’ but as a consultant where she provides a service, but she can’t any longer be fired..she works for her.
In reading ‘Killing Sacred Cows’, we already were gathering insurance information so from hence forth we would carry our own insurance, versus via an employer, because after 50 we want to make sure we don’t become uninsurable, lest one of those things that tend to come with age happen to us. At least we’d know we’d always have insurance, none of the ‘Pre-existing condition’ stuff. Almost the ‘Perfect Storm’..not because we planned it mind you, but because we listened to what we learned and we implemented it.
So here it is Tuesday.she is now in business for herself, her former boss who left the same employer is making arrangements to hire her on as a consultant, for which we had already applied for the EIN, and had the LLC, as if we already knew. He plans to keep her on retainer, and if she just works 2 weeks a month, she will have matched her previous salary.and of course now she gets paid for every hour of work so she is more than willing to do more
Had we not listened to the philosophy of ‘multiple streams of income’ and assumed someone would be there to take care of everything, we would not have been educating ourselves, and more importantly getting ready. I’d love to think I was smart and knew everything that was going to happen, but I listened, reasoned and acted according to what Prosper teaches.
In the past, this would have been devastating, especially in this economy. Fact was it was hard for me to not tell her immediately how happy I really was she got fired…I looked at it more like she was set free to work our plan, not someone elses.

Oh yeah, and already working towards eliminating debts, financial concerns didn’t even pop up.we spend way below our means.working to eliminate ALL debt within 2 years, including the house. Again, had we not been doing this, I don’t believe it would have been as painless as it has been.
I have reported before that Prosper gave us hope for the future as we had never had, now I believe we are truly starting our journey. In just a few days without a ‘job’ and my wife already has another business idea, conducting training in her area of expertise, that looks like yet another stream of income. She has shared here idea, and everyone thinks it is an excellent idea, including local community college.
I told her when it happened, that eventually she’d look back and look at last Thursday as the day of her new beginning.we’ll it’s Tuesday and she is believing it now!
Advice to all.don’t just think.do.don’t just learn stuff, but do something with what you learn…you’ll be surprised how smart you’ll look.as for us.we thank God! Coincidence is when God does something, but doesn’t take the credit.we just listened!