You are probably wondering what Goal Attainment and Gratitude have in common. If you've been reading this blog for awhile, you might be able to figure it out. I've been following the research on gratitude over the last few years and have been trying to find a way to make it applicable to our WorkPuzzle readers. I believe I finally have. First, some background information regarding gratitude: 
You see, gratitude has only recently been put under the microscope from a scientific research perspective. Prior to the last 15 years, the subject was left to philosophers and religious leaders as the appropriate experts to extol its benefits. However, once scientists began studying gratitude, they were so impressed by the findings, that research in this area has exploded.
The benefit of gratitude that I predict most of you will be interested in (at least initially), is the finding that gratitude is linked to significantly improved personal goal attainment. In one study, participants in one group kept gratitude lists (more on this next blog). This group ended up more likely to have made progress toward important personal goals (academic, interpersonal and health-based) over a two-month period than subjects in the control group, who underwent other exercises toward goal attainment.
However, a Research Project on Gratitude and Thankfulness confirms that goal attainment is not the only benefit to be gained from a practice of gratitude. Check out the paraphrased list below for additional benefits a consistent discipline of practicing gratitude can bring:
1. Studies show that those who keep gratitude journals on a weekly basis exercise more regularly, report fewer physical symptoms, feel better about their lives as a whole, and are more optimistic about the upcoming week compared to those who record hassles or neutral life events (Emmons & McCullough, 2003).
2. Young adults who are taught self-guided exercises for daily gratitude report higher levels of the positive states of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, attentiveness and energy compared to other groups, who tend to focus on hassles or a downward social comparison (ways in which participants think they are better off than others).
3. Study participants practicing gratitude are more likely to report having helped someone with a personal problem or having offered emotional support to someone, compared to a group focused on hassles or social comparison condition.
4. In a sample of adults with neuromuscular disease, a 21-day gratitude intervention resulted in greater amounts of high-energy, positive moods; a greater sense of connectedness to others; more optimistic ratings of one’s life; and better sleep duration and sleep quality, relative to a control group.
5. Children who practice grateful thinking have more positive attitudes toward school and their families (Froh, Sefick, & Emmons, 2008).
6. Grateful people report higher levels of positive emotions, life satisfaction, vitality, and optimism. In addition, they report lower levels of depression and stress. The disposition toward gratitude appears to enhance pleasant feeling states more than it diminishes unpleasant emotions. Grateful people do not deny or ignore the negative aspects of life.
7. Prosociality: People with a strong disposition toward gratitude have the capacity to be empathetic and to view the perspective of others. They are rated as more generous and more helpful by people in their social networks (McCullough, Emmons, & Tsang, 2002).
8. Spirituality: Those who regularly attend religious services and engage in religious activities, such as prayer reading, are more likely to be grateful. Grateful people are more likely to acknowledge a belief in the interconnectedness of all life, and a commitment to, and responsibility to others (McCullough et. al., 2002). Gratitude does not require religious faith, but faith enhances the ability to be grateful.
9. Materialism: Grateful individuals place less importance on material goods; they are less likely to judge their own and others' success in terms of possessions accumulated; they are less envious of others; and are more likely to share their possessions with others, relative to less grateful persons.
If that isn't a good enough list of benefits to spur most of us to develop our own discipline of gratitude, I don't know what will!
In Monday's blog I'll show you how you can begin to develop your own gratitude practice, and how to teach gratitude to those you coach and mentor.
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